by by Sue Macy Book list Sally Ride thought that she might become a tennis professional, and while in college she was torn between English literature and science. It wasn't until she was close to finishing her PhD in physics when she saw an ad in the Stanford Daily asking for applicants to the NASA program that she really figured out what she wanted to do with her life. Up until 1977, she wouldn't have been considered, but now women were being recruited. Macy introduces the history of the space program and the first women pioneers who tried to break into it, and she offers a detailed look at Ride's long and storied career, with special emphasis on her flights and her role in discovering what caused the horrific accident that killed everyone aboard the last Challenger flight. Ride's work with children and young adults after her retirement from NASA is also highlighted. Photos, insets with further information, and extensive back matter round out the treatment. This offering will be welcomed by both students and those simply looking for a good read.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. Publishers Weekly Drawing from a broad selection of books, periodicals, and interviews, Macy (Wheels of Change) fuses a biography of the first American woman in space with a chronicle of NASA's space shuttle program during Ride's career. The author provides a balanced portrait of Ride's personal and professional lives, depicting her as a reserved, private, intelligent, and competitive young woman whose diverse interests led to degrees in both physics and English at Stanford. Though various media have documented Ride's missions on Challenger, Macy also underscores her tenacity in a profession that had historically discriminated against women, as well as her passionate advocacy for educating children about space exploration and encouraging them-especially girls-to pursue careers in science. Readers whose interests lean in those directions will appreciate the thorough, at times technical, explorations of the history, operations, triumphs, and tragedies of NASA's space shuttle program. Photos of and quotations from Ride (who died of pancreatic cancer in 2012) and from those who knew her help bring her personality into sharp focus. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved School Library Journal Gr 5-8-Macy's comprehensive, admiring biography offers detail and perspective about Ride's groundbreaking career and contributions. Her coverage of Ride's childhood and education and pioneering career at NASA is similar to that found in dated titles such as Sally Ride: A Space Biography by Barbara Kramer (Enslow, 1998). Macy relates how Ride's educational and sports accomplishments, hard work, and ambition and self-confidence allowed her to become an astronaut and a role model for countless girls. Her section about Ride's work at NASA includes many technical details and is occasionally dry. The strongest part of the book is Macy's treatment of Ride's post-astronaut career as an educator and advocate for increased education and opportunities in the sciences, especially for women. The author praises Ride's refusal to cash in on her post-NASA fame and describes her ceaseless efforts to promote educational and public service projects. She also touches on Ride's personal life, including the posthumous disclosure of a female life partner, putting into the context of Ride's lifelong desire to maintain her privacy and let her work and achievements speak for her. The text is supplemented by an eight-page photo insert, sidebars, and an extensive bibliography that includes materials written about and by Ride. This book has a higher reading level and more detail than Megan Stine's Who Was Sally Ride? (Penguin, 2013), and it will help readers put her public achievements and contributions and her quiet personal life into perspective.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. (c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
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