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392 reviews for:
Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars
Nathalia Holt
3.8 AVERAGE
392 reviews for:
Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars
Nathalia Holt
3.8 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
This book was easy to read. If you are not into space exploration and scientific mumbo jumbo, don't get this book. If you are, read it. It gives a brief history of the space program thru the years, concentrating on the women who did all the computing, before there were computers.
This is an interesting and informative look at the incredible work that a group of women did to help get the United States's space program going. Did you know that before digital computers existed, the word "computer" referred to people whose job it was to do computations? The Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena employed many women as computers, women who never thought they'd be able to get a job dealing with mathematics (women that for many years were denied the title of "engineer"). This book is both a biography of these women, detailing their jobs and their lives, and an introduction to the early years, successes and failures of our space program.
Although I found it interesting, I did skim some of the more detailed passages about the space program and its various mission. I was more interested in the lives and work of the women who made it happen. But I wouldn't say that's a flaw - just my own personal reading preference.
I would suggest this book to people who like reading nonfiction and are particularly interested in the space program and/or pioneering women in science.
Although I found it interesting, I did skim some of the more detailed passages about the space program and its various mission. I was more interested in the lives and work of the women who made it happen. But I wouldn't say that's a flaw - just my own personal reading preference.
I would suggest this book to people who like reading nonfiction and are particularly interested in the space program and/or pioneering women in science.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
SO GOOD. An excellent summary of their stories, and although the language was simplified a lot, it was appreciated because I do not understand rocket science (as much as I wish I did). The only pitfall is it does derail into irrelevant tangents at times (I don't really care what they wore to work), but a few personal stories did help form a connection with the women over their decades and careers at JPL. If you get nothing else from the book, it provides a good stepping-off point for further reading about women's contributions to space exploration, as it covers ~50 years of events and scientific discovery. The last paragraph made me cry — "They are the legacy of women, written in the stars." britney spears yeah.gif
I loved this book! It's a beautiful story of hard working women and the friendships they developed. So heartwarming!
Interesting account of the women "calculators" who played an essential role in the advancement of our aerospace efforts. 3.5 stars
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A nice, digestible read about the space program's development. For those complaining that they already knew this stuff, and that they didn't like how the science took a backseat to the women's lives (which I would push back against), have you considered this book might actually not be geared for you as the audience? This was a book meant for younger readers, and I actually appreciated that it was so approachable and treated these women as full human beings with a range of life goals. Was the language sometimes oversimplified? Yes. Did I still enjoy it and learn new things? Yes.
"Helen laughed when she saw one of the girls using her manicured fingernails to draw the curve of a new spacecraft's trajectory. 'You're plotting the path to the moon on your fingers.'"
My love affair with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory began in 2014 when I interned in the archives there. As you might imagine, I soaked up all I could of its unique, and sometimes kooky, totally Californian history. It's a very special place.
This feels a bit like it's riding the coattails of Hidden Figures, yet JPL is very, very different than any other NASA center. It's older, for one thing. It's co-run and staffed by Caltech, giving it a college campus vibe. And there were women there from the beginning, women who hired and trained women, who hired and trained more women.
It takes everyone to reach the stars.
My love affair with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory began in 2014 when I interned in the archives there. As you might imagine, I soaked up all I could of its unique, and sometimes kooky, totally Californian history. It's a very special place.
This feels a bit like it's riding the coattails of Hidden Figures, yet JPL is very, very different than any other NASA center. It's older, for one thing. It's co-run and staffed by Caltech, giving it a college campus vibe. And there were women there from the beginning, women who hired and trained women, who hired and trained more women.
It takes everyone to reach the stars.