Laurie Gwen Shapiro’s The Aviator and the Showman arrives at a time when Amelia Earhart biographies seem as numerous as the conspiracy theories surrounding her disappearance. Yet Shapiro, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist, manages to carve out entirely new territory by focusing not on the familiar solo narrative of America’s most famous female aviator, but on the fascinating and often turbulent partnership between Earhart and her publicity-savvy husband, George Palmer Putnam.
From the opening pages, Shapiro’s investigative prowess shines through her access to previously undiscovered audio interviews and archival materials that paint a far more nuanced portrait than the sanitized versions we’ve grown accustomed to. This isn’t the demure, almost saintly Amelia of popular imagination, nor is George simply the villainous manager exploiting his talented wife. Instead, Shapiro presents two deeply complex individuals whose ambitions, flaws, and genuine affection created both extraordinary achievements and ultimate tragedy.
A Marriage of Ambition and Convenience
The book’s greatest strength lies in Shapiro’s unflinching examination of how George Putnam transformed Amelia Earhart from a talented but financially struggling pilot into a global icon. Shapiro reveals that this transformation was neither accidental nor entirely organic. George, whom she aptly describes as “the PT Barnum of publishing,” possessed an almost supernatural ability to craft public personas and manufacture celebrity.
The author skillfully demonstrates how Amelia, far from being a passive participant in her own mythmaking, was an equally ambitious partner who understood the transactional nature of their relationship. Shapiro writes with characteristic insight: “Leaving her quieter life and love in Boston behind for a dizzying array of opportunities, she recognized in George a strategic ally who could propel her stalled magnificent career ambitions forward and provide an escape from financial instability.”
This partnership dynamic drives the narrative forward, revealing how their relationship evolved from professional collaboration to genuine romance, though never without the underlying tension of their shared ambitions. Shapiro’s access to personal correspondence and previously sealed documents allows her to show us moments of tenderness alongside the calculated publicity stunts, creating a three-dimensional portrait that neither vilifies nor idealizes either party.
The Dark Side of Fame
Where The Aviator and the Showman truly excels is in its examination of the increasingly dangerous stunts George pushed Amelia to perform in service of book sales and public attention. Shapiro meticulously documents how each successful flight raised the stakes for the next, creating a feedback loop of escalating risk that would ultimately prove fatal.
The author’s analysis of George’s motivations reveals a man driven not merely by greed, but by a complex mixture of genuine belief in his wife’s abilities, financial pressures exacerbated by the Great Depression, and an almost pathological need to stay in the spotlight. Shapiro doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable truth that George’s promotional genius may have contributed directly to Amelia’s final, fatal flight.
Style and Substance
Shapiro’s prose style mirrors the sophisticated yet accessible tone of her subjects, particularly George’s showmanship and Amelia’s forthright communication style. The narrative moves with the pace of a well-crafted thriller, building tension as we watch the couple’s increasingly desperate attempts to maintain their lifestyle and relevance during the economic turmoil of the 1930s.
The author’s background in documentary filmmaking serves her well here, as she structures the book cinematically, with vivid scenes that place readers directly into the smoky speakeasies and aviation hangars of the Jazz Age. Her descriptions of flight sequences are particularly compelling, capturing both the terror and exhilaration that drew Amelia to aviation.
Research and Revelations
The book’s research foundation is impressively robust. Shapiro’s access to previously sealed family documents, audio recordings from those closest to the couple, and meticulous examination of financial records creates a level of detail rarely seen in aviation biographies. Her revelation of George’s post-Amelia schemes, including a bizarre fake kidnapping plot, provides insight into a man whose relationship with reality became increasingly tenuous after losing his most famous client and beloved wife.
Perhaps most importantly, Shapiro succeeds in humanizing both figures without diminishing their achievements. Amelia emerges as a genuine feminist pioneer whose commitment to women’s equality was sincere, even as she played the publicity game with increasing skill. George, despite his numerous flaws, appears as a man who genuinely loved his wife while simultaneously exploiting her fame.
Areas for Critique
While The Aviator and the Showman succeeds admirably in its primary mission, it occasionally suffers from the very completeness of its research. Some sections, particularly those dealing with George’s post-1937 business ventures, feel tangential to the core narrative. The book’s exhaustive detail, while admirable, sometimes slows the pacing in ways that might challenge casual readers.
