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Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir of Purpose and Resilience After 9/11
In this inspiring memoir, a Black woman pilot leading the way for others shares her journey of fulfilling a lifelong dream to fly—and how she rediscovered her passion in the face of tragedy and adversity.
Captain Nia Gilliam woke up on September 11 ready to soar. Having dreamt of the skies since she was a child, Gilliam grew up believing nothing was out of reach. But what starts as a beautiful day to fly turns into a harrowing experience. While waiting to be cleared for takeoff, Gilliam sees smoke pouring from the North Tower of the World Trade Center. From the co-pilot’s seat, she witnesses United Airlines Flight 175 crash into the South Tower. As the Twin Towers burn, Gilliam summons up the resolve to fly. But as soon as she lands, Gilliam and her dedication to the skies are forever shaken.
Cleared for Takeoff recounts the unforgettable day Gilliam escapes from the chaos of what she witnessed alongside a coming-of-age story of a young woman whose dreams were nurtured. Through it all, Gilliam honors Black aviators such as Bessie Coleman, Janet Harmon Bragg, and the Tuskegee Airmen, who paved the way for her and other pilots. These heroes instilled the confidence in Gilliam to secure a seat where few Black women had a place set for them. Yet as her career reaches new heights, navigating the aftermath of a national tragedy changes air travel forever. And when Gilliam receives shocking personal news, she must reconcile who she is beyond the dream she’s worked so hard for. From her first flight to that fateful day, Captain Nia Gilliam’s journey demonstrates how sacrifice, determination, and love helped her find her way back into the pilot’s seat.
Cleared for Takeoff is Gilliam’s triumphant story of courage, the redemptive power of turning tragedy into purpose, and one woman’s unwavering faith in herself.
Captain Nia Gilliam woke up on September 11 ready to soar. Having dreamt of the skies since she was a child, Gilliam grew up believing nothing was out of reach. But what starts as a beautiful day to fly turns into a harrowing experience. While waiting to be cleared for takeoff, Gilliam sees smoke pouring from the North Tower of the World Trade Center. From the co-pilot’s seat, she witnesses United Airlines Flight 175 crash into the South Tower. As the Twin Towers burn, Gilliam summons up the resolve to fly. But as soon as she lands, Gilliam and her dedication to the skies are forever shaken.
Cleared for Takeoff recounts the unforgettable day Gilliam escapes from the chaos of what she witnessed alongside a coming-of-age story of a young woman whose dreams were nurtured. Through it all, Gilliam honors Black aviators such as Bessie Coleman, Janet Harmon Bragg, and the Tuskegee Airmen, who paved the way for her and other pilots. These heroes instilled the confidence in Gilliam to secure a seat where few Black women had a place set for them. Yet as her career reaches new heights, navigating the aftermath of a national tragedy changes air travel forever. And when Gilliam receives shocking personal news, she must reconcile who she is beyond the dream she’s worked so hard for. From her first flight to that fateful day, Captain Nia Gilliam’s journey demonstrates how sacrifice, determination, and love helped her find her way back into the pilot’s seat.
Cleared for Takeoff is Gilliam’s triumphant story of courage, the redemptive power of turning tragedy into purpose, and one woman’s unwavering faith in herself.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 2, 2026
Bookish Thoughts:
Underrated gem…I loved this book. The best memoir I have read in a long time. I admired Captain Nia Gilliam’s unrelenting drive and commitment to achieving her life long dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. She opened my eyes to how difficult that journey was as a minority and a female.
I received a complimentary physical copy from publisher Storehouse Voices. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.
Underrated gem…I loved this book. The best memoir I have read in a long time. I admired Captain Nia Gilliam’s unrelenting drive and commitment to achieving her life long dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. She opened my eyes to how difficult that journey was as a minority and a female.
I received a complimentary physical copy from publisher Storehouse Voices. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.
September 9, 2026
Just absolutely phenomenal
September 1, 2026
Incredible audiobook. Very honest and raw. As a crew member, I can wholeheartedly appreciate how hard the author has worked to get to be where she is, especially after going through such a tramatic experience. To overcome that and continue to inspire women and minorities in the aviation community gave me so much joy to listen to her story.
