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Fly Girls: Keith O’Brien with Siobhan O’Connor

In the 1920s and ’30s airplane racing was a dangerous and popular new sport. Fans flocked to multi-day events, and cities vied to host them. Many of the pilots themselves were admired and respected as heroes—unless they were women. The press and popular opinion considered female pilots ridiculous and foolish to attempt such a masculine and dangerous sport. In Fly Girls, Keith O’Brien tells the stories of five remarkable women of varied backgrounds who joined forces for the chance to compete against men, so that in 1936 one of them could triumph in the toughest race of all.

Keith O’Brien, the author of Outside Shot: Big Dreams, Hard Times, and One County’s Quest for Basketball Greatness, as well as a former reporter for the Boston Globe and contributor to National Public Radio, will be joined in conversation with Siobhan O’Connor, vice president of editorial at Medium and former executive editor at Time. Q&A to follow.











When: Wed., Aug. 22, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Where: New York Public Library—Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library
476 Fifth Ave. (42nd St. Entrance)
212-340-0863
Price: Free
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In the 1920s and ’30s airplane racing was a dangerous and popular new sport. Fans flocked to multi-day events, and cities vied to host them. Many of the pilots themselves were admired and respected as heroes—unless they were women. The press and popular opinion considered female pilots ridiculous and foolish to attempt such a masculine and dangerous sport. In Fly Girls, Keith O’Brien tells the stories of five remarkable women of varied backgrounds who joined forces for the chance to compete against men, so that in 1936 one of them could triumph in the toughest race of all.

Keith O’Brien, the author of Outside Shot: Big Dreams, Hard Times, and One County’s Quest for Basketball Greatness, as well as a former reporter for the Boston Globe and contributor to National Public Radio, will be joined in conversation with Siobhan O’Connor, vice president of editorial at Medium and former executive editor at Time. Q&A to follow.

Buy tickets/get more info now