Markham, an early pioneer in aviation, was a passionate, free-spirited girl struggling to come to terms with her identity and her place in the world. This biography tells of the obstacles she faced and how she overcame adversity to follow her dreams of flying.
VOYA Fear was not an emotion known to Beryl Markham. Whether as a horse trainer or pilot, or just living among wild animals, she strove to succeed and never look back. Growing up in early twentieth-century British East Africa (now known as Kenya), she spent most of her childhood outdoors, barefoot, and in the company of her African servant and his son. Abandoned physically by her mother and emotionally by her father, a series of governesses, teachers, and housekeepers could not teach her any of the feminine skills of the time period. Adulthood brought a series of unsuccessful marriages, renown as a female pilot who dared fly solo from England to New York in 1936, and an eventual return to Kenya. Adventure figured strongly in whatever she did. There is little warmth in the retelling of her life story-which often includes quotes from her memoir West with the Night (North Point Press, 1985)-perhaps reflecting the loveless existence she led. The connectedness one might feel from reading a biographical portrait is missing here; events in Markham's life seem more strung together than a flowing story that draws the reader in. Index. Further Reading. Chronology. VOYA Codes: 2Q 2P M J S (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

Beryl Markham : never look back

Gourley, Catherine, 1950-

Red Wheel / Weiser

Grace House

The Barnard biography series, Barnard biography series (Berkeley, Calif.), Berkeley, Calif, [Emeryville, Calif.], California, 1997

United States, United States of America

PT, 1997

Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-146) and index.

Never Turn Back takes the reader on a journey into Kenya's past and into the life of one of this century's great adventurers-aviator Beryl Markham. Abandoned by her mother at the age of four, Markham grew up a white child in a land of lions and leopards, Masai and Kipsigis warriors. She learned early from the land and the father she idolized--but could never quite please--that the sentimental and the weak do not survive in Africa.

xv, 150 p. : 20 cm
Describes the life of the first person, man or woman, to fly across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west, from her childhood in Africa through many difficulties to her aeronautic and literary achievements
Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-146) and index

2023-06-28