August 7, 2026
It’s rare that I read a book cover to cover in one sitting, but a book like this makes it easy. Nia’s story is so incredibly inspiring. Her memoir is part love letter to her amazing parents, part tragedy of her personal and world events, and most of all a powerful reminder that dreams matter and hard work makes them come true. I have met Nia in person and can attest to her positivity, determination and unwavering cheer. She’s everything we need in this world and I’m so grateful she’s sharing her story with us all.
August 30, 2026
Nia Gilliam is an American commercial airline captain with United Airlines. Her 2026 memoir Cleared for Takeoff centers around her early life in Chicago, how a wonderfully supportive family and impactful Black role models helped pave the way for her aviation career, and how Gilliam experienced 9/11 early in her commercial career while working that day as a first officer with a now defunct small regional airliner. Gilliam's 9/11 began like any other workday - an early morning departure from her airliner's BOS hub, a flight to EWR (Newark), and multiple iterations of that route planned that day. As Gilliam, her crew, and her passengers sat in the departure queue at EWR mid-morning, Gilliam and her captain witnessed the second plane strike the World Trade Center on from about 10 miles away, and despite mixed signals from air traffic control, were given clearance for takeoff shortly before all commercial aviation was grounded (that order apparently went out while Gilliam's crew was already on their descent into BOS). Ultimately, Gilliam did fly professionally again, though she took several years away to cope with the trauma and start her family. One of Gilliam's children () followed in her footsteps and is also a commercial airline pilot.
I enjoyed this memoir - I found it well-written, engaging, and inspirational. I wish the memoir had also included later stages of Gilliam's career as she progressed from regional to major air carriers, became a captain, and gained certifications on larger planes, all while balancing working motherhood.
Further reading:
Chasing Space by Leland Melvin
Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette – A Candid Memoir of Breaking Barriers and Overcoming Racism in Dance by Jennifer Jones
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland
Trailblazer: The Story of the First Black Female Secret Service Agent to Protect the President and Her Fight for Justice by Cheryl Tyler
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by Eileen Collins
My statistics:
Book 165 for 2026
Book 2471 cumulatively
I enjoyed this memoir - I found it well-written, engaging, and inspirational. I wish the memoir had also included later stages of Gilliam's career as she progressed from regional to major air carriers, became a captain, and gained certifications on larger planes, all while balancing working motherhood.
Further reading:
Chasing Space by Leland Melvin
Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette – A Candid Memoir of Breaking Barriers and Overcoming Racism in Dance by Jennifer Jones
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland
Trailblazer: The Story of the First Black Female Secret Service Agent to Protect the President and Her Fight for Justice by Cheryl Tyler
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by Eileen Collins
My statistics:
Book 165 for 2026
Book 2471 cumulatively
October 14, 2026
Borrowed this on a whim because it sounded interesting. Had never heard of the author before, do not know much about flying except as a passenger, etc. So I was curious to read Gilliam's story. Especially as she has a unique perspective of having witnessed the 9/11 from the cockpit of a plane. After that, she vows to never fly again.
This is a memoir of her journey to becoming a pilot as well as a recounting of those before her. What got her interested in flying, her journey and struggles getting to the cockpit, the aftermath of 9/11 and how Gilliam navigated the aftermath. The only other memoir I've read by a pilot is Chesley Sullenberger (Captain Sully, who you may know had navigated a successful water landing where all 155 on board survived and were rescued) so this was a very different read.
This was okay. Gilliam's journey is fascinating and reading about her path an struggles to become a pilot (as well as dealing with the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks) was genuinely interesting. But as a book/memoir this was pretty terrible. The book goes back and forth through time and I think this was a case where Gilliam would have benefited from a co-writer or ghostwriter instead.
That said, this is definitely an important book if you are thinking of becoming a pilot, have an interest in aviation, etc. I could see this as a book on a course on aviation history, safety, pioneers of their fields (general, not just aviation), etc. but it is not necessary to take a class to understand the book.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.
