Bibliography
Plot Summary
Almost Astronauts tells the story of 13 women fighting to be admitted into the NASA space program. While they all had a background in flying, some clocking more flight hours than John Glenn, these women were not able to pursue the path they wanted to because of the fact they were women. This book tells us of the fight these women fought for gender equality in the space program as well as introducing the reader to the fight for gender equality and women’s rights across the country in the 1960’s. While these women didn’t find their way into the NASA space program, they paved the way for those women to follow.
Critical Analysis
Almost Astronauts is the epitome of a traditional nonfiction text. This well researched text introduces the reader to a group of women that worked to get gender equality into the NASA space program. The book, backed by the curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is well researched and presented in a manner that keeps a reader’s attention while delivering facts.
As with many traditional nonfiction texts, Almost Astronauts is one that does not need to be read from cover to cover, while it is enjoyable enough to be done this way. The reader is presented with a table of contents and an index to help the reader locate the specific information they may be looking for. Sources are broken down chapter by chapter in the back of the book to assist in locating more information if this text is being used for research purposes.
While this text can be used easily for research, with the passion shared by Stone and the rich photographs included keep the reader wanting to read not only about the 13 women themselves, but the ideology of the United States in the 1960s and the women that were ultimately able to partake in the NASA space program due to the path the “Mercury 13” paved.
Review Excerpts
Awards:
2010 Sibert Medal Award Winner
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor
NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor
Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
Reviews:
“Space gals. Astronettes. Astrodolls . . . Who do these women think they are?” The media mocked them. Male astronauts did not want them, and neither did then vice-president Lyndon Johnson. If they were to let women into the space program, blacks and other minorities would be next. Nearly 20 years before the U.S. officially admitted women into the astronaut program, 13 women, known as the Mercury 13, fought for the right to soar into space. 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.” –Booklist
“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. The women were all pilots (one, Jerrie Cobb, had more hours in the air than John Glenn or Scott Carpenter), earned high scores in preliminary tests, and even counted a senator's wife among their number. But resistance came from all directions—including NASA regulations, which were weighted toward men; media coverage that reflected contemporary gender expectations; political maneuvering by then vice president LBJ and other officials; and the crushing opposition expressed by renowned aviatrix Jackie Cochran in a 1962 Congressional hearing. Properly noting, however, that losing "depends on where you draw the finish line," the author closes with chapters on how women did ultimately win their way into space—not only as mission specialists, but also as pilots and commanders. 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.” –School Library Journal
-Have students research women astronauths such as Mae Jemison that were inspired by the "Mercury 13"
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