{"product_id":"the-closest-exit-may-be-behind-you-memoir-of-a-fearful-flight-attendant-9798992427509","title":"The Closest Exit May Be Behind You: Memoir of a Fearful Flight Attendant","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy would someone choose a career that terrifies her?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe smiling girl in the cover photo harbors a dark secret. A graduate of the August 1970 Delta Air Lines rigorous training program, she is, in fact, \u003cstrong\u003eterrified\u003c\/strong\u003e of flying. A traumatic flight from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba, at age eight convinced her she would never take to the sky again. But her recently earned BA in psychology left little in the way of a career path without an advanced degree. \u003cstrong\u003eShe is broke and desperate to find a job.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA friend convinces her to apply to be a stewardess, one of a few good-paying jobs available to women. Laughing at the suggestion, and not believing she can convince anyone she belongs on an airplane, she is simultaneously excited and appalled when she gets the job. At age twenty-one, she has, thus far, lived a sheltered life and is unprepared to feel like a fraud in a stewardess uniform.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGradually she meets the challenges that confront her: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQuirky passengers and coworkers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMeal services that don't go as planned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHealth emergencies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSurviving a toxic first marriage, complete with harrowing experiences on a sailboat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe loss of the man she chooses as a life partner\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer breezy, easy-to-read writing style (reminiscent of Kelly Bishop's \u003cem\u003eThe Third Gilmore Girl\u003c\/em\u003e), is filled with tales ranging from the absurd to the tragic, from memorable vacations to humorous anecdotes no one could make up.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book offers encouragement to anyone who has faced fear and adversity. \u003cstrong\u003eAnd isn't that all of us?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavis, Kathi:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Kathi Davidson Davis is a debut author of the memoir, The Closest Exit May Be Behind You, Memoir of a Fearful Flight Attendant. She worked as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines from 1970 to 2005, an era when flying was a more pleasant experience for many passengers and crew than it is today. Her book provides a nostalgic look-back for travelers of that era and a revelation to younger people who were not lucky enough to experience it. While she includes many humorous anecdotes, her content touches on cultural history, travel, and the psychology of phobias. She grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa. During her time as a flight attendant, she earned a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Florida Atlantic University while simultaneously caring for her husband who suffered from dementia. After his death and her retirement, she moved to Normal, Illinois, to be near family.","brand":"Kathi Davidson Davis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51623721402642,"sku":"9798992427509","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c7e8d82c-69c6-4bcc-a8ff-3bea437c7f6b.jpg?v=1758646213","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-closest-exit-may-be-behind-you-memoir-of-a-fearful-flight-attendant-9798992427509","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}