Playboy Bunny or Stewardess??: The Uncensored Memoirs of a Pan Am Flight Attendant

I picked this up as a free ebook on Amazon and I thought it was a great book -- now that it has gone back to full price, I don't know that I would necessarily recommend it since there isn't much to it.I don't recall the author starting with her interest in being a Playboy Bunny (other than a brief mention toward the end when the Playboy clubs all closed), but the rest of the story is about her career working for PanAm. The author was a persistent young lady and survived the rigors of the hiring practices of the day (which would be unheard of today), including beauty and poise, as well as a perfectly maintained figure, weight, and hair style. Many of the rules of the day were pretty interesting, including the bits about flight attendants not being permitted to be seen in public handling their own luggage and the strict rules about gloves, etc. It's getting hard to remember what it was like when there were luxury airlines -- the attendants actually cooked your food, on the plane! Today, a $10,000 first class ticket for an international flight still only gets you re-heated "airline food". Reading about the PanAm commitments to quality were really interesting and the pages of her handbook were really fun to explore.Overall, this is a sweet and simple book -- you won't find any dirty laundry here -- and it was a fun read. I'm glad that someone has preserved their experiences of working for one of the world's last great airlines.

They say that flying used to be a glamorous experience and, in a breezy and chatty style that's a pleasure to read, author Dona Jay Epting tells the story of her years at Pan Am. After graduating from college with a teaching degree, she was faced with a choice -- pursue a job as a Playboy Bunny or as a stewardess. She opted for international travel and what followed was a whirlwind of training and testing. Her descriptions of flights and duties and layovers in exotic locales are fascinating. She seems to have genuinely loved her job.

I was not impressed by this memoir. Although it was a quick read, by the end of the book I felt as though I had wasted my time. The author writes in a conversational tone, but does not allow the reader to be engaged with the material she presents. She *tells* a story instead of *showing* the reader the events of her life. Instead of painting a picture of her colorful experiences in a thought-provoking way (ie- *showing*), she basically *tells* the reader "this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened too!" leaving nothing truly meaningful for the reader to take away from the book. Perhaps a good editor could have helped with the tone of the narration, and maybe a better title as well. Overall, I was disappointed with this read; if not for the narrative mode this could have been a truly interesting memoir.I'm giving this two stars because it did help me kill some time while I was waiting at the DMV, and because it was free. Although, like many of the free books available in the kindle store, sometimes price (or lack thereof) seems to be an indicator of quality.

This book was truly delightful and full of fun stories. As a 36 year flight attendant it certainly brought back memories from the good old days. I had the honor of meeting Dona on a trip and was easily able to imagine her in each of the situations she describes in the book. Pan Am was lucky to have Dona working for them! The kindness, consideration and fun spirit that Dona had at Pan Am are still with her today. I knew that I would love the book so I purchased several extra copies and cannot wait to share them with other flight attendants. Thanks for a great read Dona!

This book is a very well written. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to live the life of those who served us on those flights, this is certainly a glimpse thru a window into that life style. The author illustrates this life style, from exotic and glamorous travel, to rubbing elbows with persons of interest, as well as all the banalities attached. I personally enjoyed reading & learning for the 1st time about the trips they made to Viet Nam and the sacrifices they made as civilians for our armed forces. You probably won't believe this, but I had a chance meeting with Ms. Epting years ago, and the photos don't come close to how she looks in person. I am sure that anyone associated w/ the industry would enjoy reading this book.

The title is a bit misleading, I suppose to attract attention. Dona thought about becoming a Playboy Bunny but did not go in that direction. That is dealt with in short order in the first chapter.The book is about her career as a Pan Am Flight Attendant. She is an interesting person, to the point I would like to know more about her than she wrote. She could have used an editor, but that was only a minor distraction to me.A quick, fun read.

I have been a Flight Attendant for 36 years and found this book very informative and amusing. I had no idea what it was like to fly in the 60's. Dona did a great job of portraying what life was like as a stewardess for Pan Am back before we were called flight attendants. ie: sharing rooms, having your luggage taken care of, and some of the characters that are no longer gracing the skies and causing mischief! Dona is still flying and I had the pleasure of working with her. What a Lady and outstanding"Stewardess"! Her book is a great read!

Though only 26, I've always been enthralled with the time of white gloves and pillbox hats, glamour and elegance. The book had an enjoyable narrative, and despite some typos and errors, was a joy to read. There were some WTF moments (not with the book, but with things that were acceptable back then), like women being weighed at job interviews or having to sign a contract saying they wouldn't marry while employed! Very interesting overall.

Nothing to write home about. It's just a light read.Quite entertaining in places and does give an insite into the job of an air stewardess.Read it on Kindle, and obviously the pictures were not that good in this format.

A fun story about what life was like when airlines were still glamorous. Made me wish that flights were still like this. A fun tale.

than anything else and not written with enough flow and enjoyment to keep on my kindle. Deleted after 1 read.