Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Politics & government

THE SIX

Loren Grush

The Untold Story of America's First Women in Space

Last year was the year of the woman in space. Historic new ventures were made. But the story of The Six, the first women to be recruited by NASA and who competed to become the first American women in space, begs to be told. They are the ones who broke new ground for women, both in space and in science in general.

We all know Sally Ride's name, but there were also five other women who joined her on this unique journey. These incredible six women who descended on Johnson Space Center in the 1970s were responding to a campaign by NASA to recruit women. There were no locker rooms for women when they got there. The first thing NASA did for the women was to create a makeup kit for space, but the women comprising The Six would rather talk about hydraulics than hair and makeup. These women outperformed the men on many of the elaborate physical and mental tests. Yet, it was believed that a woman's role in space would be to provide 'entertainment' for the men. They were competing against each other, they were competing against history, but they also banded together. At the time, women were meant to be astronauts' wives. These women wanted more.

THE SIX has the makings of The Girls of Atomic City, Code Girls, and Fly Girls, all bestsellers. But this was the final frontier and these women were complicated, determined, smart, some with demons, some with newborn children, all with a common goal.

Loren Grush is a space reporter for The Verge and has 45k twitter followers. Her parents were both NASA engineers, and she grew up next door to the Johnson Space Center in Houston where her mom worked with Sally Ride. Loren has access and an agreement for extensive cooperation from all the astronauts who are still alive.

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Book Published 2023-09-05 by Scribner
Book Published 2023-09-05 by Scribner

Comments

Strap yourself in for a thrilling ride with genuine American heroes... Loren Grush deftly recounts the true grit and deep talent that smashed the celestial glass ceiling.

A powerful, gripping, and at times heartbreaking tale of human courage in the face of impossible odds. The Six reminds us of the price that women paid to join men in space - and why these women still matter today.

Today there is nothing unusual about a woman flying in space, walking in space, or living in space, which makes it difficult to imagine what it was like forty-five years ago for the six women who broke the highest of all glass ceilings to become astronauts. As Loren Grush shows in this illuminating book, they overcame daunting obstacles to make their indelible marks on Earth and in space.

I doubt there are many people in this country who could have written so thorough a book about this topic.

Propulsive, startling and deeply moving, The Six captures the odyssey of America's first women astronauts, tracking them in delightful detail from the ground to the sky, from earthbound battles against sexism to stunning feats performed in literal orbit. Loren Grush is masterful.

Suspenseful, meticulously observed, enlightening... Lifts the curtain on the moment when Neil Armstrong's 'one small step for man' expanded to encompass the talent, ambition, and perseverance of America's first female astronauts.

A dazzling look into the lives of the first U.S. women to venture into space... This is a story that had to be told, and Grush has told it brilliantly.

Loren Grush's The Six tells this triumphant and sometimes tragic story as skillfully and completely as it ever will be told, dramatically showing events through the eyes and ears of the women themselves.

Compellingly intimate portraits of a group of brave astronauts who changed the face of NASA - and exploration... Well-researched and gripping, The Six is an inspiring and, at times, maddening tale that reminds us what the definition of hero is.

UK: Virago ; Poland: Wydawnictwo Astra

One of the most important stories to come out of the space age... One can't help but cheer for these women of destiny as their journey unfolds... Superb.

Recreates the crucial turning point when America turned toward spaceflight equality, inviting six brave and brilliant women to become NASA's first female astronauts... Compelling.