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A review by panda_incognito
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
4.0
This photo-illustrated nonfiction book for children tells the little-known story of thirteen women who underwent the same tests as male astronauts, sometimes did even better than the men, but never had the chance to go to space. Author Tanya Lee Stone says that these women had âthe Right Stuff at the Wrong Time,â and educates children about the sexist norms that created such tremendous social and political barriers to womenâs spaceflight. She includes lots of fascinating photo reproductions, and at the end, she shares stories from future women who were able to participate in and even lead spaceflights.
I found this book very eye-opening. I was already familiar with this chapter of space history from [b:Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight|41940282|Moonbound Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight|Jonathan Fetter-Vorm|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552507903l/41940282._SX50_.jpg|65424898], an adult graphic novel, and it intrigued me to learn more about the individual women, their experiences, and the challenges that they faced. I think that the author sometimes went too far in her claims about womenâs abilities, since she was writing about specific women with exceptional physical and mental strength, but even though some of her sweeping statements would not apply to the general population of women, many women are capable of amazing physical feats, and those who are interested in spaceflight and other demanding enterprises should be evaluated fairly and have equal opportunity to men.
This book would be a great choice for kids who are interested in space and aeronautics, and would be an excellent addition to a school unit about the Space Race. I would also recommend this to adults who are interested in learning more about forgotten and overlooked women in STEM fields, and it could start lots of great conversations between kids and adults as they evaluate the challenges that the different women faced, how they responded to their deeply unfair circumstances, and how the differences between men and women played out in this situation.
For example, one of the reasons why a man tried to champion female astronauts is because he knew they would be much cheaper for the United States to send to space, simply because women tend to be smaller and lighter. Also, the text repeatedly notes that the women not only excelled at the physical and mental tests they underwent, but also complained much less than the men. This raises interesting questions. Did they complain less because they knew how much was riding on this, and didnât want to give the testers any reason to criticize them? Are women generally more flexible and less complaining than men, or is this based in how they are socialized?
This book raises lots of interesting questions, and avoids providing dogmatic answers. The story is complex and nuanced, and even though the author sends a very clear message against sexism and unfair limitations against women, she manages to write this story without being preachy, and covers the different complexities of the situation without painting anyone with an overly broad brush. I found this very interesting, well-written, and educational, and am glad that I had the chance to read it.
I found this book very eye-opening. I was already familiar with this chapter of space history from [b:Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight|41940282|Moonbound Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight|Jonathan Fetter-Vorm|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552507903l/41940282._SX50_.jpg|65424898], an adult graphic novel, and it intrigued me to learn more about the individual women, their experiences, and the challenges that they faced. I think that the author sometimes went too far in her claims about womenâs abilities, since she was writing about specific women with exceptional physical and mental strength, but even though some of her sweeping statements would not apply to the general population of women, many women are capable of amazing physical feats, and those who are interested in spaceflight and other demanding enterprises should be evaluated fairly and have equal opportunity to men.
This book would be a great choice for kids who are interested in space and aeronautics, and would be an excellent addition to a school unit about the Space Race. I would also recommend this to adults who are interested in learning more about forgotten and overlooked women in STEM fields, and it could start lots of great conversations between kids and adults as they evaluate the challenges that the different women faced, how they responded to their deeply unfair circumstances, and how the differences between men and women played out in this situation.
For example, one of the reasons why a man tried to champion female astronauts is because he knew they would be much cheaper for the United States to send to space, simply because women tend to be smaller and lighter. Also, the text repeatedly notes that the women not only excelled at the physical and mental tests they underwent, but also complained much less than the men. This raises interesting questions. Did they complain less because they knew how much was riding on this, and didnât want to give the testers any reason to criticize them? Are women generally more flexible and less complaining than men, or is this based in how they are socialized?
This book raises lots of interesting questions, and avoids providing dogmatic answers. The story is complex and nuanced, and even though the author sends a very clear message against sexism and unfair limitations against women, she manages to write this story without being preachy, and covers the different complexities of the situation without painting anyone with an overly broad brush. I found this very interesting, well-written, and educational, and am glad that I had the chance to read it.