How Long Does It Take to Color Outer Space Pink?

1995 Reunion of the Mercury 13 Women

It took far too long actually. Maybe about 40 YEARS!

ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream made me become very disappointing with NASA. I am a NASA junkie, and a proud one at that, but to be confronted with the fact that NASA in the early 1960s was not advanced enough to see that the women featured in this book could have contributed so much to the Mercury program just crushes me. Russia beat the U.S. in that race, too, when they sent Valentina Tereshkova into space on June 16, 1963!! Why didn't I hear about that before?!

You will find that gem of a fact and so many others in Almost Astronauts. Most facts will tend to deflate my fellow womenfolk and me. It was written by Tanya Lee Stone and has a forward by Margaret A. Weitekamp, Curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Check out Tanya's website: http://www.tanyastone.com/index.php?id=40#mce_temp_url#

The book reveals that all-out discrimination was the culprit facing these women. All 13 women risked much in the social arena and were put through rigorous testing. They not only passed but surpassed what their male counterparts had endured. After much opposition to be even considered as candidates to compete for astronaut spots, the women were granted a special subcommittee hearing on the topic of astronaut qualification. John Glenn agreed to speak on behalf of NASA and it was quite irritating to me to read one of his statements: "I think this gets back to the way our social order is organized, really...The fact that women are no in this field is a fact of our social order." He meant to say, "It's just the way it is - women do not belong." He and all of the other Mercury 7 men were quite opposed to women in space. All is summed up in the chapter titled: "NASA Never Had any Intention of Putting Those Women in Space."

But all was not lost! If it were not for those pioneering women, we would not have had Sally Ride, Eileen Collins, and a host of other women exploring space. Not only have women won a prominent place in space exploration, but they have paved the way for other minorities to join their ranks! Thank you Jerrie, Jane, "K", "B", Jan, Marion, Wally, Sarah, Jean, Rhea, Irene, Jerri, and Gene Nora!!

Now, when does my husband return home today? I have a few words for him...Oh, excuse me, am I discriminating?

Phreaky Photos

Dr. Melvyn Willin is Honorary Archive Officer for the Society of Psychical Research in London and The Paranormal Caught on Film follows another of his books: Ghosts Caught on Film. In Paranormal he discusses the photos in five categories: 1. Ghostly Figures, 2. Strange Lights & Apparitions, 3. Simulacra (natural objects bearing a strange resemblance to living or mythical/divine things), 4. The Unexplained: Poltergeists & other Phenomena, and 5. Back from the Dead.
The Paranormal Caught on Film is one of YALSA's 2010 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and I can see why. It is visually appealing and its subject matter made an "old lady" like me want to own the book! I like the fact that Willin does not try and hammer into the reader that the paranormal absolutely exists. Willins begins his introduction with "Welcome to the world of the extremely weird" and in the introduction's last paragraph, he simply says "Hopefully everyone will find it thought-provoking..." He explains paranormal lingo with a very academic approach that helps readers understand how the "extremely weird" is studied.
How did I put this book to the test in my household? Well, I tried handing the book over to my 14-year-old daughter who kept looking over my shoulder to stare at it while I was reading it and kept asking about it. But when I was through and said, "Here," she just said, "Umm, it's okay, Mom, I really don't want to touch it."
Now, I think that comment sealed the deal that the book is definitely thought-provoking...

My Recent Graphic Novel

C. M. Butzer's GETTYSBURG the Graphic Novel is one of YALSA's 2010 Great Graphic Novels for Teens in the Non-Fiction category. It is a beautifully illustrated rendition of the battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath. The author's notes at the end of the book gave explanations for many of the illustrations which gave me insight to the many details Butzer painstakingly added. The text was kept true to historical documents, but was given new life through Butzer's art. The book was put to the test when my 12-year-old son began reading it. It passed splendidly when he read through it and said, "Cool."