Genre 4, Book 3: ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 WOMEN WHO DARED TO DREAM by Tanya Lee Stone

Image: Google Images

Bibliographic Data 

Stone, Tanya Lee. 2009. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Summerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763645028. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski.

Plot Summary

This non-fiction book tells the efforts of the “Mercury 13” women, who tried to become the first female astronauts at NASA in the 1960s.

Critical Analysis

Written for ages 9-12, Almost Astronauts tells the story of how 13 women worked for the right to become astronauts in the early days of America’s space program, and how their efforts paved the way for future generations of women to go into space. The book starts with a shuttle launch in July 1999, the first one to be commanded by a female astronaut. Eight of the women in attendance that day are part of the “Mercury 13,” females who once tried to become astronauts themselves. The story then recounts what it was like in America in the early 1960s socially, politically, and in the space program at NASA. Women had few rights back then, and were generally expected to want to marry and have kids. Flying was considered a man’s job, and women were discouraged from it. 

Two men, Randy Lovelace and Donald Flickinger, believed women would make good astronauts, and using women instead of men would save NASA money because of their smaller size. They wanted to prove women could do the work, and looked for female pilots who could pass the tests the men had taken to become astronauts. They first found Jerrie Cobb, an accomplished pilot, and asked her if she’d be interested in testing to become an astronaut. She didn’t hesitate! She trained for five months until the men were able to arrange permission for her to take the first round of tests, at which she excelled. They then put her through the second round of testing, the psychological tests, while looking for other women to follow after her in the testing program. They found nineteen women to test, and twelve of them past the first round of testing. Along with Cobb, these women became known as the “Mercury 13,” a female counterpoint to the “Mercury 7” men who were already astronauts. 

Stone describes the tests these women underwent, the difficulties they faced just to arrange to take the tests, and how they were ultimately denied access to complete the testing when the public took an interest in their efforts and asked NASA if there would be a woman’s space program too. NASA had no interest in sending women into space, and so simply denied them access to the testing facilities so that there could not be any “qualified” female candidates to send. Cobb fought for the rights of women to test and become astronauts, but ultimately found the impetus behind NASA’s decision had as much to do with America’s social expectations as a candidate’s qualifications.

The book then discusses the civil rights movement and the women’s rights movement with age-appropriate language. It helps young readers today understand what this country was like back then, and why society’s view of women’s roles was such a barrier in the space program. As America changes, more women earn engineering and science degrees, work as pilots and in the military, and eventually are able to enter the astronaut program. Today many women have gone into space, and they owe a debt of gratitude to the women who first attempted the program and proved women could do the job too. The book tells how life went for the “Mercury 13” women after not getting into NASA, and what they are doing today. It concludes by discussing why there are still fewer women in the space program than men, but that it is now wide open to women who dream of becoming astronauts.

Photographs of the people and places discussed in this book help bring the documentary book to life. Stone’s passion for the subject of the book is evident in her writing, so it is easy to feel the joys, disappointments, and frustrations the women in the book felt as they endeavored to become astronauts. The book provides a Sources page and a Photography Credits page to document the accuracy of the information provided within. This book spans many decades and discusses several issues that impacted the space program, and it does an admirable job of keeping focused on the relevant information so the reader has a clear picture of what was happening over the years. This book is highly informative and a must-read for any child interested in space, becoming an astronaut, or women’s struggles for equality in America.  

Awards 

This book has won several awards:

• ALA YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor
• 2009 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor
• Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
• Jane Addams Honor
• NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor
• 2010 Sibert Medal Award

Reviews

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Stone draws a vivid portrayal of the program, from engrossing details of the grueling testing to passionate indictment of the social system and its surprising spokespersons. . . . Documented with interviews as well as secondary sources, augmented with an extensive bibliography, index, and plenty of photographs, this presentation will be a draw to report writers and independent readers alike."

The Horn Book: "The story of the ultimately unsuccessful effort to get women into NASA's Mercury astronaut training program is meticulously researched and thrillingly told by Stone using first- and second-hand sources, including interviews with many of the women … and a set of outstanding historical photographs. … 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. … Extensive bibliographies and endnotes are appended."

Science Books & Films: "This inspiring, insightful, probing, fabulous book provides a fascinating and well-researched view into the world of the astronauts and NASA's early years, with particular focus on how highly qualified women were excluded.  … All kids (and many others) should read this book. It is an eye-opener, clearly written and showing that, eventually, persistence counts."
 
Natural History: "Everyone knows the 1959 portrait of the Mercury Seven astronauts: seven grinning guys in seven shiny silver suits looking smashing. Almost Astronauts tells the story of the thirteen female pilots who never made it into the silver suits. … [This] is an upsetting book, but a much truer portrait of an era than the many self-congratulatory celebrations of the Moon landing published this year."

Connections

Enrichment Activities

Discuss with children what skills it takes to become an astronaut. Do you have the “right stuff?” This website provides more information about how to become one: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESA1RMGBCLC_astronauts_0.html

This website provides many links to learn more about astronauts and provides fun activities: http://www.quia.com/pages/lp02.html

Related Readings

Other Books by Stone:

• The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us by Tanya Lee Stone (Viking Juvenile, 2010)
• Amelia Earhart by Tanya Lee Stone (DK Children, 2007)
• Abraham Lincoln by Tanya Lee Stone (DK Children, 2005)
• Sandy's Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone (Viking Juvenile, 2008)
• A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone (Wendy Lamb Books, 2007)
• Laura Ingalls Wilder by Tanya Lee Stone (DK Publishing, 2009)
• Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote Henry Holt and Co. by Tanya Lee Stone (BYR, 2008)

Other Astronaut Stories:

• Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, 2009)
• Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon by Andrew Chaikin (Viking Juvenile, 2009)
• Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin (Putnam Juvenile, 2009)
• One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh (Philomel, 2009)
• Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008)
• I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton (HarperCollins, 1988)