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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
Interesting story, the way it's told is kind of meh.
DNF at 12%. No citations, fake-literary sap, I'm leaving.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
I am fascinated with the subject matter and appreciated reading about the women computers of the early space age. I thought the book was well researched and reasonably well told.
There was something off about the tone, though. In trying to show how these women lived in their personal lives, they were depicted almost as giggly bubbleheads. It felt demeaning. I am aware that women had to perform femininity constantly and I think the author was trying to touch on that...but yeah. It fell short. I am reading The Mercury 13 right now and that author is getting the tone right.
There was something off about the tone, though. In trying to show how these women lived in their personal lives, they were depicted almost as giggly bubbleheads. It felt demeaning. I am aware that women had to perform femininity constantly and I think the author was trying to touch on that...but yeah. It fell short. I am reading The Mercury 13 right now and that author is getting the tone right.
Yuck.
To me, it is nearly invaluable that someone took the initiative to track down the surviving JPL 'human computers' and get their stories. That's something that isn't on record anywhere, and that history, particularly various anecdotes they may have from that time period, is very intriguing.
But, yeesh. The way it was put together and the items the author chose to highlight drove me insane. I gave it two stars only because there are, in fact, good bits of information to be found. I do have to applaud the author for getting these women together again. But most of it felt like such a waste of a golden opportunity.
The author spends the majority of the book talking about whichever "rocket girl" is being focused on and her hair, her clothes, her boyfriend/husband, her children, her troubles at home, etc. I'm sure that plays a part, but I really would have liked that to take more of a backseat. The interesting info about JPL felt more like asterisks at the bottom of the page.
I majored in engineering, and I've worked for NASA. I've been the only female in many situations. I support giving these ladies a spotlight. I just think this book is so busy hamming up their gender that it forgets to fully illuminate their accomplishments. The idea isn't to say, "Look, we're girls!" The idea is to say, "Yeah. We're awesome."
(Another book released recently, [b:The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars|29496512|The Glass Universe How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars|Dava Sobel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465672020s/29496512.jpg|49782569] does a much better job of this, for anyone interested. Though I warn it hits the other extreme for any not really keen on the subject. It is quite information and background heavy.)
To me, it is nearly invaluable that someone took the initiative to track down the surviving JPL 'human computers' and get their stories. That's something that isn't on record anywhere, and that history, particularly various anecdotes they may have from that time period, is very intriguing.
But, yeesh. The way it was put together and the items the author chose to highlight drove me insane. I gave it two stars only because there are, in fact, good bits of information to be found. I do have to applaud the author for getting these women together again. But most of it felt like such a waste of a golden opportunity.
The author spends the majority of the book talking about whichever "rocket girl" is being focused on and her hair, her clothes, her boyfriend/husband, her children, her troubles at home, etc. I'm sure that plays a part, but I really would have liked that to take more of a backseat. The interesting info about JPL felt more like asterisks at the bottom of the page.
I majored in engineering, and I've worked for NASA. I've been the only female in many situations. I support giving these ladies a spotlight. I just think this book is so busy hamming up their gender that it forgets to fully illuminate their accomplishments. The idea isn't to say, "Look, we're girls!" The idea is to say, "Yeah. We're awesome."
(Another book released recently, [b:The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars|29496512|The Glass Universe How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars|Dava Sobel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465672020s/29496512.jpg|49782569] does a much better job of this, for anyone interested. Though I warn it hits the other extreme for any not really keen on the subject. It is quite information and background heavy.)
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This book has really puzzled me. It is clearly very well researched, including lots of primary source interviews and the subject is fascinating, but the writing style (which is aiming at the sort of easily read and digested narrative non-fiction of Hidden Figures or the Astronaut Wives Club) is just not there.
I found it hard to keep track of which women were which, of who was doing what and even at some points the year that we were in. It's frustrating, because the stories are fascinating, I just think that the narrative framework that they were being told in was confusing. A shame. Still interesting, but a bit more of a trudge than it should have been.
I found it hard to keep track of which women were which, of who was doing what and even at some points the year that we were in. It's frustrating, because the stories are fascinating, I just think that the narrative framework that they were being told in was confusing. A shame. Still interesting, but a bit more of a trudge than it should have been.
Holt does an amazing job of brining this less touched history back to life. She gets so in-depth with the girls that you forget that you're reading non-fiction of what happened 60 years ago.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced