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Credit where it’s due: the title for this post was “borrowed” from the book Right Stuff, Wrong Sex by Margaret A. Weitekamp.
We’ve made it through another year, and what a year it’s been. I’ll have a short post for January. For the rest of 2025, my goal is to start posting twice a month again. Until then, here’s the last book recommendation list for 2024.
Also, hi, Yvette, the lady I met during OT this week. Thanks for your encouragement!
The book sommelier is back! For December, here’s two books that pair together nicely for a stellar reading experience.
Nonfiction
The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight by Martha Ackmann
Before there was Sally Ride, there was Jerrie Cobb. All eyes were on the Project Mercury astronauts, Air Force test pilots who were all deemed to have “the right stuff” to go into space. Dr. William Randolph Lovelace II wanted to cast a broader net than just the men that the government thought were worthy of going to space. There were many accomplished women pilots in the country, but as women were barred from flying in the military, they were automatically disqualified as astronaut candidates. Dr. Lovelace theorized that women might make better astronauts than men, and pushed for “lady astronauts.” Jerrie Cobb, a woman with an impressive list of aviation achievements, eagerly trained, hoping to be one of the first women in space. When she proved that she could pass the same tests that the prospective male pilots did, more women joined this secret project. Thirteen women passed the arduous tests which proved women were space-worthy, but societal customs and political maneuverings meant that none of the Mercury 13 would ever leave Earth. The Mercury 13 tells the largely unknown story of the women who dared to reach for the stars. Detailed biographies of Jerrie Cobb, Dr. Lovelace, and celebrated pilot Jackie Cochran are woven in with the narrative. Interviews with the women who underwent the Lovelace tests offer personal insight into their experiences. Inspiring and disheartening all at once, Ackmann finally brings to light the story of these brave and tenacious women who were willing to give everything they had for a moonshot of their own.
Note: This book has two different subtitles: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight, and The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight. I used the “Untold” version since that’s the copy of the book I have. The actual text of the book is the same in either one.
Fiction
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowall
In 1952, Elma York and her husband, Nathaniel, are lucky to be alive after a devastating meteorite strike obliterates much of the eastern coast of the U.S. Elma, a physicist, mathematician, and pilot, is eager to do something, anything, to help survivors and rebuild the country, but her talents are overlooked in favor of men. That is, until she calculates what the long-term effects of the meteorite strike will be. A climate disaster will make Earth unsuitable for habitation, and colonizing space becomes humanity’s only chance for survival. Elma joins the fledgling international space agency, IAC, as a computer, performing calculations that will put a man into orbit. But with so many qualified women pilots and scientists working alongside her, Alma starts to wonder: why can’t women be astronauts? When Elma makes headlines during an all-women airshow, she finally has a chance to advocate for her cause. Sexism and her crippling anxiety would have her stay on the ground, but Elma’s determined – for herself, and for all the brilliant women whose skills have gone unnoticed. One thing I liked was the inclusion of women of color in Elma’s crusade. Elma does have her prejudices and blind spots, but she learns from her mistakes. The real-life Project Mercury astronauts and Mercury 13 were all White, and I was glad to see diversity being added to the space race. The Calculating Stars is great for fans of alt-history and realistic sci-fi.
See you next year!
Overlooked Books 