Bessie Coleman

On My Own Biographies introduces beginning readers to some of history's most interesting and important people. These books focus on the pivotal episodes that show what kind of person the subject is (or was) and how he or she came to be famous. Each book is written in a story format but is not a fictionalized account. A chronology of major events follows the story, along with a brief summary of the subject's life. High in the sky, Bessie Coleman could soar like a bird. She was free--at least until she landed. As a black woman in the 1920s, she wasn't allowed to learn how to fly. Forced to travel to France to learn, she became the first African American woman to earn her pilot's license. Whether she was wing-walking, giving a speech, parachuting, or flying, Coleman inspired people with her bravery and resolve.