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The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight
 
 
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The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight [Hardcover]

Martha Ackmann (Author), Lynn Sherr (Foreword)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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From Publishers Weekly

In dynamic prose, Ackmann, senior lecturer in women's studies at Mount Holyoke College, relates the story of 13 female pilots who fought to become part of the nation's space program at its inception. Their tale is uplifting, a narrative of their dedication-perhaps obsession might be a better word-and sacrifice in an attempt to aid the nation in the space race against the Soviets and to experience the thrill of space flight. The story is also a depressing indictment of the rampant sexism that kept them from achieving their goal and kept the country from making productive use of their considerable talents. These 13 women, among the most accomplished pilots in the world at the time, went through many of the same challenging, even excruciating tests undergone by NASA's original seven male astronauts but, unlike the latter, the women did so in relative obscurity and often against the express wishes of all arms of the nascent space program. That each woman passed all the tests, often with scores exceeding those of the males, carried absolutely no weight with an entrenched bureaucracy. Ackmann has done a magnificent job of gathering information, conducting interviews and weaving the strands into an utterly compelling book that deserves to be widely read well beyond the circles of the usual readers about the space program. 16 pages of photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-In the early days of the space race, women were barred from U.S. astronaut training, but some questioned the wisdom of this policy. At the Lovelace Foundation, in a secret "girl astronaut program," a select group of female pilots underwent the same comprehensive battery of psychological and physical tests required of male candidates. Now known as the Mercury 13, these women had many aviation honors, interesting lives, and (as shown in several well-chosen black-and-white photographs) great charm. Most made crushing sacrifices to prove they had "the will, the ability and the courage" to fly in space but, despite their resounding success, received no recognition. This account finds dramatic structure in the divergent personal and political paths of two of the century's greatest female pilots, Jerrie Cobb and Jackie Cochran. Cobb, the first to be chosen for testing, helped pick subsequent participants and ultimately became a champion of their cause in the political arena. The older and more influential Cochran had opened doors to female pilots in the past, but effectively opposed female participation in the space program. Once the battle was lost in Congress, it was another 40 years before a woman finally commanded a space flight. Mercury 13 is both an outstanding work of research and an exceptionally readable and well-told story. Readers will gain new perspectives on space, medicine, women, and American culture, and will appreciate the magnitude of what was lost when the women were grounded.
Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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First Sentence
JERRIE COBB REACHED DOWN AND PULLED THE HEAVY LAYERS OF arctic clothing over her navy blue linen dress. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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10 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars We've come a long way, baby....thank heavens!, Sep 12 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight (Hardcover)
"The Mercury 13" is an amazing story of how [discrimination] in the early years of the American space program shut women out. We should be ashamed that the Soviet Union had a woman in space decades before Sally Ride finally broke the gender barrier in the U.S. Martha Ackmann is to be congratulated for bringing the stories of these incredible and patriotic women to light.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Women on to the moon, Sep 2 2003
By 
Debbie J. Martin "deb4hms" (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight (Hardcover)
Research, research, research...

Ms. Ackmann has really done her homework on all the players involved in the Mercury 13 or FLAT (First Lady Astronaut Trainee) program. She did extensive personal interviewing with the surviving women of the program, and it shows.

Her writing gets you "into" the story and you won't want to put it down.
A classic example of truth being stranger than fiction. Now that we have the luxury of time to look back on these events, besides blaming the social conditions of the times, possibly this book can now serve as a benchmark of lessons learned and hopefully not to be repeated.

Highly recommend for every parent of girls and boys. Read it to your kids, and help them understand what happened.

Check this book out, now.

As an archive Librarian I have a great appreciation for the work that went into this book. It is a GREAT READ! And you won't be disappointed.

Remember....all others came after this one.

Enjoy!

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2.0 out of 5 stars If you enjoyed this book or are thinking or reading it..., Aug 13 2003
This review is from: The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight (Hardcover)
Read Stephanie Nolen's "Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race" instead.
Nolen does an amazing job of contexualizing why these women were selected and why they ultimately remained grounded. If you must choose between Mercury 13 and Promisted the Moon I would go with the second book. Better researched and very well written. Highly recommend.
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