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.

Wow!

The narration is amazing. She’s so eloquent and easy, that you can’t help but feel like you’re transported back to Amelia’s time.
The story is extraordinary; if only more authors took the time and care to do the research so throughly as was done for Amelia’s biography.
Looked forward to listening everyday!

Short on flying

I went to high school in Atchison, Kansas, where Amelia Earhart was born. So, the first third of the book which deals with her childhood it was interesting to me because I recognized some of the locations mentioned in the book. The last 2/3 of the book, which cover her flying career, seemingly didn’t contain a lot of flying. That is, not much of the narrative was dedicated to describing her flights. That might be unsurprising if there was a little record of what transpired on Amelia‘s flights. However, Amelia wrote two books, one of which described her trip across the Atlantic as a passenger, and the other of her solo flight across the Atlantic. So, you would think they would be more content about her adventures in the air. However, still a compelling story of a complex and enigmatic figure in American history.

Searching for the "who" of Amelia Earhart

In many fictional or biographical accounts of this interesting and forward thinking woman the emphasis is usually placed on her last flight, where she went down and what happened to her.
In this book by Susan Butler we get to see and understand the person behind the public persona: from her scandalous affairs to her Clothing line for Women and from her fierce loyalty to her casual betrayals of those close to her. What Ms. Butler portrays is a complex and even conflicted figure.
The narrator does a substantial job of taking this book from text to audio.
Even if you are not an Ameliaphile, this book is well worth the price.

Interesting!

Would you listen to East to the Dawn again? Why?

No. Too much family history and lots of repetition. If I was actually reading the book I would have skipped through a bunch of pages

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Even though I knew how the story ends, I was still sad. By listening to the book I became attached to Amelia

Have you listened to any of Anna Fields’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but I would

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several but the one that comes to mind first is when Amelia agrees to marry George. It seemed to be against her better judgment and I'm not sure why she did it.

Any additional comments?

The book doesn't seem well edited but I learned a lot and, for the most part, really enjoyed it.

Love the book hate the audible download

Which malfunctioned in the middle and would not let me finish blah blah blah can't even submit a realistic review

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.