A Fly Girl: Travel Tales of an Exotic British Airways Cabin Crew Paperback – November 20, 2014

This was a great book! I appreciate the author's authority, authenticity and passion in composing this book. As a spectator we often believe the life of a Flight Attendant is perk-filled with glamour and doesn't come with a downside, particularly in the arena of race. But Ms. Epe embodied what it truly means to be "a fly girl" by handling traverse situations like racism and sexual harassment with the utmost in grace and dignity. Additionally, it was fascinating to read about someone else's self-discovery in regard to greater participation in their ethnic identity. This text was written in eloquent detail. A recommended read for anyone who is considering or has considered the life of a fly girl, or who just wants a good read. This is less a cautionary tale than a homage to personal growth and actualization. Enjoyed immensely!

I enjoyed this book. I like hearing the real honest thoughts and views of other people and that's what I got from 'Fly Girl'. I'm also interested and curious about travel (and had thought about becoming a cabin crew/air steward when I was much younger), so it ticked a lot of boxes for me as a choice to read.I admire the author's honesty, and really did feel pulled into the real deal of this profession - well at least in terms of predictable shenanigans.You can easily read this in a day, it's a light read and written in a very down to earth style.Amanda Epe gives us a window into her experience as a British Airways air steward in the late 1990’s, both in general and as a black steward; she talks about how she felt working in the industry at a time when it wasn’t the norm to see a black person doing the job.We get to delve into some of her interesting travel experiences, alongside some of her ‘work politics’ and how she chose to handle it all and persist with her career.From spilling scalding hot coffee on a posh customer (not that being posh makes any difference), to being informed she would be traded for camels during a solo Mount Sinai trip in Egypt, you will find something interesting amongst her stories, whilst sipping cocktails on your beach of choice.So you’re not interested in the work of air stewards, that’s fine, you might still enjoy this memoir if you are the least bit interested in travel.It’s a fairly light, quick and easy read, simply written and not too bulky to pack in your suitcase!

I really enjoyed this book enormously and for me it achieves three things. It takes you on a journey round the world and gives you a brief look into different cultures and ways of life. It also gives us a 'behind the scenes' look at the enigma that is British Airways, and all of this is done from the perspective of a black girl which introduces prejudice, racism and unconscious bias.The pace of the book is great and is exactly what I look for when reading. Amanda deals with the different forms of prejudice, mainly negative but sometime positive in a very pragmatic and measured manner. It comes from her colleagues in British Airways, passengers and from people she encounters in different countries. It felt like she was on a determined specific journey in her life by making a decision to join an institution which at that time was not know for employing black people, demonstrating to herself she could achieve this, deal with anything that was thrown at her and having made a success of it leaving to seek her future elsewhere.If you like travel, if you like airlines and if you like social interaction, you will enjoy this book!

This book is a very candid account of a young ambitious individual looking to fulfil her dreams of travelling, meeting people and experiencing different cultures of our world. I found it thoroughly enjoyable because it gave a honest view from her perspective of life wherever she went, be it east, west, north or south, of the globe. It is indeed an excellent read. Very well done Amanda.

A Fly Girl is a factual memoir of the world of international travel in the 90’s, told from the rare pov of a black woman. This is a refreshing perspective and whilst serious in tone, A Fly Girl also provides light hearted identifiable moments.It’s an encouraging, easy read and peppered with factual information along the way, but most importantly- it’s fresh!

As a former ''Fly Girl'' just had to read this. A bit disappointing but did bring back fond memories.