Martha Ackmann

In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill. The USSR sent its first woman into space in 1963; the United States did not follow suit for another twenty years. For the first time, Martha Ackmann tells the story of the dramatic events surrounding these thirteen remarkable women, all crackerjack pilots and patriots who sometimes sacrificed jobs and marriages for a chance to participate in America’s space race against the Soviet Union. In addition to talking extensively to these women, Ackmann interviewed Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and others at NASA and in the White House with firsthand knowledge of the program, and includes here never-before-seen photographs of the Mercury 13 passing their Lovelace tests. Despite the crushing disappointment of watching their dreams being derailed, the Mercury 13 went on to extraordinary achievement in their lives: Jerrie Cobb, who began flying when she was so small she had to sit on pillows to see out of the cockpit, dedicated her life to flying solo missions to the Amazon rain forest; Wally Funk, who talked her way into the Lovelace trials, went on to become one of the first female FAA investigators; Janey Hart, mother of eight and, at age forty, the oldest astronaut candidate, had the political savvy to steer the women through congressional hearings and later helped found the National Organization for Women. A provocative tribute to these extraordinary women, The Mercury 13 is an unforgettable story of determination, resilience, and inextinguishable hope.… (mere)

Toni Stone's experiences playing baseball with boys and men serve as the stars in this constellation of mid 20th century African American struggles in that sport and the segregated United States. In her 30s just before television, when to see baseball played you had to attend a game, she was hired by the the Indianapolis Clowns more for her draw as a novelty than her demonstrated ability, which was considerable if not major league. Never given real acceptance she played more for pure need to play than for the money. The real depth of this book is in the narratives about the teams, managers, and owners, the mechanics of getting from game to game and continuing in the face of white hostilities outside the ball park.… (mere)

Even though the outcome is known - no, the women did not become astronauts - I was hoping for an inspiring story of endurance and passion, but in the end just felt depressed. While the women themselves were in the main admirable, especially Jerrie Cobb who campaigned tirelessly, I couldn't decide if the doctor who put them through the same testing as the men did so only for his own scientific curiosity or because he really believed he could persuade NASA to entertain a women's astronaut programme. In any case it seems particularly cruel that the hopes of the women were raised just to be dashed by the male prejudice of NASA, the government, and the military who owned the spaceflight training equipment. While it is an interesting look at the early years of the US space race I came away from this book feeling dispirited at the disservice done to these women.… (mere)