NONFICTION & BIOGRAPHY - Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stone, Tanya. 2009. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Taunton, PA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763636111

Stone, Tanya. 2010. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. (S. Ericksen, Narr.). [Unabridged Audiobook]. Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/Almost-Astronauts-13-Women-Who-Dared-to-Dream-Audiobook/B003ZVPPMY?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp&shareTest=TestShare (Original work published 2009.)

PLOT SUMMARY

This nonfiction narrative is about thirteen women who had to undergo grueling challenges just to show they were as good if not better than men.  During this time period in history, it was uncommon for women to work outside the home much less be involved in the space program. Women weren’t even allowed to do common things like rent a car, get a loan or play professional sports without a man’s signature. These women challenged the government, went through the training, fought against many that said they could not live up to complete what the men could, and they never gave up. The ladies outshined the men in every single test they were put through. Even the Navy shot them down for training activity; however, they continue to pursue a way to get NASA to see they were all completely capable. In the end, the women ended up being the first group of women to go into space.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

First, this is a MUST-LISTEN on Audible! Susan Ericksen, the narrator, kept me hooked the entire three hours and forty minutes. I could not stop listening. She did a fantastic job with her voice narration to emphasize the stress the ladies went through and to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

Tayna Stone does an excellent job at retelling the story of what these thirteen women went through to pursue their dreams of becoming part of the space program. Clearly, she has done her research to provide factual information throughout her book. Her format of keeping everything in chronological order helps the reader move their lives of the ladies. 

I wanted to scream “girl power” as I was listening to this book. Stone does a fantastic job in really highlighting what the ladies and especially Jerrie Cobb went through to help break the mold that women cannot do what men do. She gave great examples of what Cobb went through and what she was thinking while she underwent those challenges through NASA. 

Having the pictures start in black and white and eventually merging to color helps highlight the changing of time. This played well with her format of chronological order. The photographs focus and show the lives and struggles of these women.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

BOOKLIST: “This dramatic, large-size photo-essay covers their stories, along with the exciting politics of the women’s liberation struggle in the 1950s and ’60s (“What is a woman’s place?”) and the breakthrough science and technology surrounding space exploration, including details of the would-be astronauts’ tests and training. The chatty, immediate style (“Picture this”) and full-page photos make for a fast read, and the crucial civil-rights history will stay with readers. The long, spacious back matter is part of the story, with detailed chapter notes and a bibliography.”

HORN BOOK GUIDE: “The story of the ultimately unsuccessful effort to get women into NASA's Mercury astronaut training program is meticulously researched and thrillingly told. Stone uses first- and second-hand sources, including interviews with many of the women, and outstanding historical photographs. The revelatory text clearly shows the personal and physical risks taken by the women in pursuit of their dreams.”

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: “There is no sugarcoating here -- Stone presents the full story of early-sixties public discourse about women's capabilities and clearly shows the personal, political, and physical risks taken by the women in pursuit of their dream. The details will likely be a revelation for the intended middle- and high-school audience, who may be surprised to find the world of their grandmothers' childhoods a far cry from their own.” 

KIRKUS: “The fascinating, dramatic story of the "Mercury 13," a group of women aviators who proved to be as courageous, intelligent and fit as any man, but who were nonetheless barred from NASA's astronaut program because of their gender. At the center of the story is Jerrie Cobb, a veteran pilot who successfully completed every test given to male astronauts. The author offers great insight into how deeply ingrained sexism was in American society and its institutions. Handsomely illustrated with photographs, this empowering, impassioned story will leave readers inspired.”

LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION: “Tanya Lee Stone does a phenomenal job of exploring NASA from its origin to the present, noting the changes made as these 13 remarkable women persevered. The author’s use of black and white photographs presents the reader with further proof of the journey these women made and of those who followed in their footsteps. The appendix includes more facts about women who have taken part in the space program.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Enlivened by numerous b&w and color photographs, this thorough book takes readers back to the early 1960s to tell the story of 13 women who underwent a battery of physical endurance tests (including hours spent in a deprivation tank) and psychological analysis to determine their readiness to travel in space. A gripping narrative surfaces in Stone's text, as the women are repeatedly thwarted by NASA, discriminated against and patronized by society ("Gene Nora Stumbough's boss said she couldn't have time off. So she quit. Sarah Gorelick had the same problem.... So she quit"). Readers with an interest in history and in women's struggle for equality will undoubtedly be moved.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Stone adopts a tone of righteous indignation in chronicling the quixotic efforts of 13 women to win admission into NASA's initial astronaut training program in the early 1960s. Illustrated with sheaves of photos, and based on published sources, recently discovered documents, and original interviews with surviving members of the "Mercury 13," this passionately written account of a classic but little-known challenge to established gender prejudices also introduces readers to a select group of courageous, independent women.” 

CONNECTIONS

• Science: A great option to give to students to read while learning about NASA’s space program and the history of the space program.

• ELAR: Research over one of the thirteen women, this would be a great source to start their research.

• ELAR: Ask students to write a letter about what it means to be discriminated against and how it is similar to how these women were discriminated against by NASA.

• Other books by Tayna Stone:

• Stone, T. COURAGE HAS NO COLOR: THE TRUE STORY OF THE TRIPLE NICKLES: AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK PARATROOPERS. ISBN 9780763665487

• Stone, T. ELIZABETH LEADS THE WAY: ELIZABETH CADY STANTON AND THE RIGHT TO VOTE. ISBN 9780805079036