Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
By Stephanie Dunnewind,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Women pilots fight for a chance to go to the moon.
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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?
Stone offers a great mix of intimate details in this intriguing book about women in the space program. Included are descriptions of 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."
Talk to Your Kids 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?
Book Details
- Author: Tanya Lee Stone
- Genre: Biography
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Publication date: February 24, 2009
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 17
- Number of pages: 134
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback
- Last updated: March 4, 2020
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