The Skies Belong to Us

Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking

By: Brendan I. Koerner

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

In an America torn apart by the Vietnam War and the demise of the idealism of the '60s, airplane hijackings were astonishingly routine. Over a five-year period starting in 1968, the desperate and disillusioned seized commercial jets nearly once a week, using guns, bombs, and jars of acid. Some hijackers wished to escape to foreign lands, where they imagined being hailed as heroes; others aimed to swap hostages for sacks of cash.

Their criminal exploits mesmerized the country, never more so than when the young lovers at the heart of Brendan I. Koerner's The Skies Belong to Us pulled off the longest-distance hijacking in American history. A shattered Army veteran and a mischievous party girl, Roger Holder and Cathy Kerkow commandeered Western Airlines Flight 701 as a vague protest against the war. Through a combination of savvy and dumb luck, the couple managed to flee across an ocean with a half-million dollars in ransom, a feat that made them notorious around the globe. Koerner spent four years chronicling this madcap tale, which involves a cast of characters ranging from exiled Black Panthers, to African despots, to French movie stars. He combed through over 4,000 declassified documents and interviewed scores of key figures in the drama - including one of the hijackers, whom Koerner discovered living in total obscurity.

Yet The Skies Belong to Us is more than just an enthralling yarn about a spectacular heist and its bittersweet, decades-long aftermath. It is also a psychological portrait of America at its most turbulent and a testament to the madness that can grip a nation when politics fail.

©2013 Brendan I. Koerner (P)2013 Tantor

Interesting topic

Easy to follow. Easy to listen to. A very interesting topic that you don’t hear much about. Hard to believe how often this used to happen!

Totally Riveting

Would you listen to The Skies Belong to Us again? Why?

I rarely listen to books twice, but this would be a good candidate because it would be worth revisiting the numerous, often brief, tales of hijacking nested within the larger narrative.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Skies Belong to Us?

The magnitude of the skyjacking epidemic was a complete surprise on every page. The book is very well structured to keep your interest at all times.

Which scene was your favorite?

The author encounters one of the characters toward the end of the book. That was a surprise.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I'm going to go with "Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking."

Any additional comments?

One of my favorite listens, so far.

Tilting With Windmills In The Sky

A troubled young black had found a home in the jungles of Viet Nam until a bust for marijuana landed him in prison and kicked out of the army. Angry and frustrated he plotted his revenge and found a soft target in America’s skies.

A bit uneven, but enjoyable

It seemed at the beginning that the author was torn between telling a single story and the story of the phenomenon of skyjacking in the early 70s. He ultimately chooses the former, sharing some context at times, but it ends up feeling more like filler to the primary story. Very comprehensive and detailed with the primary characters, the author does seem a bit overly obsessed with Cathy's looks, and to lesser degree Roger's intelligence, as if those features were needed to make them more appealing. It's there to the extent that the listener has to wonder how much is being embellished. A more focused account of their story would have made for a better book, but significantly shorter.

Skyjacking, like Carjacking

It was just unreal for me to read all about hijacking planes in the 60's and 70's. It is just a weird concept that anyone can board a plane with a ticket without being body search or having to go through security. This time of traveling was like the wild wild west and the gold rush period of time where anything goes.

I'm having a hard time of grasping the events in "The Skies Belong to Us" and paying the terrorist ransom to free the passengers. Each time I travel, I get frisk and TSA always test my wheelchair for any bomb chemicals. I just can't imagine just strolling into an airport, boarding my flight and hopping in my seat as if I was in my car, going to the store.

We hear about people getting carjacked, but hijacking a plane? Then again, every year, we hear someone going on a rampage and shooting innocent people and still arguing on gun control.

Love or Terror?

Is it love or is it a crime? This book was a recollection of the turbulent sixties and seventies, with emphasis on a particular hijacking. It also discusses the political environment, FAA in cahoots with airlines who don't want to spend money on security, a president forced to act by the plethora of hijackings, often more than one in a single day. Further, Castro gets fed up with multiple hijackings to Cuba and even multiple returnees from the 1980 Mariel boat lift and finally signs the first agreement with the USA since he took over. The only thing missing from this book is D.B. Cooper; perhaps, the author went to great pains in avoiding his mention?

A lvery interesting case

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Skies Belong to Us?

When they finally go through with their plan. It's absolutely insane and doesn't make a whole lot of a sense a Kerkow, who was not the crazy one, had to have realized that, but she went along anyway.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It kept me interested. I'm too young to remember the rash of hijackings that occurred in the 1960's and 70's, so while this isn't necessarily a detailed historical overview, it was very interesting to me.

Surprisingly good

This book delivered beyond expectations. When we finally ended up with Eldridge Cleaver in Algeria and he turned out to be as human and avaricious as those he fought against (who knew?) I was utterly delighted. As an older baby boomer, I'm ready for more books that peek into those times, without the rose coloured glasses! It's also an enjoyable study of individuals and the times, with connections to our present time as well.

It get it, but…

The story is told with so much empathy for Holder, but what is UP with the absolute hatred and disdain for Kerkow’s interest in fashion. Why was he so mad that she liked pretty dresses?

A very entertaining and engaging audiobook

What about Rob Shapiro’s performance did you like?

He was a very good narrator - perfect for this story.

Any additional comments?

This is a terrific audiobook. The narrator is fantastic and the subject exceeded my expectations. When I came across this audiobook I was a little torn because the title and description suggested that it would lean bit too much towards the story of a single hijacking and the two main characters, as opposed to a look at the dawn of air hijackings. But it was a perfect balance. The first 40%, or so, sets the stage, introducing the characters, but also providing great backdrop about the outbreak of hijackings in the late 60's and early 70's - something I was looking for. But it is told in a way that is interesting - not analytical - but conveying the atmosphere of the time. And then the author (and narrator) gradually tell more and more of the story of the two main characters - drawing you in to their specific tale. This takes up the balance of the audiobook - about 60%. . . and by this point you're primed to go inside the telling of a single hijacking. This is a very entertaining audiobook; it's not a heavy academic study - it's an enjoyable listen, providing the right balance of context, and a "what's going to happen next" tale. Oh, and it's the perfect length for an audiobook.