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A review by sharonhurlbut
The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight by Martha Ackmann
3.0
Martha Ackmann's book tells the virtually unknown story of thirteen women pilots who did everything in their power to prove that women were as capable of space flight as men, at a time when women were not even allowed to fly jet airplanes. That these ladies faced an uphill battle would be putting it mildly. Societal norms of the late 1950s/early 1960s dictated that women should be homemakers. Simply becoming pilots with thousands of hours of flying time, numerous world records for distance and speed, and a wealth of knowledge about the mechanics of flight, was a huge accomplishment. But these women wanted more. And they went after it with a vengeance.
This book fills a gap in the history of space flight and the U.S. astronaut training program. The writing tends toward a mix of textbook and journalistic styles. The first few chapters, in particular, present a great deal of background information to help orient the reader. This can be a little hard to follow, but is definitely worth wading through. The ladies' personalities eventually shine out, and I found myself rooting hard for them, even knowing that none would be making it into space. I would like to have seen more focus on the individual women's stories to counterbalance the details of the actual testing and the convoluted power struggles.
Politics ultimately resulted in the women's program being terminated, despite the Mercury 13's incredible test results (some exceeded the men). It was another twenty years before the U.S. put a woman into space. As an avid fan of aeronautics, I enjoyed this book very much. As a woman, I was shocked to learn the real history of the space program, and awed by the determination of these women. Their dedication to astronaut training opened the door for women pilots everywhere. Martha Ackmann has given us a glimpse of the hard reality the Mercury 13 faced, as well as showing us their strength and grace under pressure.
This book fills a gap in the history of space flight and the U.S. astronaut training program. The writing tends toward a mix of textbook and journalistic styles. The first few chapters, in particular, present a great deal of background information to help orient the reader. This can be a little hard to follow, but is definitely worth wading through. The ladies' personalities eventually shine out, and I found myself rooting hard for them, even knowing that none would be making it into space. I would like to have seen more focus on the individual women's stories to counterbalance the details of the actual testing and the convoluted power struggles.
Politics ultimately resulted in the women's program being terminated, despite the Mercury 13's incredible test results (some exceeded the men). It was another twenty years before the U.S. put a woman into space. As an avid fan of aeronautics, I enjoyed this book very much. As a woman, I was shocked to learn the real history of the space program, and awed by the determination of these women. Their dedication to astronaut training opened the door for women pilots everywhere. Martha Ackmann has given us a glimpse of the hard reality the Mercury 13 faced, as well as showing us their strength and grace under pressure.