American Flygirl

Ankeny (The Girl and the Bombardier) traces the life of groundbreaking Chinese American pilot Hazel Ying Lee. Born in Portland, OR, to Chinese immigrants, Lee was taught to keep her head down and be invisible. In 1932, however, a chance ride in an airplane sealed her decision to become a pilot, as the sky was a place where she could feel free from racism and sexism. Lee obtained her pilot’s license and later traveled to China to help the Chinese Air Force with China’s war against Japan. She was relegated to desk work in China but came into her own when she flew for the U.S. as a WASP pilot. Tragically, her life was abruptly cut short in 1944 when she died in a midair collision. Hannah Choi narrates capably, but unfortunately, her aloof, clinical delivery belies the wit, disappointment, joy, and heartbreak that made Lee such a vibrant person. While Choi modulates her voice when conveying quotations, these moments are few and far between. Her flat pronunciation of Chinese names and places is decidedly American in accent, with no tonal changes.