Seized by the Sun: The Life and Disappearance of World War II Pilot Gertrude Tompkins

Gr 7 Up—Gertrude "Tommy" Tompkins was an expert pilot with hundreds of hours of experience flying fighter planes with the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) when she took off from Mines Field in Los Angeles on a clear October day in 1944 and disappeared forever. Although Tompkins was born into a wealthy New Jersey family, her early years were difficult. Her mother was often ill. Tompkins had a persistent stutter, and her father subjected her to many bizarre treatments in his search for a cure. She traveled extensively as an adult, raised goats, and even worked for her father's business but lacked passion. Eventually her sweetheart introduced her to flying. Tompkins had found her calling, and she became a most accomplished female pilot, one of only 126 WASPs qualified to fly fighter planes. Ure spent 16 years researching and interviewing in order to present this insightful look at the daily life of a WASP and a detailed portrait of an extraordinary young woman. Although 38 WASPs died or went missing during the war, Tompkins is the only one who has never been found, and Ure concludes the book by reporting on the continuing search for her and her plane. An epilogue, an afterword, an acknowledgments section, extensive notes, a list of Tompkins's personal effects, and a lengthy bibliography provide a lively account of the author's process.