Book Reviews
Mother
Flies
Hurricanes
by
E.
M.
Singer
Novel
about
England's
Air
Transport
Auxiliary
and
the
challenges
of
its
ferry
pilots
in
World
War
II.
"Although it serves mainly as a wartime adventure-epic, E. M. Singer's new book delves into several areas of interest. Due to this wide range of topics, the novel should, in turn, appeal to a wide audience. In particular, it should appeal to Central Jersey readers because a large portion of the story is set in the Garden State...Young protagonist Andrew internalizes the hatred he sees around him and his own inner demons mirror the chaos of the world around him. Andrew's mother, Alice, is a pilot struggling to be accepted during a time when there was strong opposition to a woman doing a "man's job." Furthering her theme of intolerance, Singer makes sure Andrew is made keenly aware of the rampant sexism. Not to be pigeonholed, Singer complements this theme with a strong sense of male bonding. Along the course of his travels, Andrew befriends many strong male role models, including some poker playing American G.I.s and a black teen-aged Southern boy...The novel outlines Andrew's culture shock into assimilation, as well as how the war affected Central Jersey's quality of life. Mother Flies Hurricanes tells the story of a tumultuous world as seen through the eyes of a boy...Although historical in perspective, the novel is not without its humorous and whimsical moments." --Eric Enright, Courier News, Bridgewater, New Jersey
