Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist!
The gripping true story of the only women to fly in combat in World
War II--from Elizabeth Wein, award-winning author of Code Name
Verity
In the early years of World War II, Josef Stalin issued an order that
made the Soviet Union the first country in the world to allow female
pilots to fly in combat. Led by Marina Raskova, these three regiments,
including the 588th Night Bomber Regiment--nicknamed the
"night witches"--faced intense pressure and obstacles both in the sky
and on the ground. Some of these young women perished in flames. Many of
them were in their teens when they went to war.
This is the story of Raskova's three regiments, women who enlisted and
were deployed on the front lines of battle as navigators, pilots, and
mechanics. It is the story of a thousand young women who wanted to take
flight to defend their country, and the woman who brought them together
in the sky.
Packed with black-and-white photographs, fascinating sidebars, and
thoroughly researched details, A Thousand Sisters is the inspiring
true story of a group of women who set out to change the world, and the
sisterhood they formed even amid the destruction of war.