This is a memoir of her journey to becoming a pilot as well as a recounting of those before her. What got her interested in flying, her journey and struggles getting to the cockpit, the aftermath of 9/11 and how Gilliam navigated the aftermath. The only other memoir I've read by a pilot is Chesley Sullenberger (Captain Sully, who you may know had navigated a successful water landing where all 155 on board survived and were rescued) so this was a very different read.
This was okay. Gilliam's journey is fascinating and reading about her path an struggles to become a pilot (as well as dealing with the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks) was genuinely interesting. But as a book/memoir this was pretty terrible. The book goes back and forth through time and I think this was a case where Gilliam would have benefited from a co-writer or ghostwriter instead.
That said, this is definitely an important book if you are thinking of becoming a pilot, have an interest in aviation, etc. I could see this as a book on a course on aviation history, safety, pioneers of their fields (general, not just aviation), etc. but it is not necessary to take a class to understand the book.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.
November 8, 2026
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What stood out most was the author’s willingness to share her raw, honest emotions through every stage of her life. Her love of flying is evident throughout, but so are the fears and vulnerabilities that come with pursuing that passion.
As a Black woman navigating an industry where women who look like her are vastly underrepresented, her journey carries another layer of significance. I appreciated her honesty about the fears of returning to flying after 9/11 and balancing her identity as a pilot with the roles of wife and mother. Her story is about perseverance, but also about holding on to the parts of yourself that make you feel most alive.
I also loved discovering that she attended SIUC for flight school. Having earned my law degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, I felt an unexpected connection to that part of her journey.
An engaging, personal, and inspiring look at a woman who refused to let fear, or expectations, keep her grounded.
What stood out most was the author’s willingness to share her raw, honest emotions through every stage of her life. Her love of flying is evident throughout, but so are the fears and vulnerabilities that come with pursuing that passion.
As a Black woman navigating an industry where women who look like her are vastly underrepresented, her journey carries another layer of significance. I appreciated her honesty about the fears of returning to flying after 9/11 and balancing her identity as a pilot with the roles of wife and mother. Her story is about perseverance, but also about holding on to the parts of yourself that make you feel most alive.
I also loved discovering that she attended SIUC for flight school. Having earned my law degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, I felt an unexpected connection to that part of her journey.
An engaging, personal, and inspiring look at a woman who refused to let fear, or expectations, keep her grounded.
August 19, 2026
This is such an inspirational story.
Captain Nia Gilliam shares her path to being a pilot in chapters alternating with flying on 9/11 and the trauma from what she witnessed.
Gilliam explores the difficulty of not only being female, but Black in a field dominated by White men. Her determination and resilience shine in this book as the reader follows her story and watches her explore her options as she decides her path to the pilot’s seat.
There are a few places my jaw dropped in this book. The way details came together and things Gilliam learned after the events of 9/11. This story is real and at times very raw as she details her feelings and trauma.
I hope this book starts getting more attention. It is very worth the read.
Thank you to Storehouse Voices for the copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Captain Nia Gilliam shares her path to being a pilot in chapters alternating with flying on 9/11 and the trauma from what she witnessed.
Gilliam explores the difficulty of not only being female, but Black in a field dominated by White men. Her determination and resilience shine in this book as the reader follows her story and watches her explore her options as she decides her path to the pilot’s seat.
There are a few places my jaw dropped in this book. The way details came together and things Gilliam learned after the events of 9/11. This story is real and at times very raw as she details her feelings and trauma.
I hope this book starts getting more attention. It is very worth the read.
Thank you to Storehouse Voices for the copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Read
August 29, 2026[I don’t give ratings to memoirs]
Wow, this was an amazing read. Captain Nia’s story is told in alternating chapters of her childhood of aviation education with the day of 9/11 and the aftermath.
When I read about Nia’s Space Camp adventure and experience, I was not only living vicariously through their infectious excitement about it all but so happy to see what a positive opportunity it was and how it came to be.
Throughout the memoir, you will be shown great gestures and lengths that Nia’s parents took to help her achieve her dreams and continue to believe in herself. Her parents seem like the best kind of parents one could hope to have.
