National Book Release by Sam Kleiner – The Flying Tigers, The Untold Story

Tucson native and author, Sam Kleiner releases first book The Flying Tigers, The Untold Story, published by Penguin Random House and released nationally this week.

Sam Kleiner is a historian and lawyer based in New York City. Kleiner holds a doctorate in international relations from the University of Oxford, England, where he was a Marshall Scholar, and a JD from Yale Law School. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, and The Atlantic. He was raised in Tucson, Arizona, the son of  Rick and Jan Kleiner.

Sam Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder comments, “In the dark days after Pearl Harbor, a swashbuckling band of volunteer pilots gave America something to cheer about with their exploits against the Japanese in far-off China. Through long-lost letters and diaries, Sam Kleiner has brought these gallant warriors to life. The Flying Tigers is a rousing tale that will keep you turning the page.”

Sam’s interest in history took root in his early childhood. Growing up in Tucson, his curiosity about World War II was fueled by stories from his grandfather, who was a navigator on a B-25 in the Pacific. After majoring in American history at Northwestern University, Sam was awarded a Marshall Scholarship and earned a doctorate in International Relations at the University of Oxford. His which examined Presidential war powers and the manner in which presidents from Roosevelt to Obama made their decisions to go to war.

While attending law school at Yale in 2015, Kleiner stumbled across an endearing set of love letters written between a Flying Tigers pilot and a nurse that were stored away in a University archive. Sam recognized this story’s compelling human drama which unfolded amidst an extraordinary historical narrative on the eve of WW II. His three years of research culminate in the writing of The Flying Tigers, The Untold Story.

Historical accuracy has been of the highest importance to Sam and it has been the honor of Sam’s lifetime to tell this story. Sam is grateful for the hospitality and support of many individuals that he met through the Flying Tigers Association, who helped him find original Tiger diaries and letters that had never before been examined by a historian. Kleiner worked with the Chennault family, including Anna Chennault, who gave him access to hundreds of original combat reports previously stored away from historical review until now. These firsthand accounts of the Tigers’ battles offer an unprecedented and intimate view of the Flying Tigers.

The Flying Tigers, The Untold Story is in hardcover and audio book and available for purchase at:

To support Tucson bookstores at:

Or at your favorite local bookseller, including Barnes & Noble.

Sam and The Flying Tigers will be featured on CNN’s Jake Tapper Show that will honor veterans on Memorial Day by featuring an interview with Sam and Frank Losonsky, the sole surviving Flying Tiger, about whom Sam writes in his book.  The interview is scheduled to be broadcast on Tapper’s show on CNN, The Lead, between 4:00 to 5:00 pm, on Monday May 28th and will be available afterwards on the CNN website.

Sam also looks forward to a Tucson homecoming in the near future when he’ll be able to meet friends and personally sign your copy of the book!

Reviews and historical photos can be can be accessed at www.flyingtigersbook.com