Additionally, while Shapiro does an excellent job contextualizing the couple within their era, she could have drawn more explicit connections between their story and contemporary celebrity culture. The parallels between George’s manipulation of media and modern publicity techniques are striking but underexplored.
Historical Context and Contemporary Relevance
Shapiro successfully places the Earhart-Putnam partnership within the broader context of women’s advancement in the early 20th century, the evolution of celebrity culture, and the intersection of technology and public fascination. Her analysis of how Amelia navigated expectations of feminine behavior while pursuing traditionally masculine achievements remains remarkably relevant to contemporary discussions about women in STEM fields and other traditionally male-dominated professions.
The book also serves as a cautionary tale about the costs of fame and the dangerous lengths to which people will go to maintain public relevance. In an era of social media influencers and reality television, the Earhart-Putnam dynamic feels surprisingly contemporary.
Technical and Aviation Elements
For aviation enthusiasts, Shapiro provides sufficient technical detail about Earhart’s flights and the challenges of 1930s aviation without overwhelming general readers. Her explanation of the final flight’s navigation problems and radio difficulties is particularly well-handled, providing clarity on issues that have fueled decades of conspiracy theories.
The author’s treatment of Fred Noonan, Earhart’s navigator on the final flight, adds another layer of complexity to the story. Rather than treating him as a minor character, Shapiro examines his own struggles with alcoholism and professional pressures, showing how the flight’s fatal outcome resulted from multiple human failures rather than a single catastrophic error.
Legacy and Impact
The Aviator and the Showman makes a compelling case that George Putnam’s contributions to aviation history have been unfairly minimized by his reputation as a publicity hound. While acknowledging his many flaws, Shapiro demonstrates that his promotional efforts genuinely advanced public acceptance of aviation and particularly women’s participation in the field.
The book’s conclusion, examining George’s life after Amelia’s disappearance, is both heartbreaking and illuminating. His desperate attempts to maintain relevance through increasingly bizarre schemes reveal a man unable to exist outside the reflected glory of his wife’s fame, yet also someone genuinely mourning the loss of his life partner.
Comparison with Other Aviation Biographies
Unlike previous Earhart biographies that focus primarily on her flying achievements or mysterious disappearance, The Aviator and the Showman joins the ranks of relationship-focused aviation histories like Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s memoirs or books examining the partnerships behind major achievements. Readers who enjoyed Candace Fleming’s The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh or Lynne Olson’s Citizens of London will find similar depth and complexity in Shapiro’s work.
For those seeking similar explorations of women pushing boundaries in male-dominated fields, consider Rachel Ignotofsky’s Women in Science or Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures, though neither matches the intimate detail of Shapiro’s portrait.
Recommendations for Further Reading
Readers captivated by The Aviator and the Showman might explore:
- West with the Night by Beryl Markham – A contemporary of Earhart’s who also challenged aviation gender barriers
- The Spirit of St. Louis by Charles Lindbergh – For understanding the broader aviation context of Earhart’s era
- The Stowaway by Laurie Gwen Shapiro – The author’s previous work, demonstrating her skill with historical adventure narratives
- Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming – A complementary young adult perspective on Earhart’s final flight
- Jackie Cochran: An Autobiography – About another pioneering female aviator mentioned prominently in Shapiro’s book
Final Assessment
The Aviator and the Showman succeeds brilliantly in its ambitious goal of reframing one of aviation’s most famous stories. Shapiro has crafted a nuanced, deeply researched, and ultimately moving portrait of two extraordinary individuals whose partnership shaped history while ultimately destroying them both. The book stands as both excellent biography and cautionary tale about the intersection of love, ambition, and fame.
This is essential reading for anyone interested in aviation history, women’s studies, or the evolution of American celebrity culture. Shapiro has given us not just another Amelia Earhart biography, but a profound meditation on partnership, ambition, and the price of immortality. In revealing the complex humanity behind the legend, she has paradoxically made both Amelia Earhart and George Palmer Putnam more remarkable, not less.
- Highly Recommended – A meticulously researched, beautifully written biography that redefines our understanding of one of aviation’s most enduring stories.