tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post7415594122401640433..comments2024-01-10T17:38:08.333-05:00Comments on Elizabeth Burns: Almost AstronautsLiz Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16671844475303001610noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-75467817031726429122010-01-09T02:47:56.739-05:002010-01-09T02:47:56.739-05:00I'm reading this right now, and to me it's...I'm reading this right now, and to me it's very clear that it's not a NASA program. Like you, I would've liked to know more about Lovelace and his motivations. There are source notes at the back of the book, but no footnotes.Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16563414055936087654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-88997519857342125882010-01-06T11:27:50.391-05:002010-01-06T11:27:50.391-05:00Anon, when I spoke about readers I meant intended ...Anon, when I spoke about readers I meant intended reades. Will an intended reader misundertand? Only if they aren't paying attention. The author isn't to blame for a hurried read or a skim reading.Liz Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16671844475303001610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-29373561242980689182010-01-06T02:41:38.376-05:002010-01-06T02:41:38.376-05:00Surely it is reasonable to try to guess what the i...Surely it is reasonable to try to guess what the intended audience will make of it? If a sixth grader is going to read it and misunderstand than yes, I do think the author is to blame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-61853187122735386942010-01-05T20:55:55.487-05:002010-01-05T20:55:55.487-05:00Colleen, definately not the authors fault if they&...Colleen, definately not the authors fault if they've stated x and the reader skims and doesn't realize it.<br /><br />Melissa, good point that it doesn't matter for the book or the reader.Liz Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16671844475303001610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-8946136263136889282010-01-05T14:01:41.097-05:002010-01-05T14:01:41.097-05:00I guess it was more that I it didn't matter (t...I guess it was more that I it didn't matter (to me) whether or not it was NASA (she may have been very clear and I may have been very dense). It didn't make any kind of difference in the story for me. I definitely need to up my non-fiction questioning, though.melissa @ 1lbrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292714636311546457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-456580152442471982010-01-04T23:30:57.057-05:002010-01-04T23:30:57.057-05:00I wonder if the NASA confusion might just lie in t...I wonder if the NASA confusion might just lie in the fact that folks come into the book expecting space = NASA and not realizing that especially back then there were a lot of other agencies (and the military - remember this was all cold war) involved. It was clear to me that it wasn't all NASA - I don't now how much more obvious she needed to be. (In other words, it's not the author's fault if she points something out in the text but common reader expectation causes a lot of them to miss it.)Colleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380722344521975869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-84886015446144130362010-01-04T22:45:03.022-05:002010-01-04T22:45:03.022-05:00Melissa, the whole NASA thing, I thought it was cl...Melissa, the whole NASA thing, I thought it was clear, but maybe because I knew? So that's why then I put down that a quick read could perhaps confuse it. Not that Stone was being confusing. I think this is a good book not just for what its about, but as an example of persuasive writing. I think it would be fun to have students look at some of the questions and ask themselves when and how information is included and presented.<br /><br />Colleen, that type of Appendix sounds great! I had hoped for that in the bonus CD. I really wanted those types of details, just to know. Stone sets up the inherent, legalized sexism (ie, some states and rules about car renting) which made me want to know, for each of these women, what their story was that they did not just sit back and go with the status quo. <br /><br />I would have liked to read more about Lovelace and what his motivation was. Was he really trying to introduce women into the program, or was he just trying to prove a point? <br /><br />Having read this closely after Claudette Colvin, I was also struck by the apparent lack of a organization to back up what was trying to be done. It seemed more like invidivuals, sometimes working together, as opposed to a group with a strategy or plan.Liz Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16671844475303001610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-70634837027154305492010-01-04T22:26:38.264-05:002010-01-04T22:26:38.264-05:00I'd have to pull down the book to double check...I'd have to pull down the book to double check several specifics but I do recall that Jerrie Cobb held the altitude record, period - not just for women. Part of the flight time issue though is that yes, most of the guys likely had combat time - but women could not get combat time. So they would have been excluded on the basis of something they could have done but were denied the opportunity to do. However it is noted that many of the women ferried heavy aircraft during the war and that is certainly not light aircraft time. (In other words these were not Cessna 152 pilots going up against F-14 pilots.) And further, they passed the tests - and usually did better and that ought to count for something.<br /><br />I thought the book was great but wished that a simple appendix had been included with the women's names, licenses they held and dates acquired and flight time held (and type) before acceptance to the program. That would have cleared it all up and I hope it is in future editions.<br /><br />Also, recall that the whole jet pilot requirement was in not so much for women but to keep African American men out (namely the heroic Tuskegee Airmen). And this is pointed out in the book.<br /><br />She has an agenda here but as the history is SOOOO overlooked and has been ignored for so long, I think the agenda is warranted. <br /><br />As for the bits on Jackie Cochran, based on what I've read in other books about her, I believe them 100%.Colleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380722344521975869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12461652.post-70865844015768311492010-01-04T18:46:20.714-05:002010-01-04T18:46:20.714-05:00I'll admit, I read this and got really fired u...I'll admit, I read this and got really fired up about it (you have to give her credit for that), especially because of my background in astronomy. However, I never noticed or even thought about some of the less accurate details. I wouldn't have even worried about whether or not it was NASA or what she might have left out if I hadn't read the Mock Newbery blog. <br /><br />Is it even more embarrassing to admit I'm a librarian? :) Thanks for keeping me on my toes and questioning!melissa @ 1lbrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292714636311546457noreply@blogger.com