Hopson Carole

A Pair of Wings is a novel based on the life of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman. Arriving in Chicago in 1915 from Waxahachie, Texas, Coleman is among the first wave of African Americans to take part in the Great Migration, the largest movement of Black people fleeing the oppression of the agricultural South for greater freedom and the promise of jobs in the industrialized North.

Set in the 1915s, this historical fiction was a delight to read, and true to its historical timeline chronicling the great migration, systematic racism, and disparities. Real life figures, such as Jesse Binga, Oscar Stanton De Priest, Robert Sengstacke Abbott, Anthony Overton, Charlotta Bass, Olen P. Dewalt and many more.

The beginning of the novel was a dramatic intro into the story of Bessie Coleman. I was so moved by Hopson’s novel, at 9% of the book read, I decided that I wanted a hardcover copy for my library, so I brought it as a birthday gift to myself! I wanted to take my time and read it slow, to soak up every detail. The print was small for a 423 page novel.

I was awakened by the fact that Blacks were not paid as equally as their White counterparts, despite the unions and denied housing, so instead they purchased fancy cars to express their new found status. I witness the same in my day and time. Many African Americans are shut out of homeownership completely, so instead of houses they buy cars, the biggest, fanciest ones they could finance.

My grandfather was a Pullman Porter, and when my mother wasn’t attending school, usually during the summer, she would ride the railway system with him, while my grandmother ran a boarding home for teachers in Alabama. Hopson perfectly referenced airplanes to the time period as aeroplane. Hopsons’ description of emotions that Bessie felt during her first flight was so well written that you could feel her exact joy. Although this is a fiction novel, it is chocked full of historical people, places, events and things to the time period. Such as Juneteenth’s emancipation of Texas slaves, who waited two years longer than slaves in the rest of the country to know that they were free from bondage. At no point did the story seemed forced or drag on.

This story of Bessie Coleman is written in an entertaining and captivating way from cover-to-cover, including photos, and an extraordinary reveal that Carole Hopson is the sister to award winning and best selling author, Lorene Cary. What a great journey this novel took me on. Well written!… (más)