4 Books Published by Dorrance Publishing on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

These memoirs and accounts present both a factual accounting of the revelations of the Spirit which sometimes unexpectedly occur while in flight and also, a reasoned, prayerful attempt to understand those revelations. Much of James T. Hollin, Jr.’s lifetime was spent recognizing that aerial flight can be used for many reasons, running the gamut from sky-diving, hot-air ballooning, low level sightseeing, the dropping of searing napalm on soldiers, med-evac flights, or entering a low Earth orbit in a space vehicle. Even more important, this has been the recounting of one person’s appreciation of, and sometimes bewilderment with, the goodness of Divine happenstance, or Fate, intervening in the most unexpected and timely circumstances.

The title provides an inkling of the wondrous and sometimes brutal activities of mankind in the sky. Since the first powered flight by the Wright brothers in 1903, the air above the Earth has enveloped innumerable instances of lifesaving aerial exertions and ferocious warmongering. The skies have been used for the benefit of, and also, selected destruction of mankind.

From personal experiences and the bountiful history of flight, the author describes events that illustrate, in many respects, the nature of man. His interwoven memoirs include recitations of airborne bliss, nerve-wracking predicaments, and unexplained aerial phenomena. Centuries-old cultural and racial mores evoked personal conflicts which needed resolution within the author’s own perception of spirituality and aviation.

Often, a disastrous twist of fate will catch a person totally unaware. Such occurrences can cause apprehension, helplessness, or even terror, but frequently become immediately and unexplainably resolved. It is heartwarming when unseen forces, undefined by science or not fully articulated by religion, intervene in a lifesaving manner, especially in the sky.

The writer regards flying as a combined physical, mental, and spiritual immersion in the medium of air, whether piloting a gigantic airliner or a hang glider. An aviator, by virtue of being “up front,” should assume the role of a committed, principled leader, particularly when transporting passengers. It is an inspiring quality that is sorely needed in any environment.

When the "SHITHOLE" incidence showed up, many of us with African roots listened carefully to the anger expressed by the media, African leaders, the Africa Union (AU), politicians in the United States from both parties, and the world at large. What’s Up Africa received record transactions. Some of us stayed calm and began thinking about the whole incident. Then, after careful analysis, the gates opened for true self-checking—devoid of any emotions to be able to stay fair to both sides. Believe us, it was not easy to hear the negative characterization of the continent, but the Good Lord had His hands in control to calm things down and open our eyes as to allow us to turn a bad situation into a good one.

The narratives in this book come out of true soul-searching, painful admissions of facts, and realistic analyses of prevailing conditions, concluding with challenging directions, so that we can turn the "SHITHOLES" into "GOLD HOLES." Let us embrace our current situation and call a spade a spade. This is the only way we can move beyond the anger. Please, take deep breath and truthfully read on, so that you can also come to the same realization. Together we can contribute to the calling that we have so expressed in this book to save Africa from supervised impoverishment. We cannot and should not continue doing the same things over and over again. We need to open up our eyes to be able to see the truth, regardless of how painful, to get Mother Africa on the right path, so that the next generation will flourish. There will be sacrifices, some pains, and some hardships as we carefully navigate the dense cloud of issues facing Africa. But we believe that we can overcome—and we will overcome.

Poetry by Kurt Boone; Read the book online at Google Books.