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Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
- By Tanya Lee Stone
- Genre: Biography
Common Sense Media says
Women pilots fight for a chance to go to the moon.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know there is no bad language, sex, or violence in the book. Children may be shocked or confused by the 1960s-era sexism and racism.
What's the story?
In 1960, pilot Jerrie Cobb underwent testing to show women could go up in space; she hoped scientific evidence would prevail against the era's gender discrimination. As Cobb and the other "Mercury 13" women -- dubbed "Astrodolls" and "Astronettes" by the media -- discovered, they were ahead of their time by nearly 40 years. With black-and-white pictures and personal anecdotes, Almost Astronauts weaves biographies of the female pilots into a larger history of the 1960s and changing gender roles.
Is it any good?
In ALMOST ASTRONAUTS, Stone offers a great mix of intimate details about space tests (including a daunting description of an isolation chamber), telling facts about women pilots' lives (one mom of eight stocked her refrigerator with three carts of food before leaving her family), and appalling examples of social and political discrimination.
She explains the historical context for young readers who won't otherwise understand why it was such a big deal that women wanted to go into space. As Stone notes, for women to prove they could equal the nation's space heroes -- the guys with the "Right Stuff" -- "they would have to show not only that they were as tough or tougher, but that they could do it with a smile, never stepping out of the role of the polite, cooperative lady."
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the current state of women's representation in the sciences. As the book notes, "women hold only 25 percent of technology, science, and engineering jobs." Why do families think that gender discrepancy still exists?
The author cites a 2006 CNN interview where Miles O'Brien asked women
crew members about their children and hobbies, but focused on male
astronauts' career achievements and skills. Is it surprising this is
still the case in the media now?
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| Author: | Tanya Lee Stone |
| Book type: | Non-Fiction |
| Genre: | Biography |
| Publisher: | Candlewick Press |
| Publication date: | February 24, 2009 |
| Number of pages: | 134 |
| Hardcover price: | $24.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 17 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 10 |
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