Forgotten Souls

Praise for Forgotten Souls:

“Forgotten Souls is a family affair. Forgotten Souls isn’t about the airplanes; it’s about keeping memories safe. It’s a kitchen table with all the chairs pulled up and all the elders sharing their heartaches. Thompson keeps the record, and reading these men’s stories is one way to honor them and their families.” —BookPage

“Interviews with survivors, many now in their 90s, reveal intense feelings of pride and sorrow over the lives lost, and lingering anger over the shoddy treatment their loved ones faced in the U.S. and abroad. Poignant, bittersweet lives of unsung and overlooked American heroes.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Fast-paced and sobering, the stories illustrate the longing for closure and recognition that still plagues the families of the missing Tuskegee airmen all these years later. At times heart-wrenching and at times hopeful, Thompson hammers home the idea that the ones who leave us are never really gone.” —Booklist

“Through extensive research, family interviews, and compassionate storytelling, Thompson restores identity and dignity to men too often ignored by the very system they served. This powerful book blends history and humanity, revealing the personal stories behind each missing airman and the generations who still carry the weight of unanswered questions. It stands as a vital contribution to both WWII scholarship and African American history.” —Vintage Aviation News

“Forgotten Souls is a tenacious reporting journey that illuminates a part of American history too often relegated to the shadows. Its exploration ensures heroic men and women won’t be forgotten, starting with the author’s own father.” —Robert Samuels, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of His Name is George Floyd

“Gifted investigative journalist Cheryl W. Thompson utilizes her skills in tracing the deep and enduring mysteries of these lost Tuskegee Airmen who changed aviation history. Lost they may be, she nevertheless has given their descendants a gift of discovery in reminding us all of the heroism these Black pilots showed during battle.” —Wil Haygood, author of Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination that Changed America

“Thompson restores to vivid life black men whose valor has gone unknown and uncelebrated for far too long.” —Leonard Pitts, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of The Last Thing You Surrender

“Beautifully honors a group of American heroes whose courage and sacrifice have never been properly recognized. With exhaustive research and beautiful writing, Cheryl W. Thompson brings these brave men back to life—and charts the oppressive Jim Crow discrimination they had to overcome both before and after joining the segregated U.S. military.” —Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author of Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America

“Forgotten Souls brings to life the forgotten stories of the valiant twenty-seven Tuskegee airmen who vanished without a trace during their World War II service in Europe. These courageous unsung heroes deserve their place in history now more than ever.” —Susan Tate Ankeny, author of American Flygirl and The Girl and the Bombardier

“As the daughter of a Tuskegee airman, investigative journalist Cheryl Thompson was inexorably drawn to the saga of the World War II fighter pilots who endured unspeakable racism and bigotry in their steadfast service to America’s fight against fascism. Now, in Forgotten Souls, Thompson has pieced together the poignant stories of her father’s comrades who went missing during the war, honoring their sacrifice in a beautiful work of loving remembrance.” —Gregg Jones, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Most Honorable Son: A Forgotten Hero’s Fight Against Fascism and Hate During World War II

Cheryl W. Thompson is an award-winning investigative reporter for National Public Radio, an associate professor of journalism at George Washington University, and author of Forgotten Souls- The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen. She is the recipient of more than 40 journalism awards, including an Emmy and 5 National Headliners, and served as reporting coach for the Pulitzer Prize-winning NPR podcast No Compromise. During more than 20 years as a reporter for The Washington Post, she was part of teams that won two Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting. She served as a Pulitzer Prize juror for the Investigative Reporting category in 2022 and chaired the jury in 2023. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Investigative Reporters and Editors, where she was elected the first Black president in 2018 and served an unprecedented three terms. She is also a founding and current board member of the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism and a member of the advisory board for the Fund for Investigative Journalism. She is currently a member of the National Press Foundation Board and the Spotlight DC Board, and a two-time graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, she is a Chicago native who lives outside Washington, DC.

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