East to the Dawn

The Life of Amelia Earhart

By: Susan Butler

Narrated by: Anna Fields

The image we have of Amelia Earhart today - a tousle-haired, androgynous flier clad in shirt, silk scarf, leather jacket, and goggles - is only one of her many personas, most of which have been lost to us through the years. Through years of research and interviews with many of the surviving people who knew Amelia, Susan Butler has recreated a remarkably vivid and multifaceted portrait of this enigmatic figure. Listeners will experience Amelia in all her permutations: not just as a pilot, but also as an educator, a social worker, a lecturer, a businesswoman, and a tireless promoter of women's rights. We experience a remarkably energetic and enterprising woman who battled incredible odds to achieve her fame, succeeded beyond her wildest dreams, and yet never lost sight of her beginnings, ensuring that her success would secure a path for women after her.©1997 Susan Butler (P)1998 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Certainly the single best book that we now have on Earhart's life....Earhart comes into sharper, more realistic focus through Butler's lens." (Washington Post)
"Filled with wonderful details about Earhart's glamorous lifestyle and the wild, dangerous world of early aviators....the still enthralling figure of the aviator...powerfully come[s] through." (Kirkus Reviews)
"The reader closes East to the Dawn with the lingering realization of how truly contemporary Amelia Earhart remains and with a new understanding of the love and admiration she earned from colleagues and the public at large....her insistence on being her own person while fighting for causes larger than herself continue to command our respect and fuel our dreams." (Los Angeles Times)

Long long book

This was my first foray into reading a book specifically about Amelia. I've read a number of aviation books where she's touched upon and of course the story overall is rather infamous. I bet about 2/3rds of this book is background information. History beyond history. The author delves into when some of Amelia's ancestors come to America - in the 1600's! I'm not sure that much was really necessary or relevant to the story. I've visited Amelia's birthplace in Kansas - I didn't realize she didn't really grow up there but more from LA CA. It takes about half way through the book to get to the point where she's out on her own. By the time you reach the point where she's making her global attempt it zips right through it (as much as anything "zips" in a nearly 19 hr long book) and then you're at the end. It's a complete story. My only real complaint was the depths of the history the author went to... she clearly did her homework.

Fabulous!

Wonderfully researched biography. Outstanding narration. I feel I have vicariously lived a piece of exciting history that I previously knew little about. I am going a second round to be further inspired by Amelia and the other women flyers of her time. Should be required reading/listening for girls and young women!

a timeless life

Amelia made some very surprising twists and turns in life to find herself a competitive flyer. This biography pays homage to her selflessness, zest for life, and adaptability to good times and bad. You will see yourself in her conflict between her desire for independence, and the struggle with rootlessness. A complete picture of Amelia as a full person, and a must read.

Slow start, but fascinating.

Goes beyond the glamour to the real woman and her diverse and energetic activities and passions.

Good but not great

Overall the story was good, but I was more interested in her last world journey. It maybe better for others. It is interesting the way they categorized her initial Atlantic crossing as she didn't fly that time, but made up for it by doing so later. She was a very courageous women to take on those challenges with little real navigation equipment. The hardest leg was that one flight where they were lost. Trying to find an island in the middle of the Pacific. If that radio worked properly then in my opinion she would have made it. She is a great example to mankind. My main issue with the book was the narration was too dry. I have heard Anna Field in the Rape of Nanking and she was great in that but she lost me in this one.