The Skies Belong to Us

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  The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking by Brendan I. Koerner


    My least favorite part of the airport is the TSA portion. Only once in a while do I get an officer who doesn’t scare the living daylights out of me. But I couldn’t imagine living in a time where you could just walk onto a plane without getting through security — a time where hijacking a plane was an everyday occurrence.


    I first heard this book through the popular crime podcast “Rotten Mango” (I absolutely HIGHLY recommend listening to this podcast).  In that episode, the host, Stephanie Soo, detailed the events of the hijacking of Flight 701. I was so shocked by the story, and I decided to read the book she recommended.


    Roger Holder, a Vietnam war veteran, was plagued by his troubled and traumatic past. Then there was Cathy Kerkow. She had a playful and mischievous spirit. A small world would be the only way I can describe their paths crossing. Not only did they come up with an elaborate plan to hijack a plane, the couple successfully executed this crime. Holder and Kerkow would end up in multiple African and European countries, living a more eventful life associated with the Black Panthers and so much more. But how exactly did these two do it, and what was the reason? More interestingly, Kerkow has never been caught and remains on the FBI’s most wanted list; Where is she now?


    Brendan I. Koerner did an amazing job, not only detailing the facts of this case but countless other incidents of hijacking. During the 70s, it was quite easy to hijack a plane. After all, there was no security, and the plane was like taking a bus. However, Koerner does more than explain the events of each case. He dives deep into the psychology behind each crime. 


    As a big true crime fan, it was refreshing to read something other than a gruesome murder  — not to say that this crime was not wrong. Koerner describes the event in such a way that you feel like you were there in the plane as a random person is threatening the pilot to take the plane elsewhere. I highly recommend this book if you like nonfiction or true crime!


- Sarisa

Comments

  1. BonnieApril 8, 2022 at 9:15 PM

    Great post, Sarisa! Like you said, it seems impossible to hijack a plane in this day and age, so it's hard to imagine a time when it was much more common. This book sounds really interesting and you did an excellent job of explaining the premise in a succinct way. I'm not usually a big fan of true crime, but I definitely want to read this book now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan RosuApril 15, 2022 at 7:13 AM

    Nice post, Sarisa! I think I might have heard about this flight on one of those popular "unsolved" videos, even though I didn't really read into it that much. I might just have to pick this book up and learn what Holder and Kerkow did in the African/European countries they ended up in.

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  3. Jonathan OuyangApril 15, 2022 at 9:52 PM

    Good post! I agree that the premise of a plane hijacking is an excellent starting point for suspense and thriller novels. I do have to say, though, the TSA is kinda fun.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heidi WangApril 27, 2022 at 10:18 PM

    THIS SOUNDS SO INTERESTING!! I also listen to Rotten Mango, and I trust Stephanie Soo's recommendations of crime cases and yours. This case in particular sounds pretty awesome, and it's super interesting that she still hasn't been caught yet. I really want to know how this couple successfully pulled off this plane hijacking, so I will probably check out this book very soon. Awesome post as always Sarisa!

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  5. PieterMay 13, 2022 at 6:59 AM

    Whoa.
    I looked up Cathy Kerkow on Google, and one of the first links I got was FBI.gov, she remains on the FBI's most wanted list to this day. She was born in 1951, making her around 70 years old if she is still alive. Interesting case and great Job Sarisa!

    ReplyDelete

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