Sally Ride
Life on a Mission
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
Sally Ride was more than the first woman in space—she was a real-life explorer and adventurer whose life story is a true inspiration for all those who dream big.
Most people know Sally Ride as the first American female astronaut to travel in space. But in her lifetime she was also a nationally ranked tennis player, a physicist who enjoyed reading Shakespeare, a university professor, and the founder of a company that helped inspire girls and young women to pursue careers in science and math. Posthumously, she was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
From Sally Ride’s youth to her many groundbreaking achievements in space and beyond, Sue Macy’s riveting biography tells the story of not only a pioneering astronaut, but a leader and explorer whose life, as President Barack Obama said, “demonstrates that the sky is no limit for those who dream of reaching for the stars.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Drawing from a broad selection of books, periodicals, and interviews, Macy (Wheels of Change) fuses a biography of the first American woman in space with a chronicle of NASA's space shuttle program during Ride's career. The author provides a balanced portrait of Ride's personal and professional lives, depicting her as a reserved, private, intelligent, and competitive young woman whose diverse interests led to degrees in both physics and English at Stanford. Though various media have documented Ride's missions on Challenger, Macy also underscores her tenacity in a profession that had historically discriminated against women, as well as her passionate advocacy for educating children about space exploration and encouraging them especially girls to pursue careers in science. Readers whose interests lean in those directions will appreciate the thorough, at times technical, explorations of the history, operations, triumphs, and tragedies of NASA's space shuttle program. Photos of and quotations from Ride (who died of pancreatic cancer in 2012) and from those who knew her help bring her personality into sharp focus. Ages 8 12.
