Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Behind Her Smile: The Adventures of a Tall Girl From WVA and Her Life as a Stewardess Beverly Golden Cuevas


 Book Description:


Being raised in Parkersburg, WVA, Janie didn't have big aspirations for her life. Tired of her dead-end job at the phone company her best friend suggested she interview to become a Stewardess. Fearful she would be rejected because of her height; she was shocked when she was accepted. A whole new world opened up to her. Seeing places she had only read about, spending time with politicians, movie stars and professional athletes. One special athlete, a professional basketball player named Wendell Ladner stole her heart with his southern charm. An extraordinary 'connection' with Elvis Presley allowed her the unique experience to spend 'one on one' time with him and remain in touch until his passing. You'll share with her the challenges of marrying someone so different from her upbringing and coping with attempts to try and fit in. Behind Her Smile reveals a devastating event that deeply affected Beverly and made her reexamine her life and what she truly wanted out of it.
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Meet the Author:

Beverly Golden Cuevas was born Beverly Jane Golden in Ironton, Ohio in 1945. She spent the first 10 years of her life in Parkersburg, West Virginia with her family. Her father had a job opportunity in Columbus, Ohio in 1955 so away they went. Beverly started working at the age of 14 to contribute to her family finances. She graduated Columbus North High School in 1963. She moved on to work at the Ohio Bell Telephone Company after graduation. In 1965, on the dare of her best friend she went to an interview to be a Stewardess for American Airlines. American hired her and she started her flying career in New York, then commuting from Tulsa, Oklahoma to her Dallas base. She flew both domestic and international. During her career, she never received a bad passenger letter. In 1977, she was 1 of 12 Flight Attendants selected out of 16,000 to participate in a highly coveted special assignment to work at the prestigious American Airlines Golf Classic. Her flying career ended on December 1, 2001 after 35 years. Beverly now lives in Dallas, Texas. She has been married to her wonderful husband Randy for 43 years. She has two sons, Joshua and Kaleb. She is a loving wife and mother, never missing a baseball game or school talent show, in spite of her flying schedule! Mimi is blessed to pass on her knowledge and love of life to her grandchildren Eden, Elijah, Ellie, Logan and Holly.

connect with the author: goodreads 

My thoughts:
This is the first memoir that I have read in quite some time, and I found this one rather enjoyable.  The author certainly doesn't hold anything back when it comes to her career. personal life which is the purpose of this genre.  I admit that this book started off slow, but as it went on for a few chapters, it became more interesting to me.
The author has relationships, establishes friendships with some famous people and some not so famous.  Overall, this is an enjoyable read.