“When teaches talked about history but didn’t mention people who looked like me, I didn’t feel slighted, nor did I doubt my value. I noted the omission with quiet confidence. I knew there was more to the story…”
You go, girl.
Wow, this was an amazing read. Captain Nia’s story is told in alternating chapters of her childhood of aviation education with the day of 9/11 and the aftermath.
When I read about Nia’s Space Camp adventure and experience, I was not only living vicariously through their infectious excitement about it all but so happy to see what a positive opportunity it was and how it came to be.
Throughout the memoir, you will be shown great gestures and lengths that Nia’s parents took to help her achieve her dreams and continue to believe in herself. Her parents seem like the best kind of parents one could hope to have.
“When teaches talked about history but didn’t mention people who looked like me, I didn’t feel slighted, nor did I doubt my value. I noted the omission with quiet confidence. I knew there was more to the story…”
You go, girl.
September 30, 2026
Reading 2026
Book 230: Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir of Purpose and Resilience After 9/11 by Captain Nia Gilliam
Book 37 of #30booksin30days is another audio book memoir.
Quick Take: A memoir that publishes in time for the 25th anniversary of 9/11/2001. Nia took me right back to that day. As many know my husband is a pilot and was based in NYC in 2001. He was not flying that day. Really enjoyed how the book went back and forth from 2001 to Nia’s childhood when her dream to be a pilot was born. 4.5 ⭐️ S
Book 230: Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir of Purpose and Resilience After 9/11 by Captain Nia Gilliam
Book 37 of #30booksin30days is another audio book memoir.
Quick Take: A memoir that publishes in time for the 25th anniversary of 9/11/2001. Nia took me right back to that day. As many know my husband is a pilot and was based in NYC in 2001. He was not flying that day. Really enjoyed how the book went back and forth from 2001 to Nia’s childhood when her dream to be a pilot was born. 4.5 ⭐️ S
August 20, 2026
4 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this book. I did find myself hoping her son never reads it because dang she was not thrilled about having him. Also not shocked she is divorced but shocked they stayed married 18 years.
September 1, 2026
If you were alive to witness 911, it's an event of tragedy you'll always remember. Couldn't image being a pilot on that day, let alone a witness that up and personal. Bravo for your strength and resilience. ✊🏽❤️🛐✝️
August 24, 2026
Excellent book. Started off very tense. Glad it showed her whole complete life. Any other commentary would be a spoiler.
September 2, 2026
The parts of this book that discussed Captain Gilliam’s witnessing of the planes crashing on 9/11 were really tough to hear. What a fantastic book about her journey. Absolutely loved it.
Read
September 9, 2026This was an excellent memoir!
September 12, 2026
Audible. Great story. I actually read it on 9/11 and it gave it some extra heart.
September 15, 2026
4.5 stars
September 18, 2026
Loved this memoir!! Read it in two days. Inspirational! I just bought two more copies to give to friends.
September 19, 2026
I listened to the audiobook and loved it! One of my favorite books of 2026. More than just a pilot's story. Worth the read!
September 21, 2026
Really terrific book. She is a very talented and interesting person and I am recommending her memoir to everyone!!!
September 28, 2026
Interesting memoir. I knew nothing about what it takes to be a pilot, so it was all fascinating. Learning about her perspective on 9/11 was heartbreaking, raw, and important.
October 6, 2026
Inspirational and thoughtful. What an amazing woman!
October 6, 2026
Sooo so good. What a well written, excellent memoir.
October 10, 2026
I admire Captain Nia and want to be friends with her in real life!
October 24, 2026
Listened
November 2, 2026
Fantastic memoir!
November 9, 2026
I'll never be a pilot. I don't understand how you can do that career but I have respect for it, especially after 9/11
November 14, 2026
This was fascinating. Nia is a force to be reckoned with. She overcame and dealt with so much as a young pilot. I'm glad she decided to keep flying.
August 13, 2026
This book was excellent! Her story of becoming a pilot was great, her life story kept me engaged and made me smile and laugh at different points. Her resilience is shown throughout the book but especially when it comes to her experience on the runway on the morning of 9/11. A must read for anyone who loves a good minority story, a story of where you were on 9/11 and really just in general.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews