A review by abigailbat
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
4.0
In 1960, the Space Race was all the rage and astronauts were American heroes. They were also men. Enter Jerrie Cobb and the rest of the "Mercury 13". In the early '60s, 13 women took and passed the same physical and psychological tests that men took to qualify for NASA's astronaut training program. But the "Mercury 13" women were not allowed to become astronauts, despite the fact that they were expert pilots. In fact, no woman went into space until Sally Ride did in 1983 and even then she didn't pilot the ship.
Almost Astronauts tells the story of the extraordinary women who fought for their right to make history, to go into space as qualified, talented astronauts. Many photos accompany the text and the book includes an extensive bibliography. This is a great choice for units on women's history or space and I think it should be required reading for all young women.
Almost Astronauts tells the story of the extraordinary women who fought for their right to make history, to go into space as qualified, talented astronauts. Many photos accompany the text and the book includes an extensive bibliography. This is a great choice for units on women's history or space and I think it should be required reading for all young women.