West with the Night

"West with the Night" is the captivating memoir of Beryl Markham, an extraordinary woman who defied conventions in early 20th century British East Africa. The book chronicles her unique childhood in Kenya, her career as a successful racehorse trainer, and her groundbreaking achievements as a bush pilot, culminating in her historic solo flight across the Atlantic from east to west. Praised by Ernest Hemingway for its magnificent prose, this book offers a rich, immersive look into a life of adventure, resilience, and independence. It's an inspiring read for children aged 4-11, best enjoyed as a read-aloud for younger listeners and as an independent read for older elementary students.

A pioneer aviator's life in Africa. *From a letter to Maxwell Perkins*: "Did you read Beryl Markham's book, *West with the Night*? I knew her fairly well in Africa and never would have suspected that she could and would put pen to paper except to write her flyer's log book. As it is, she has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. I felt that I was simply a carpenter with words, picking up whatever was furnished on the job and nailing them together and sometimes making an okay pig pen. But [she] can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers. The only parts of it that I know about personally, on account of having been there at the time and heard the other people's stories, are absolutely true. ... I wish you would get it and read it because it is really a bloody wonderful book." (Ernest Hemingway)