Flying Free

<p>Judy Hamen was born in a hospital in South Dakota just before the start of World War II when gas was eleven cents a gallon and the average life expectancy for a woman was sixty-five. As she grew into an energetic five-year-old Judy had no idea that just days before her sixth birthday she would become motherless—an event that would change the course of her life forever.</p><p>In her poignant memoir Hamen details what it was like to grow up without a mother during a chaotic time in American history. Originally told her mother died from typhoid fever Hamen discloses how it would not be until some twenty-five years later that she would learn the truth about her mother’s death. As she shares her journey into womanhood Hamen provides a glimpse into her unique life story—migrating to Minnesota in the 1950s marrying at eighteen and embarking on a diverse career that takes her from a secretarial job at a Ford dealership to Northwest Airlines for which she trained airline mechanics in foreign countries. Included are illustrations and letters that bring her story to life and document important events.</p><p>Flying Free shares one woman’s unique path through life as she overcomes adversity breaks through barriers seeks adventure and finds spiritual inspiration.</p>