Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space

Lynn Sherr is a journalist who has often covered the space program, and was also a personal friend of Sally Ride. But, like many people, she discovered after Ride's death that she didn't know nearly as much about her as the thought she had. And so, with the permission and encouragement of those closest to Ride, she set about attempting, as best she could, to capture both the professional and the personal sides of her life.

The professional part of her life was remarkable, indeed. She is best known, obviously, for being the first American woman to fly in space, but that was only one step in an impressively accomplished career. Ride was also a physicist, an athlete, a businesswoman, an educator, a mover and shaker in the world of space show more policy, and, of course, a role model to an entire generation of girls (something that, unlike many of the other effects of fame, she embraced actively and wholeheartedly).

Her personal life was much more difficult to paint a complete picture of, however. Ride very much fit the stereotype of the tough, emotionally closed-off astronaut. She preferred not to talk much about herself or her feelings, and liked to keep her private life private. So private, in fact, that she kept a 27-year relationship with her same-sex partner secret from the world until the final days of her life.

The book, overall, is an interesting look at an extremely interesting person. I wasn't entirely sure about the writing style at first, as Sherr seemed to me at times to be trying a little too hard to make it feel breezy and zingy. Fortunately, that settles down once she reaches Ride's adulthood, and the rest of it works very well.

And Sally Ride's story is very much worth telling, not just because it's compelling in and of itself, but also because it illustrates vividly how attitudes towards women have changed -- some of the sexist remarks she had to deal with, especially from reporters, almost defy belief at this point -- and how important it still is to encourage young girls and help them to feel that STEM careers are acceptable to them. Sadly, it also illustrates the how far LGBT acceptance and equality have lagged behind the progress made by women, as well as the personal and societal costs of that lack of acceptance. It's clear, after all, that continuing to exclude women from the space program and other areas of life and work would have robbed us all of this person with incredible contributions to make, but had she publicly acknowledged her sexuality, or her partner, she wouldn't have been allowed to make all of those contributions, anyway. Those are important things to be aware of, and that makes Ride's an important story to be told, as well as an interesting and inspiring one. show less

Lynn Sherr's biography of Sally Ride is a wonderful examination not only of Dr. Ride as a person, but also of the times in which she lived and how science education changed for girls and women. Sherr uses interviews and Dr. Ride's own journals, letters, and tape recordings whenever possible, making it so that those who never knew Dr. Ride feel like they did. By the time Sherr describes Dr. Ride's battle with cancer, the reader knows he so well that they feel like they are losing a friend. This book is a rare treat for its quality of research, the strength of Sherr's writing, and for an inspiring subject who feels like a real person.

This is a well-researched biography which flows as a story. Sally Ride had great integrity and was bright and focused on what she wanted. Credit and fame for going into space would have been enough, but she gave back so much for those trips. Her leadership in the reports on the Shuttle disasters was key. She was chosen for this work because she had ability and could be trusted. After NASA she went into helping youth see their potential in science, especially girls. I'm grateful to Lynn Sherr for doing such a thorough and heartfelt job on this book. My opinion is that every woman should read it and most men I know would enjoy it as well. You don't have to love science or space to enjoy this book.

Sherr's biography of "AFWIS" (America's First Woman in Space), as she kiddingly called her friend, is endearing and well researched. It especially helped me to realize the broad and deep impact that Ride had in her post-astronaut life, as well as the hurdles that women and young girls still face in the fields of science and engineering.
And yet the story still feels incomplete because Ride was always such a private person in much of her life. Because of this, we would never have gotten a Sally Ride autobiography. So I suppose that Sherr's book is probably the best we can hope for.

Before reading this book, I had known Sally Ride as the first American woman in space, as the title proclaims, but I had no idea how central a role she played in the years following the diversification of NASA, the commissions formed to investigate the Challenger disaster, and to create NASA's new way forward following, and her creation of the Sally Ride Science that helped thousands of young women and men find their way into science and technology roles at the forefront of our modern society.
Even beyond the technical side of her accomplishments, she lead a far more incredible life than just being the first American woman in space, and that's saying a lot.
One thing that is interesting about the author's style is that they do go into show more personal details of a life that, to our generation, is still alive in memory, which makes it seem like a bit of an invasion of privacy, especially when the author and person's interviewed continually mention how private Sally was regarding her personal life. However, I can see how these personal details would be necessary for those generations that come after us, for whom Sally would be purely an historical figure. show less

I knew Sally Ride's name, but I never knew her full story. In fact, I didn't even know she died recently until I picked up this book (I know, shows how much I pay attention...). I'm so sad that a woman as influential, brilliant, and pioneering as Sally Ride died so young, as I am sure she would have expanded her STEM programs for girls and contribute to the field of astrophysics and space travel in general.

For someone who was in the media spotlight for so long, Sally Ride was intensely private. It was only after her death that Lynn Sherr (a reporter and friend of Sally's) gained permission from Sally's family and partner Tam to write this biography, which explores Sally's personal life, struggles, and accomplishments in detail. I show more wonder how Sally would feel about this...I hope she wouldn't mind, as this biography allowed me to understand how truly great she was and all that she did for space travel and science.

I have always been fascinated by space, space travel, and astronauts. I used to want to be an astronaut. I still do, but my complete inability to comprehend simple math and science severely limits my ability to do so. I was so inspired after reading about Sally's life! I hope that my future children, if they have any interest in science and space, will be similarly inspired by her, as I'm sure her story will still be around in years to come. show less

I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. This is probably one of the best astronaut biographies I've ever read. This book has changed the way I think of Sally. This book masterfully shows how Sally was so much more than an astronaut; including a physicist and a gay woman. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good biography, or anyone looking to expand their knowledge of NASA during the space shuttle era. This really is an excellent read that I think anyone could appreciate.