Black and White Airmen: Their True History

Gr 6 & Up John Leahr and Herb Heilbrun have lived parallel lives. They grew up in the same neighborhood in Cincinnatti, OH, attended the same elementary school, and both served as pilots during World War II. They were even in the same third-grade class, and there is a picture of them standing side by side to prove it. In spite of this, they never knew each other. Leahr is African American and Heilbrun is Caucasian. It never would have occurred to them that they could be friends back then, but, having met in 1997 at a reception honoring Tuskegee Airmen, they are now best friends and travel the country talking about their experiences. While the book is a record primarily of these two men's memories of the war, the similarities in their backgrounds force the differences caused by race into stark relief. Fleischman has compiled these memories, providing a good deal of historical context about segregation and events of the war. As he did with "Phineas Gage" (Houghton, 2002), the author has found the perfect hook to create a very readable nonfiction account. The book includes plenty of photos of the two friends as well as maps and diagrams of World War II planes. This title will be a welcome addition to any collection."Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH" Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.