The powerful, inspirational story of the only African-American contingent of pilots to fly in WW II, nicknamed the Red-Tail Angels for the markings on their aircraft. This full-scale history of the Tuskegee Airmen is meticulously researched and detailed, vivid with quotes from participants and documents of the times, and extensively illustrated with black-and-white period photos. The McKissacks (Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters, 1994, etc.) provide a thoughtful, balanced look at segregation and discrimination in the US military dating from the Revolutionary War through WW II, using primary sources, court records, newspaper accounts, and written policies of the period. They also introduce other African-American aviators from the earliest days of flight, including Besse Coleman and Willa Brown. A fascinating and little- exposed area of US history. (glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12+)
