Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir of Purpose and Resilience After 9/11

by Captain Nia Gilliam

In this inspiring memoir, a Black woman pilot leading the way for other aviatrixes shares her journey of fulfilling a lifelong dream to fly—and how she rediscovered her passion in the face of tragedy and adversity.

Before being cleared for takeoff, Captain Nia Gilliam witnesses the World Trade Center attacks from the co-pilot’s seat on the runway of Newark Airport. Struggling with the harrowing sights unfolding before her, she finds the composure to take off as smoke billows from the Twin Towers. In a moment that changed everything, for her and the world, Gilliam's dedication to the skies is forever shaken and she resolves to never fly again.

Now, Gilliam traces her path to the pilot’s seat, from the moment her mother showed her an article of Black aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman to the day she ditched school to pay her respects at the funeral of Janet Harmon Braggs, the first Black woman to earn a commercial pilot’s license, where she ultimately met her future mentor. Alongside the grit and determination to work towards her dream, Gilliam captures the challenges, both personal and societal, and triumphs of earning her spot in the pilot’s seat. But just as Gilliam’s life begins to soar, the aftermath of 9/11 thrusts her into a moment of unforeseen decisions. As she finds the fortitude to stand strong after a national tragedy, she confronts bias as the first pregnant pilot at her airline, fights to overcome postpartum depression, and navigates a career transition that would take her away from the life she’d worked so hard for.

Cleared for Takeoff is a deeply affecting story, tracing Gilliam’s roots to navigating a male-dominated industry and illuminating one woman’s unwavering faith in herself.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published August 4, 2026

Reviews

[Deanna (she_reads_truth_365)]

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.

[Hannah Fusfeld]

Just absolutely phenomenal

[Danielle M]

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.

[Tisho Jessop]

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.

[CatReader]

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 (apparently the one she was pregnant with but didn't realize it at the time on 9/11!) 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

[April]

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.

[Tina | TinasNextChapter]

[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.

[Dana]

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.

[Jo Goldsmith]

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. ✊🏽❤️🛐✝️

[Pixismiler]

Excellent book. Started off very tense. Glad it showed her whole complete life. Any other commentary would be a spoiler.

[Marianne]

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.

[Amanda Drosner niehaus]

This was an excellent memoir!

[Holly Dillon]

Audible. Great story. I actually read it on 9/11 and it gave it some extra heart.

[Karen Ashley]

4.5 stars

[Kathy Elkind]

Loved this memoir!! Read it in two days. Inspirational! I just bought two more copies to give to friends.

[Mallory Kennedy]

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!

[Sara Goldenberg]

Really terrific book. She is a very talented and interesting person and I am recommending her memoir to everyone!!!

[Nan]

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.

[Erin Burns]

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.