Katharine, the Wright Sister: A Novel

(Hardback)

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In this sweeping historical novel by internationally bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood, the oft-overlooked story of the Wright brothers' younger sister, Katharine, is finally told. She helped her brothers soar... but was the flight worth the fall It all started with two boys and a bicycle shop. Wilbur and Orville Wright, both unsuited to college and disinclined to leave home, jumped on the popular new fad of bicycle riding and opened a shop in Dayton, Ohio. Repairing and selling soon led to tinkering and building as the brothers offered improved models to their eager customers. Amid their success, a new dream began to take shape. Engineers across the world were puzzling over how to build a powered flying machine-and Wilbur and Orville wanted in on the challenge. But their younger sister, Katharine, knew they couldn't do it without her. The three siblings made a pact- the three of them would solve the problem of human flight. As her brothers obsessed over blueprints and risked life and limb testing new models on the sand beaches of North Carolina, Katharine became the mastermind behind the scenes of their inventions. She sourced materials, managed communications, and kept Wilbur and Orville focused on their goal-even when it seemed hopeless. And in 1903, the Wright brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of humankind. What followed was the kind of fame and fortune the Wrights had never imagined. The siblings traveled the world to demonstrate their invention, trained other pilots, and built new machines that could fly higher and farther. But at the height of their success, tragedy wrenched the Wright family apart... and forced Katharine to make an impossible choice that would haunt her for the rest of her life. From internationally bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood, Katharine, the Wright Sister is an unforgettable novel that shines a spotlight on one of the most important and overlooked women in history, and the sacrifices she made so that others might fly.

Reviews

"Fans of the unsung heroines of American history will love Tracey Enerson Wood's latest triumph. Katharine, the Wright Sister kept me turning pages late into the night with its keen eye for family relationships and women's roles in them. This novel is a tribute to every woman who changed the world of science and technology and was erased from the pages of history." -- Jennifer Coburn, author of Cradles of the Reich

Author Bio

TRACEY ENERSON WOOD is a published playwright whose family is steeped in military tradition. She is the author of two other novels- The Engineer's Wife and The War Nurse