Operation Overflight: A Memoir of the U-2 Incident

Powers, a U-2 pilot shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, chronicles the early years of the CIA spy plane program, the training of pilots, and his experiences as a Soviet prisoner. Originally published by Henry Holt & Company in 1970, the Brassey edition adds a five-page epilogue about Powers' death in 1977 written by his son. Some black and white photographs are provided. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Francis Gary Powers served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and completed twenty-seven U-2 photographic reconnaissance missions for the CIA, including several overflights of the Soviet Union, until shot down by a Soviet surface-to-air missile on May 1, 1960. Upon his return to the United States in 1962, he flew the U-2 as an engineering test pilot for Lockheed Aircraft. Powers died in a helicopter crash in 1977.

Curt Gentry has written or contributed to many books, including Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders andJ. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets. He lives in San Francisco.