The year was 1933, and a severe economic depression had devastated the United States. The stock market had collapsed. Unemployment was rampant.

Amidst such widespread misery, an intrepid young pilot named Jimmie Mattern set out to become the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe solo. An unceasing optimist, Jimmie believed his flight, if successful, could lift the hope and spirits of a struggling nation. Instead, Jimmie was the one who would need hope just to make it home alive.

On June 3, 1933, Jimmie and his Lockheed Vega rose joyfully into the sky to chase glory. He wouldn’t set foot on American soil again for eight grueling weeks, after a crash in the Siberian wilderness tested his renowned cheerfulness and storied ability to survive. His quest, fraught with brutal weather, mechanical and fuel emergencies, hunger, sleep deprivation, and injury, made him a legend and an international celebrity in his time.

Undaunted is the captivating true story of the spirited, intrepid aviation pioneer who inspired the countless daring pilots and astronauts who came after him. A consummate adventurer, Jimmie Mattern was seemingly impervious to pain or despair. After every misfortune, he climbed right back into the cockpit and set his sights on the next horizon—unafraid and unfaltering.