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| | | General Teacher Resources | Home » » » A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman | | | | | | | Description: | | A-Train is the story of one of the black Americans who, during World War II, graduated from Tuskegee (AL) Flying School and served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps’ 99th Pursuit Squadron. Charles W. Dryden presents a fast-paced, balanced, and personal account of what it was like to prepare for a career traditionally closed to African Americans, how he coped with the frustrations and dangers of combat, and how he, along with many fellow black pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and crewmen, emerged with a magnificent war record. Under the command of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the Tuskegee airmen fought over North Africa, Sicily, and Europe, escorting American bomber crews who respected their "no-losses" record. Some were shot down, many of them were killed or captured by the enemy, and several won medals of valor and honor. But the airmen still faced great barriers of racial prejudice in the armed forces and at home. As a member of that elite group of young pilots who fought for their country overseas while being denied civil liberties at home, Dryden presents an eloquent story that will touch each and every reader.
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Charles W. Dryden | | Paperback:
| 440 pages | | Publisher:
| University Alabama Press | | Publication Date:
| June 26, 2002 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0817312668 | | Product Width:
| 1.5 centimeters | | Product Height:
| 2.25 centimeters | | Product Weight:
| 0.02 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.22 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.26 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.09 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.5 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 7 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 found the following review helpful:
Excellent memoir of a man from an interesting ageMay 20, 1998
I initially bought this book expecting it to be similar to the other slew of WWII books out there ( The ME-109 dove at me out of the sun with guns blazing...). Instead I got an honest account of a man who wanted to fly for his country and be treated with the same respect as any other pilot. Dryden's memories and descriptions of his voyage through training to be a pilot as well as the segregated and de-segregated Air Force are interesting and honest. Dryden't narrative is not the heart-pounding, can't-put-the-book down type but rather the story of a man who, faced with tremendous adversity from his own society and country, persevered. There is no bitterness in Dryden's story, and I put the book down tremendously impressed by his belief in himself, in his religion and his friend. It's a good book
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
A definitive study in courageDec 16, 1999
By Mark Dement
I meet Col. Dryden when he gave a talk about his experiences and his book. I then read the book a felt a tremendous respect for the author and all the Tuskeegee Airmen. Col. Dryden tells his personal story in a way that made me feel as though I was there with him the whole time. The challanges of blacks in America in his story left a powerful impact on me, the courage the author displayed is an insperation. A-Train is very well written and reads easily. It is an powerful story that left me feeling inadequate and ashamed to be white. I had the oportunity to meet Col. Dryden again and sought him out just to shake his hand again, knowing him from his book, it was hard to hide my emotions.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Fighting Germany and America.Apr 19, 2000
By Paul B
Charles Dryden's book forces people to see the trials and tribulations encountered by black servicemen and women during WWII. I was shocked to read about the different encounters with 'Jim Crow' that Dryden and his peers waded through during their service years. A must for anybody curious about WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen or about the fight for civil rights in America.
collect and readOct 24, 2011
By kitty
I met the author at a book signing. great speaker and great loss, he passed a few years after signing my book. I do not lend my copy out but I'll buy a paperback copy for anyone with an interest. This is a great read for aviation enthusiast, WWII enthusiast, and black achievement enthusiasts. There are so many levels to this story. You'll read it more than once, buy the hard back for yourself.
Fellow Black PilotJun 01, 2011
By James Powell
I personally got to meet Col Dryden and get the book and I thouroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover. He has a natural gift for telling his personal story and enabled me to feel compasion, sadness and great pride in his journey to become a Tuskegee pilot. This book is worth reading not just by African Americans but all Americans so that the true measure of his and the other Tuskegee Airmens' legacy can be fully appreciated. Superb book.
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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