Summary

Chapter 12, “Mr. Putnam and Me.” While Thaden was struggling to make ends meet during her pregnancy, Earhart was being increasingly drawn into a very public life as a lecturer and celebrity. She was also being more and more controlled by George Putnam who, on the one hand, was doing a great deal to promote her and her ambitions, but on the other hand was extremely controlling and desperate to marry her. The press pestered Earhart for details on their relationship, with Earhart continually brushing them aside but able to do so less successfully after Putnam’s wife divorced him. Eventually, the narration says, Earhart felt so pressured that she called two trusted friends for advice. “It’s about Mr. Putnam and me,” she said, telling them that she felt she owed Putnam a great deal for what he had done for her...