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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I love alternate history/realities type books especially if the author does their research to try and make it somewhat believable.
Now as far as the book goes I really enjoyed it. If you enjoyed the movie Hidden Figures/The Right Stuff and For All Mankind (Apple TV+) then you might enjoy this book.
I have seen the usual "oh this is unrealistic that a Jewish woman is a mathematician, becomes an astronaut, etc. This is the usual "anti woke" whiners that think everything revolves around white men being the default for everything. Anything else they consider "political". Do some reading up online about astronauts and you will see they are all very accomplished people.
I've also seen some complaints about racism and sexism in the book is "nothing new". How do you make something new about racism and sexism in the 50's? Racism and sexism was a part of every day life for a lot of people back then. This is an alternate history showing how there is a threat to human extinction that is immediate for some people and not so immediate for everyone else. While facing the threat of extinction there are still the cultural issues that prevent most of the American population from contributing to the best of their abilities.
Now this is the first book in a series. It's not a spoiler because it's covered in the book description that a meteor hits Earth, kills a lot of people and something is happening overtime that will make earth inhabitable over time. This occurs during the 1950's when Americans were not connected via social media and 24 hours news like we are today. A lot of people die but life sort of goes on as usual for those not living where there meteor impacted. They know something terrible happened but if you are not immediately threatened then it is sort of somebody else's problem for the time being.
So the government is trying to solve a problem by allocating resources to "fix" a problem which is the survival of the human race while everybody else is concerned about serving on Earth. The story is told from one woman's perspective and the challenges that sexism creates walls to her contributing to this issue. This woman is a product of her time period so while she is confident she still has all the insecurities that culture has infused into her personality along with her issues with anxiety.
Now if you think this book is some Armageddon type doomsday book, it's the first part of a series and it focuses on the desire of one person to help but faces difficulty due to their gender. The author puts news clips at the beginning of chapters that help with letting us know how things are changing and happening but the book does focus on one person's dreams of becoming an astronaut.
I started the second book and from what I can tell based on the first couple of chapters is now that a few years have passed things are becoming worse and people are stating to wake up and see how much trouble they are in.
Now as far as the book goes I really enjoyed it. If you enjoyed the movie Hidden Figures/The Right Stuff and For All Mankind (Apple TV+) then you might enjoy this book.
I have seen the usual "oh this is unrealistic that a Jewish woman is a mathematician, becomes an astronaut, etc. This is the usual "anti woke" whiners that think everything revolves around white men being the default for everything. Anything else they consider "political". Do some reading up online about astronauts and you will see they are all very accomplished people.
I've also seen some complaints about racism and sexism in the book is "nothing new". How do you make something new about racism and sexism in the 50's? Racism and sexism was a part of every day life for a lot of people back then. This is an alternate history showing how there is a threat to human extinction that is immediate for some people and not so immediate for everyone else. While facing the threat of extinction there are still the cultural issues that prevent most of the American population from contributing to the best of their abilities.
Now this is the first book in a series. It's not a spoiler because it's covered in the book description that a meteor hits Earth, kills a lot of people and something is happening overtime that will make earth inhabitable over time. This occurs during the 1950's when Americans were not connected via social media and 24 hours news like we are today. A lot of people die but life sort of goes on as usual for those not living where there meteor impacted. They know something terrible happened but if you are not immediately threatened then it is sort of somebody else's problem for the time being.
So the government is trying to solve a problem by allocating resources to "fix" a problem which is the survival of the human race while everybody else is concerned about serving on Earth. The story is told from one woman's perspective and the challenges that sexism creates walls to her contributing to this issue. This woman is a product of her time period so while she is confident she still has all the insecurities that culture has infused into her personality along with her issues with anxiety.
Now if you think this book is some Armageddon type doomsday book, it's the first part of a series and it focuses on the desire of one person to help but faces difficulty due to their gender. The author puts news clips at the beginning of chapters that help with letting us know how things are changing and happening but the book does focus on one person's dreams of becoming an astronaut.
I started the second book and from what I can tell based on the first couple of chapters is now that a few years have passed things are becoming worse and people are stating to wake up and see how much trouble they are in.
