aDebunks popular myths that portray the profession as glamorous,
exotic, and sexually freeing by taking readers through a typical
journey; with interviews and profiles of flight attendants.a
--"Foreword"
aIn Working the Skies, Whitelegg takes the interviews and study
of a multitude of flight attendants and creates a readable,
enjoyable tale of the perils and possibilities flight attendants
face.a
--"Feminist Review"
aBut mythological astewsa--young women living a life of sex,
drugs and never-ending voyage--is a far cry from the well
documented realities presented in Whiteleggas new book. . . . Using
a series of interviews and focus groups with flight attendants of
all ages, Whitelegg charts the arc of a profession barely seven
decades old.a
--"Dallas Morning News"
aA balanced inquiry into the lives of these long-overlooked
professionals...Sharing a wealth of interesting, entertaining, and
dramatic anecdotes...Rich enough to satisfy the most curious
reader.a
--"Booklist"
aWhile also providing some history, Whitelegg mostly takes a
contemporary look at the lives of flight attendants, drawn from
interviews with over 60 current and former flight attendants and
other airline workers. . . . Whitelegg's observations and use of
candid, day-in-the-life snapshots are interesting.a
--"Library Journal"
aA fascinating study that draws on the voices of flight
attendants to poignantly reveal the changing nature of this 24/7
occupation. After reading this important book, one will find it
difficult to observe flight attendants without concern for the
vulnerability of their careers and for the complex ways they juggle
space and time along with work and family. A greatread.a
--Harriet B. Presser, author of "Working in a 24/7 Economy:
Challenges for American Families"
"A well-written and thorough treatment of the occupational
demands and biography of the flight attendant. Working the Skies
describes both how the work shapes the personal lives of those in
the profession, as well as how work can be 'chosen' in an effort to
craft a particular kind of life. The book also illustrates how the
process of globalization has moved the profession 'backwards' in
terms of working conditions and compensation-challenges faced by
workers in numerous other professions."
--Veronica Jaris Tichenor, author of "Earning More And Getting
Less"
Get ready for takeoff. The life of the flight attendant, a.k.a.,
stewardess, was supposedly once one of glamour, exotic travel and
sexual freedom, as recently depicted in such films as "Catch Me If
You Can" and "View From the Top," The nostalgia for the beautiful,
carefree and ever helpful stewardess perhaps reveals a yearning for
simpler times, but nonetheless does not square with the difficult,
demanding and sometimes dangerous job of today's flight attendants.
Based on interviews with over sixty flight attendants, both female
and male labor leaders, and and drawing upon his observations while
flying across the country and overseas, Drew Whitelegg reveals a
much more complicated profession, one that in many ways is the
quintessential job of the modern age where life moves at record
speeds and all that is solid seems up in the air.
Containing lively portraits of flight attendants, both current
and retired, this book is the first to show the intimate,
illuminating, funny, and sometimes dangerous behind-the-scenes
storiesof daily life for the flight attendant. Going behind the
curtain, Whitelegg ventures into first-class, coach, the cabin, and
life on call for these men and women who spend week in and week out
in foreign cities, sleeping in hotel rooms miles from home. Working
the Skies also elucidates the contemporary work and labor issues
that confront the modern worker: the demands of full-time work and
parenthood; the downsizing of corporate America and the resulting
labor lockouts; decreasing wages and hours worked; job insecurity;
and the emotional toll of a high stress job. Given the events of
9/11, flight attendants now have an especially poignant set of
stressful concerns to manage, both for their own safety as well as
for those they serve, the passengers. Flight attendants, originally
registered nurses charged with attending to passengers' medical
needs, now find themselves wearing the hats of therapist, security
guard and undercover agent. This last set of tasks pushing some, as
Whitelegg shows, out of the business altogether.
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