Welcome to my Book Review Blog. My goal is to connect readers with the wonderful and amazing books I am blessed to reveiw. And to introduce you to the talented and wonderful authors responsible for writing these books. May my love for books show through my reviews on this site.
Formats Available for Review: print-softback (USA only), ebook (PDF)
Tour dates: Jan 8 to Jan 26, 2024
Content Rating: PG. Suitable for adult audiences.
Book Description:Being raised in Parkersburg, WVA, Janie didn’t have big aspirations for her life. Tired of her dead-end job at the phone company her best friend suggested she interview to become a Stewardess. Fearful she would be rejected because of her height; she was shocked when she was accepted. A whole new world opened up to her. Seeing places she had only read about, spending time with politicians, movie stars and professional athletes. One special athlete, a professional basketball player named Wendell Ladner stole her heart with his southern charm. An extraordinary ‘connection’ with Elvis Presley allowed her the unique experience to spend ‘one on one’ time with him and remain in touch until his passing. You’ll share with her the challenges of marrying someone so different from her upbringing and coping with attempts to try and fit in. Behind Her Smile reveals a devastating event that deeply affected Beverly and made her reexamine her life and what she truly wanted out of it.
Meet the Author:Beverly Golden Cuevas was born Beverly Jane Golden in Ironton, Ohio in 1945. She spent the first 10 years of her life in Parkersburg, West Virginia with her family. Her father had a job opportunity in Columbus, Ohio in 1955 so away they went. Beverly started working at the age of 14 to contribute to her family finances. She graduated Columbus North High School in 1963. She moved on to work at the Ohio Bell Telephone Company after graduation. In 1965, on the dare of her best friend she went to an interview to be a Stewardess for American Airlines. American hired her and she started her flying career in New York, then commuting from Tulsa, Oklahoma to her Dallas base. She flew both domestic and international. During her career, she never received a bad passenger letter. In 1977, she was 1 of 12 Flight Attendants selected out of 16,000 to participate in a highly coveted special assignment to work at the prestigious American Airlines Golf Classic. Her flying career ended on December 1, 2001 after 35 years. Beverly now lives in Dallas, Texas. She has been married to her wonderful husband Randy for 43 years. She has two sons, Joshua and Kaleb. She is a loving wife and mother, never missing a baseball game or school talent show, in spite of her flying schedule! Mimi is blessed to pass on her knowledge and love of life to her grandchildren Eden, Elijah, Ellie, Logan and Holly.
I thoroughly enjoy Behind Her Smile: The Adventures of a Tall Girl from WVA and Her Life as a Stewardess by Beverly Golden Cuevas. This story explores Janie and her life in Parkersburg West Virginia and her signing up to be a Stewardess. A job Janie was surprised she actually was chosen for, but her dreams.come true. As a Stewardess, Janie was able to see the world, something she never dreamed of doing. Her life was drastically changed in many ways. I enjoyed hearing all of the people she met and was able to socialize with during her time with this job.
I was able to connect with Janie a little bit because I grew up in a small Virginia community and my sister lived in West Virginia for a while. Also a girl I went to school that lived in our small neighborhood was a Stewardess. I always thought her life and job was so interesting. This is one reason I chose this book to read and review. I don’t read a lot of memoirs, but I am glad I read this one. It gives first hand knowledge of what it is like to make a drastic change in your life and make it work. I plan to keep this book and read parts of it again as I reflect on Janie’s story.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
splashesofjoy 
Jan 20, 2024 @ 17:36:50
Sounds good
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