The Great Stewardess Rebellion

"I've spent so much of my life on the road that stewardesses have always been my friends in the sky. Now I am glad to see The Great Stewardess Rebellion, … the true story of women who stood up to huge corporations and won, creating momentous change for all working women.”  --Gloria Steinem, co-founder of Ms. magazine “A meticulously detailed history. . . Rollicking. . . Shocking, infuriating and excruciating. . . [Wulfhart’s] account credits [the stewardesses] as having played a pioneering role in fighting sex discrimination, and she tells the story well. . . It is dramatic, invigorating and instructive as a textbook example of the courage, ingenuity and persistence it takes to effect such progress.” --The New York Times Book Review “Wulfhart brings a treasure trove of vintage ads and relatable anecdotes to The Great Stewardess Rebellion. . . Wulfhart, through her prodigious research, secures a place for the women who endured all manner of indignities to forge a better future for those who put their lives on the line every day in a job once regarded as frivolous.” --The Washington Post “Wulfhart’s exhilarating account describes how a number of stewardesses, galvanized by the women’s movement, took on the airlines and won. . . Wulfhart is a vivid storyteller who writes with energy and style, and the experiences of Patt and Tommie, passionately pushing both the airline and the union to catch up with the changing times, lend her account poignancy.” --The Wall Street Journal “An astonishing exposé of [flight attendants’] long struggle for respect and equality. . . This largely under-chronicled aspect of recent women’s history is a valuable reminder of how far women have come. . . [A] relevant and urgent read.”  --The Guardian “Engaging. . . The Great Stewardess Rebellion recount[s] journeys towards self-respect and empowerment. [It’s] a trip worth taking.” --NPR.org “The Great Stewardess Rebellion has it all: ’60s glam, sharp and brave heroines, and one of the most dramatic and consequential feminist battles in American history. A grippingly told and unforgettable story.” --Abbott Kahler, author of The Ghosts of Eden Park "Vivid, inspiring and full of twists, The Great Stewardess Rebellion reveals how a pair of young women helped build a mighty union and transformed an industry forever. Wulfhart has unearthed a story of rare power, and she tells it with passion and skill." --Jason Fagone, author of The Woman Who Smashed Codes " Wulfhart's lively labor history chronicles a recent past that can feel simultaneously a million miles away and all too contemporary." --Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad " Nell McShane Wulfhart reconstructs the long-lost Era of the Stewardess: what she meant to the airlines, how she defined the female ideal in America, and then how she broke the mold—and helped change the world for everyone on the ground."  --Keith O'Brien, author of Fly Girls "The Great Stewardess Rebellion should be required reading for anyone entering the modern job market--to remind them how the workplace used to be, and to honor the heroic people who stepped up and made progress possible.  A fascinating, important read." --Lisa Napoli, author of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie  “McShane Wulfhart’s engaging chronicle of the labor movement launched by U.S. airline stewardesses who flew the not-so-friendly skies in the 1960s and ’70s has an eye-opening anecdote on every page; even the union negotiations are enterta