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Start giftingThe Six
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Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“The interesting - and sometimes infuriating - story of the first six female NASA astronauts. It's got everything: a bit of history, a bit of science and space travel, and a bit of tragedy. Inés del Castillo is a fantastic narrator, bringing an added level of humanity to Grush's history. An excellent read for both those who are interested in the history of space exploration in America, and for those who are just interested in a good story about women trailblazers.”
— Melissa • Watermark Books
Bookseller recommendation
“This book was like a mini-biography of each of America's first six women astronauts. It was really uplifting to read about their professional successes especially at a time where women were not seen as equals to men in a scientific realm. A great addition to the library of anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with six heroic and courageous women of our time. ”
— Ellen • Banter Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“The Six introduces us to the real first women astronauts, who faced incredible scrutiny. The awesomeness of space exploration, the Challenger tragedy, the unreasonable press questions — experience it all with this accomplished group.”
— Rosemary Pugliese • Malaprop's Bookstore
“Vivid.” —The Guardian * “Engrossing.” —Booklist * “Suspenseful, meticulously observed, enlightening.” —Margot Lee Shetterly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures
In this account of America’s first women astronauts “Grush skillfully weaves a story that, at its heart, is about desire: not a nation’s desire to conquer space, but the longing of six women to reach heights that were forbidden to them” (The New York Times).
When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots—a group then made up exclusively of men—had the right stuff. It was an era in which women were steered away from jobs in science and deemed unqualified for space flight. Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978—Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon.
In The Six, acclaimed journalist Loren Grush shows these brilliant and courageous women enduring claustrophobic—and sometimes deeply sexist—media attention, undergoing rigorous survival training, and preparing for years to take multi-million-dollar payloads into orbit. Together, the Six helped build the tools that made the space program run. One of the group, Judy Resnik, sacrificed her life when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded at 46,000 feet. Everyone knows of Sally Ride’s history-making first space ride, but each of the Six would make their mark. “A spirited group biography…it’s hard not to feel awe for these women” (The Wall Street Journal).
Loren Grush is a reporter for Bloomberg News specializing in all things space. Previously, she was a senior science reporter for the technology news website The Verge and hosted the online show Space Craft, which took her across the country to explore what it takes to train for space. The daughter of two NASA engineers, Grush grew up surrounded by astronauts and Space Shuttles. She has also been published in The New York Times, Popular Science, and Nautilus magazine, and has appeared on several TV networks as an expert commentator. You can find her at LorenGrush.com.