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit
It's been a long time since I loved a book as much as I loved this one. I started it roughly 24 hours ago and have already ordered the next book. If you're a fan of historical fiction and at all interested in the history of spaceflight, this is for you. The book presents a really solid alternate history with a cast of characters you can root for (or against, in some cases). It also just sort of breaks your heart that NASA took so long to get us actual lady astronauts when there were clearly qualified women available.
The premise sounded fun (fictional Hidden Figures with an apocalyptic backdrop and space colonization? sign me up!), but the execution left much to be desired. This book couldn't decide whether it was about sexism, or racism, or mental illness, or climate change, and as a result of trying to say too much, it failed to say much of anything. And if I had to read one more ludicrous rocket-themed euphemism, or one more instance of "my husband" (ad nauseam) where a pronoun would do, I might have thrown up. Which, PS, was also about 25% of the book's contents. As a woman with anxiety, I am completely sympathetic to the protagonist's struggles, but I still couldn't bring myself to care.
Sci-Fi based in reality is kind of my jam. This book has maths, planes, space, and feminism. It accurately portrays the sexism of the time periods in the novel and while the protagonist is progressive, she is not perfect and has to be corrected numerous times by her Black and BIPOC friends not to be "white lady" helping.
I am a feminist. I love feminist books. Feminism is for everybody, quoth the inimitable bell hooks. But "women are great!" can't be the ONLY message of your book. This thing just hits you over the head with it, again and again, to the detriment of the plot. Ultimately, I DNF'd.... sadly.
Oh, and check out Boostamonte Halvorsen's review, which summed up my feelings pretty exactly: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2436553007
Oh, and check out Boostamonte Halvorsen's review, which summed up my feelings pretty exactly: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2436553007
This is a great book, aside from the premise. I know. But think about it.
Within the context of the asteroid impact as described in the book, it makes no sense to focus the scientific community's efforts on establishing colonies on the moon or Mars. Regardless of Earth's future trajectory, it would be easier to build domes or underground communities on-planet. Earth has all the materials and resources at hand, not to mention people power and a BREATHABLE atmosphere. No matter how weather patterns, temperatures and sea levels are impacted, building the same structures and establishing a food supply is always going to be achievable on Earth. The same can't be said for the moon or Mars. Kowal makes an off-handed reference to how few people will be saved by the missions in one of the later books, but maintains the colonies are the only way to ensure humanity survives.
That. Makes. No. Sense. It's frustrating because I think science fiction shapes our attitudes... and what are the billionaires of our time obsessed with? Launching private rockets into space and planning to build themselves apocalypse bunkers on the moon or Mars.
We've written ourselves into a situation where we've given up on Earth at the expense of common sense and reality.
Other than that gaping logic hole, the novels are meticulously researched, the characters are compelling, and the story well-paced.
Within the context of the asteroid impact as described in the book, it makes no sense to focus the scientific community's efforts on establishing colonies on the moon or Mars. Regardless of Earth's future trajectory, it would be easier to build domes or underground communities on-planet. Earth has all the materials and resources at hand, not to mention people power and a BREATHABLE atmosphere. No matter how weather patterns, temperatures and sea levels are impacted, building the same structures and establishing a food supply is always going to be achievable on Earth. The same can't be said for the moon or Mars. Kowal makes an off-handed reference to how few people will be saved by the missions in one of the later books, but maintains the colonies are the only way to ensure humanity survives.
That. Makes. No. Sense. It's frustrating because I think science fiction shapes our attitudes... and what are the billionaires of our time obsessed with? Launching private rockets into space and planning to build themselves apocalypse bunkers on the moon or Mars.
We've written ourselves into a situation where we've given up on Earth at the expense of common sense and reality.
Other than that gaping logic hole, the novels are meticulously researched, the characters are compelling, and the story well-paced.
The premise is fantastic. If if certain ideas are a little repetitive this was a fun read!
"Yes. Marriage too, is a threshold between Before and After. We have many of these, every dat, which we do not recognize. The threshold is not the questions. There will always be Befores and Afters. The question is: what do you do after you cross that threshold?"
"Yes. Marriage too, is a threshold between Before and After. We have many of these, every dat, which we do not recognize. The threshold is not the questions. There will always be Befores and Afters. The question is: what do you do after you cross that threshold?"
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No