It's Official: THE LANDING Will Be a Book
Part I: Your chance to tell me how you want to be represented in this project
Anyone who ever wrote to me about Sten Molin, see below.
If you’d like to comment, reply to this email and I’ll give you an override. Comments are limited to paid subscribers to prevent ongoing abuse from those who think men should be able to freely sexually harass and assault women at work.
Part II, coming soon: A comprehensive FAQ about The Landing and the Flight 587 origin story for those new to this platform.
Contact me anytime at [5/2/24 edit: REDACTED]
Two-and-a-half years after I first posted tributes to and a defense of American Airlines First Officer Sten Molin, an old friend of mine who was at the controls of flight 587 when it crashed and killed 265 people, I’ve signed with a wonderful agent at a top literary agency who’s as excited as I am to turn The Landing into a book.
Should a major publisher acquire it, as we expect they will, the heightened platform and exposure could be culture-changing, something badly needed for victims in the airline industry. The airlines do such a bang-up job of squelching victims’ reports and scaring people into keeping quiet that perhaps we needed someone outside the industry to blow the horn all along.
**I want to hear from insiders throughout the industry. The focus is specifically sexual assault, harassment, abuse and rape and how that culture ties in to safety issues (pilots masturbating in the cockpit or the crew rest area mid-flight doesn’t feel very safe to me).**
Why is it so important speak up about this topic? This meme is a *chef’s kiss* snapshot of the answer. It was posted by an American Airlines captain proudly and publicly on his Facebook page. I can tell you several American Airlines pilots have had complaints against them spanning decades, and the airlines let them do their thing, thus why their pilots feel comfortable brazenly posting this junk. The culture is rotten to the core.
The reason there will be a book at all is because of the courageous women who first reported flight 587 pilot Sten Molin’s assaults on them—and their testimony about the institution and enablers at American Airlines who allowed him to keep offending will be forever immortalized in it.
Thanks to them, more women (or their attorneys) felt comfortable speaking out and sharing their stories here. The book will hinge on Sten Molin’s double life and many assaults, but the ultimate focus will be the dam that burst thanks to his victims. People will know about pioneers like Christine Janning, Kimberly Goesling, Greta Anderson, Karlene Petitt, Andrea Ratfield, and others who, if I printed their names, could have their careers destroyed.
Airlines with ongoing reports of sexual harassment/assault include American, Southwest, Delta, JetBlue, RyanAir, Qantas and more, and I’ll cover them all.
I’m well on my way in the writing and reporting process—but I want to talk to more of you. Get in touch so you’re represented, or not represented, the way you want to be in a book that will be published worldwide.
How do you Want to Be Represented in the Book?
To Molin’s victims, survivors and witnesses: I want to hear from you. As I continue writing the book chronicling this journey to bring an open secret out of the shadows, I’d like to hear directly from more sources (if we talk on the record, your name doesn’t have to be in print—only I will know your identity) who knew him, flew with him, witnessed his behavior.
Many months back I got permission from a bunch of victims/survivors to discuss what you shared about your stalking, harassment and/or assaults, but the more recent victims who talked to me, please reply to this email or catch me at Metooairlines at proton . me.
I’ll talk to reasonable friends of his, as well. If you’re questioning the news of his double life in good faith, I understand, because I’ve been there.
Please get back to me by mid-May at the latest if you want any say in how this book shapes up. Thank you!
P.S. If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll read and share the latest story about a flight attendant forced to work with her alleged rapist, Southwest Airlines captain TJ Rueschenberg (he was convicted of a misdemeanor in the case and denies raping her). It’s unacceptable, and the more we shed light on this abominable behavior, the better it is for vulnerable victims in the future.
Thank you for reading, and I truly want to hear from you, so hit me up by email or in the comments.
-Sara
About me
I’m an award-winning journalist and bestselling author with decades of international experience writing for magazines and newspapers including People, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, the Sunday Times Magazine (UK), Glamour, Shape, Epicurious.com, and more.
My 2021 memoir/military history book The Strong Ones: How a Band of Civilian Women Made Their Mark on the Army was an overnight #1 bestseller on Amazon in 2021. Said former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, “The Strong Ones provides an inspirational message for our times.”
My crime reporting includes the most high-profile cases of the past decades. I’ve been sent to Italy to report on the Amanda Knox case, Portugal to cover Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, London to cover the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings, L.A. for the death of Michael Jackson, and Sandy Hook, Conn. to cover the horrific school shooting, to name a few.
I was the first-ever recipient of the Jane Cunningham Croly Award for Excellence in Journalism Covering Issues of Concern to Women from the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Winners after me included Marianne Pearl, and judges were legends in journalism like Judy Woodruff. I contributed to the feminist anthology Letters of Intent (Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 1999) alongside such icons as Gloria Steinem, Ntozake Shange and Judy Blume, receiving a noted review from the New York Times. I am the author of a total of 13 fiction and nonfiction books, some of them under a pen name.