In a recent blog post, Flight Attendant, Blogger, and soon-to-be-published author, Heather Poole posted a humorous graphic of what friends, men, society, passengers, and FA themselves think of what they do. In her new book, to be published next month by Harper Collins, Cruising Attitude, Poole shares her story as a 15 year FA veteran by sharing her experiences related to each of these six categories and... so well told by Poole in the book.

This is a great book and when I saw that it was available via the Amazon Vine review program, I immediately ordered it for a review.

With a well written, funny, and poignant insider's view of what is often a glamorized profession, Poole draws you into her story from the beginning with a story that illustrates what Flight Attendants have to deal with these days - passengers, and even some crew members, who you wonder if they are fully present when they board the plane.

Maybe you have wondered what it takes to become a Flight Attendant. Well, Heather will take you to the FA training academy (aka "Barbie Boot Camp") where for 7 and one-half pressure cooker weeks women and men are put through the paces never knowing if and when they are silently and secretly shown the door. There you will learn the difference between servicing a wide-body and a narrow-body. Jets that is and not, uh, passengers, though Heather does talk about some of those along the way.

Thinking that FA's live and travel well? Well, think crash pads and not bachelor (or bachelorette) pad. Crash pads are, in Poole's case, homes in the New York suburbs (her home base) which house often 20 FA's who share a small space (and an even smaller privacy) as they come and go all hours of the night. Which makes for some humorous stories... that you will to get the book and read!

And what about working with mom, er Ellen, who finally becomes a flight attendant and ends up serving on the same flight with her daughter? Or about how long it takes, for some strange reason, to pour a Diet Coke at 35,000 feet? (Heather I found the same thing on the ground! Must be a quirk about the mix!)

And Poole concludes with how it all changed when the tragic events of September 11, 2001 occurred and FA's had to now deal with a new threat.

Buy the book and enjoy following Heather across the friendly, and not so friendly skies, as she deals with people famous and not-so-famous, broken aircraft, and a unique set of characters... that just might be sitting next to you on your next flight!

I rate this book an "outstanding" read!

Note: I received an uncorrected proof of this book via the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.