Blackbird: A History of the Untouchable Spy Plane

It's not often a fiction book puts me on the edge of my seat with my heart racing and my mind lost in excited wonder. This book did just that. I picked up the book wanting to learn more about this plane, expecting a textbook experience. To my delight, that expectation was not met.

While the book touches on technical aspects, it is reachable and understandable for those of us who are not engineers or well schooled in the jargon surrounding military flight. While the first two chapters lay the groundwork for how the Blackbird program came to be, having that groundwork made the rest of the story stronger.

I also like that the author represented the perspectives of agencies, groups, and people who had influence on the program and how those perspectives helped shape what became the Blackbird. That being said, the target audience is those of us who are enchanted by these planes, and the author writes to our affections.