Whistled Like a Bird

A biographical portrait of a 20th century renaissance woman, featuring her friendship with the celebrity female pilot who made American history.

Dorothy Binney Putnam, the socialite daughter of the inventor of Crayola crayons, was a pioneering woman among high society classes. Not content to simply entertain the literati surrounding her husband George Putnam's publishing empire and raise their two sons, she pursued her own interests and adventures. A talented singer and pianist, a spirited athletic naturalist, and an explorer who joined expeditions to the Galápagos Islands with William Beede and Greenland with Robert Bartlett, Dorothy challenged herself as much as she challenged societal expectations for women.

Then she met Amelia Earhart. The fearless aviatrix, whose exploits and accomplishments shattered gender boundaries and championed women's rights, became Dorothy's inspiration, kindred spirit, and close friend. But Dorothy's husband George, already enamored with air travel having published the writings of Charles Lindbergh, admired and adored Amelia as more than a friend.

In Whistled Like a Bird, an extraordinary, true story about an independent woman, a world-famous aviator, and the powerful man who loved them both, Sally Putnam Chapman, the granddaughter of Dorothy Binney Putnam and George Putnam, recounts a treasure trove of memories, spanning the years 1907 to 1961, culled from her grandmother's diaries.

“A delicious, often fascinating look into a world of domestic American privilege.” —New York TimesBook Review