They had the right stuff. They defied the prejudices of the time. And they blazed a trail for generations of women to follow.What does it take to be an astronaut? Mastery at flying, courage, intelligence, resistance to stress, being in top shape - any checklist would certainly include these. But when America created NASA in 1958, there was another unspoken rule: you had to be a man. Here is the tale of thirteen women who not only proved that they were as tough as the toughest man, but were brave enough to challenge the government. Their passage to space was blocked by prejudice, by jealousy, by the scrawled note of one of the most powerful men in Washington. But, in the end, they did not lose, for their inspiring example empowered young women to take their rightful place in the sky, piloting jets and commanding space capsules that could bring human beings to distant planets. "Almost Astronauts" is the story of thirteen true pioneers of the space age.

About the Author

Tanya Lee Stone is a former editor and award-winning author who often writes about strong women. She has garnered starred reviews and other accolades for books such as Up Close: Ella Fitzgerald and the highly popular Amelia Earhart. She lives in Vermont.

Reviews

Enlivened by numerous b&w and color photographs, this thorough book takes readers back to the early 1960s to tell the story of 13 women who underwent a battery of physical endurance tests (including hours spent in a deprivation tank) and psychological analysis to determine their readiness to travel in space. A gripping narrative surfaces in Stone's text, as the women are repeatedly thwarted by NASA, discriminated against and patronized by society ("Gene Nora Stumbough's boss said she couldn't have time off. So she quit. Sarah Gorelick had the same problem.... So she quit"). Readers with an interest in history and in women's struggle for equality will undoubtedly be moved. Ages 10-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.