BIBLIOGRAPHY
PLOT SUMMARY
Before Amelia Earhart took her fateful final flight she said the following words, “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others”. In Almost Astronauts, the Mercury 13 women proved just that. Almost Astronauts is the story of 13 women who dared to dream they could become astronauts in a time when everyone was against them. Jerrie Cobb, the unofficial leader of the Mercury 13, was the first to start the tests required to become an astronaut. Her story inspired others to join her in her “fight” to become astronauts. All of the women were pilots (some logging more flight time than their male counterparts) and all scored very high on the tests required.
Before Amelia Earhart took her fateful final flight she said the following words, “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others”. In Almost Astronauts, the Mercury 13 women proved just that. Almost Astronauts is the story of 13 women who dared to dream they could become astronauts in a time when everyone was against them. Jerrie Cobb, the unofficial leader of the Mercury 13, was the first to start the tests required to become an astronaut. Her story inspired others to join her in her “fight” to become astronauts. All of the women were pilots (some logging more flight time than their male counterparts) and all scored very high on the tests required.
Throughout their fight to get to space they encountered
devastating obstacles, difficult politicians and even the vice-president of the
United States of America. Jerrie Cobb even went head to head with congress
during a congressional meeting. These women put up the fight of their life to
earn women the recognition they so desperately deserved. Even though they were
not allowed to pursue their dream of becoming astronauts, they paved the way
for hundreds of other women to continue their legacy. This a truly
inspirational story that will inspire girls and boys alike to give everything
they have to reach their dreams.
CRITICAL ANALYSIs
Almost Astronauts tells the story of the Mercury 13, a group of women who tried to become NASA astronauts nearly 20 years before women were officially allowed. Their story is told in diction that sounds like you are being a told a story by a professional storyteller. As you read these women’s stories, you feel as if you are being told by one of the Mercury 13. The story is further expressed through the use of photographs, test data, official documents and interviews. The reader is immersed in these women’s stories and truly begin to feel as if they are a part of their struggle for equality.
Included at the beginning of the book is a foreword by Margaret
A. Weitekamp, the curator of the National Air and Space Museum. She explains
how she comes in to contact with many people who are interested in this story
and want to pass it on to their children as inspiration for them to pursue
their own dreams.Almost Astronauts tells the story of the Mercury 13, a group of women who tried to become NASA astronauts nearly 20 years before women were officially allowed. Their story is told in diction that sounds like you are being a told a story by a professional storyteller. As you read these women’s stories, you feel as if you are being told by one of the Mercury 13. The story is further expressed through the use of photographs, test data, official documents and interviews. The reader is immersed in these women’s stories and truly begin to feel as if they are a part of their struggle for equality.
Almost Astronauts features several options for further study: a bibliography, a webliography, sources and source notes. There is also a section that features videos and documentaries. These resources allow the reader to further dive into the story of the Mercury 13 and complete some of their own research and discovery.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
KIRKUS REVIEW: "Fascinating, dramatic story...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."
KIRKUS REVIEW: "Fascinating, dramatic story...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."
BOOKLIST: ‘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.”
NEW YOR PUBLIC LIBRARY: “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
*Have students visit http://info.uah.edu/colleges/liberal/womensstudies/astronauts.htm
to read biographies on other great women astronauts.
*Other stories about trailblazers:
Freedman, Russell. THE WRIGHT BROTHER: HOW THEY INVENTED THE
AIRPLANE. ISBN 0823410828
Fleming, Candace. AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPREANCE OF
AMELIA EARHART. ISBN 0375841989
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