Book Title:  FlightLog: The Novel Adventures of a Stewardess Wannabe Who Becomes a Flight Attendant by Susan Humphrey
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+),  338 pages
Genre:  Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, Memoir(ish), Coming-of-age
Publisher:  Majuscule Press
Release date:   August 2022

Content Rating:  PG. A few romantic encounters but light on the details. Reference to tobacco use.

Book Description:

“It was 1978. People didn’t have home computers, video players, or answering machines. We rented our telephones from local phone companies and hand-wrote letters. The terms ‘politically correct’ and ‘African-American’ had not been coined. ‘Eating disorders’ and ‘alternate lifestyles’ were not yet common household phrases. Only strippers wore thongs, which made perfect sense to me, as they only caused one to gyrate their hynie in a desperate attempt to dislodge the bothersome wedgie.”

So writes Sherri Van Ness, an unassuming girl from the burbs of Kansas who’s about to embark on the adventure of her life when she signs up to become a stewardess. But it’s much more turbulent than this doughy-eyed 19-year-old ever imagined as she tries to navigate past grouchy passengers, fly-by-night relationships and the unforgiving, relentless, humiliating, monthly weigh-ins. Some dreams come true. Others require a vomit bag.

That’s not to say Sherri doesn’t enjoy herself. Au contraire! There are friends to be made and men to be made and the maid who made up her room in New York is so nice!

Yes, the work is difficult at times and the money isn’t always good, but there are perks: free flights and an endless supply of tiny vodka bottles and salted peanuts (peanut allergies hadn’t been invented yet.)

Like Dorothy Gale sans Toto, Sherri leaves Kansas and finds herself amidst a cast of characters as strange to her as the Scarecrow and the Munchkins were to Dorothy. Her whirlwind journey takes her from innocent, insecure stewardess to mature and confident flight attendant. Or does she?

​Book your flight now with this very enjoyable read, put your seat back in the upright position, and enjoy the ride!

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My Review

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy from iRead Book Tours. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

They say you should write what you know, and the author proves this is true. Although this is fiction, she based it on fact. It’s obvious that she knows what flight attendants did and had to put up with back in the day. I had a cousin who became a flight attendant in the 70’s, and I was always amazed with her accomplishments. I also thought she was perfect for the job because she was gorgeous and didn’t have to worry about the weight requirements that restricted many of us from even thinking about becoming a flight attendant (so sad).

From the point of view of Sherri who wanted to be a stewardess all her life, the story starts with her going to school to be a flight attendant, the friends she made in school, and then her life as a flight attendant. It’s full of stories of friends, men, boyfriends, and flights.

There are quite a few characters but that would be expected in the life of a flight attendant. I enjoyed watching Sherri learn and grow both in her job and her personal life.

The narrator took some getting used to mostly because the sound wasn’t as high quality as most audiobooks I listen to. Eventually, though, I got used to it.

This wasn’t really my cup of tea; however, for those who enjoy lighthearted memoir-type stories, it’s a good read, and I recommend it.

About the Author

Susan Jo Humphrey, the daughter of a diplomat, was born in Izmir, Turkey where she lived for three years. She also lived in Korea and Thailand, before returning home to the US with her family as a teenager. She has traveled all over the United States, and has called several parts of this country ‘home.’ Her many airplane rides as a child convinced her she must one day become a stewardess. Suz was a flight attendant for thirteen of her twenty-five years with UAL. She began penning FlightLog with the help of the Naperville Writer’s Group, outside of Chicago. There, she published in their annual pamphlet, had a humor piece printed in an online magazine, and contributed many articles to local newspapers. At the time of publication, she is busy working on FlightLog II.

Away from the keyboard, Suz loves yoga, reading, cooking, listening to music and playing her guitar. She still enjoys mapping out travel to faraway places she’s never seen, as well as planning return trips to her favorite spots.

She currently lives in Southern California and has two grown children. Today, she’s in healthcare, where she’s worked since 2014. Suz was the ‘baby’ of her flight attendant classes – and the ‘senior’ student in her nursing classes. She’s eager to write that story as well: a novice baby-boomer RN begins her dream career as a travel nurse – just as a pandemic breaks out!

connect with the author: website 

Giveaway

Enter to win a signed copy of FLIGHTLOG:
The Novel Adventures of a Stewardess Wannabe
Who Becomes a Flight Attendant

(one winner/USA only)

Gleam

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