coming Soon
Cleared for Takeoff on 9/11: A Pilot’s Memoir
By: Nia Gilliam
Part memoir, part mission, Cleared for Takeoff is Nia Gilliam’s powerful upcoming book that tells the story of a Black woman pilot navigating the skies after witnessing a 9/11 tragedy.
A Story from the Flight Deck that Changed Everything
A Story of Purpose, Perseverance, and Finding Faith in the Skies.
What happens when your dream job places you in the center of a national tragedy?
In her forthcoming memoir, Cleared for Takeoff on 9/11, airline transport pilot Nia Gilliam takes readers behind the flight deck on one of the most defining days in U.S. history. From her flight deck view at Newark International Airport, she witnessed United Flight 175 strike the South Tower of the World Trade Center-and was cleared for takeoff moments later.
That moment, and everything it set into motion, forever changed her relationship with flying, her identity, and her mission.
But this book is more than a 9/11 story. It’s about navigating trauma, balancing motherhood and a demanding career, confronting racial and gender barriers in a white male-dominated industry, and surviving breast cancer. With depth, honesty, and a quiet power, Nia shares how she learned to lead, heal, and soar—on her terms.
Backed by Industry Leaders
Nia is represented by the highly respected Serendipity Literary Agency. Her memoir will be published by Storehouse Voices, a bold new imprint under Crown Publishing Group (Penguin Random House), dedicated to centering transformational stories by Black authors.
Release Date
Cleared for Takeoff is expected to release in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
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