Overview
The ultimate biography of Amelia Earhart, written by the last surviving family member who knew her. Amelia Earhart was an unknown twenty-three-year-old in 1920 when women won the right to vote in the United States. Eight years later, she burst onto the world stage when she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Amelia used her newfound platform to amplify her profound belief that there should be full equality for women, in aviation and in society. Featuring never-before-published photos from the Earhart family collection, Oceans to Cross: Amelia Earhart's Extraordinary Life and Her Fight for Women’s Rights provides intimate details and insight from Earhart’s niece Amy M. Kleppner, the last member of the Earhart family who knew Amelia. She shares stories of Amelia’s early childhood--revealing that Amelia was a survivor of a broken and dysfunctional home with an alcoholic father and mentally unstable mother--her time as a nurse’s aid during World War I caring for wounded pilots, and her advocacy as a social worker helping immigrant families find housing and work. But aviation was her passion, and Kleppner recounts how Amelia spent her days off learning to fix and build planes from abandoned parts while gaining flight hours whenever she could. Amelia’s success was never a foregone conclusion. Oceans to Cross is an inspiring story of what can be achieved through hard work, dedication, and advocacy. Her love of flying made Amelia Earhart a household name, but to her niece she was a role model, someone who believed that girls and women could do everything men could do and more, someone who spent her life fighting for equal rights.
Full Product Details
Author: Amy M. Kleppner
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:
Width: 14.20cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 21.80cm
Weight: 0.400kg
ISBN: 9798881842581
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 05 March 2026
Recommended Age: From 12 to 20 years
Audience:
Young adult
,
Teenage / Young adult
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unknown
Availability: In Print
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.
Reviews
Because Amelia Earhart conquered the skies before women even conquered the vote, she continues to make the impossible possible. Everyone, women and men, will find strength in these pages. -- Gloria Steinem Amy Kleppner provides details and family lore that personalize the remarkable life of her aunt, Amelia Earhart. -- Dorothy Cochrane, curator, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum A rare glimpse into Amelia Earhart’s personal story of courage and determination. -- Major General Jeannie Leavitt, US Air Force (Ret.) An exciting biography that tells the story of Earhart’s lifelong dedication to raising women’s sights. -- Susan Butler, author, East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart Amy Kleppner’s book is a beautiful tribute to Atchison’s favorite daughter, Amelia Earhart, her fight for women’s rights, and her influence on the women she inspired both then and now. -- Karen Cray Seaberg, president and founder, Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation In this book, we can all draw inspiration from Earhart’s rare ability to envision a better future and turn every setback into a challenge to do better, fly higher, and change the game. -- US Representative Sharice Davids (Kansas) Amelia Earhart’s life is beautifully recounted by Amy Kleppner, interspersed with personal photographs and cherished memories. Earhart stands as a beacon of leadership and a role model for all who dare to follow their own unique path. -- Commander Elizabeth Young, US Coast Guard (Ret.) A fascinating and heartfelt journey into Amelia Earhart’s life, rich with details and perspectives, told by someone who knew her best—her niece. -- Robin Hadfield, president, The Ninety-Nines This book is inspiring. -- Mika Schrader, director, Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum Oceans to Cross is a compelling biography, balancing Earhart’s passion for flight and women’s rights. -- Mary Shipko, pioneering female commercial airline pilot This new book gives us fresh insights into Amelia Earhart’s life and her undeniable commitment to advancing women’s rights. -- Marisa Kelly, PhD, president, Suffolk University While she is best known for pioneering aviation for women, I learned that she was so much more. Her brave fight to determine her own destiny and promote the rights of women made me wish that I could sit down and talk with her—and personally thank her for her efforts. -- Dr. Christine DiBlasio, USA Today 2024 Vermont Woman of the Year This book sheds light on Amelia Earhart’s tireless advocacy for equality for women, told through the eyes of her niece, Amy Kleppner. -- Terri Donner, Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame inductee In these pages, Amelia Earhart's bravery, audacity, and fight for equality shine as brightly as her aviation triumphs, elevating the story too often overshadowed by the mystery of her disappearance. This biography beautifully captures the fervor and tenacity with which Amelia embraced life. -- Beth White, founder, director, and pilot in command, Habitat for Aviation Oceans to Cross is a delightful adventure that inspires and resonates with women today. Bravo! -- Captain Martha LaGuardia-Kotite, US Coast Guard (Ret.), and award-winning author of So Others May Live: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death, and Changing the Rules of Engagement: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Leadership from Women in the Military
Author Information
Amy M. Kleppner (1931-2024) was a lifelong educator, starting as a college professor of philosophy at Wellesley College, Howard University, and the University of Maryland, and then as a high school teacher for 40 years. As the last member of the Earhart family who personally knew Amelia, and as the steward of the Earhart estate, Amy was a seasoned public speaker who spent much of her adult life answering questions for authors, students, and film and TV show producers about her aunt.
