Tam O'Shaughnessy

Reading Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space feels like sitting in a living room, looking through a scrapbook, listening to a family member tell stories of a departed person that she loved. And that's what it is; the book is written by Tam O'Shaugnessy, Ride's partner later in life, and her friend since childhood. Every page is full of family photos and scraps of memorabilia. I never met Ride myself but now I wish I had. O'Shaughnessy details Ride's many accomplishments, but doesn't gloss over faults and challenges: the difficulty she had in finding a field that inspired her to put out her best effort (being an astronaut eventually was that); the depression she suffered after her first flight, an introvert receiving too much attention; and the private final days of her life, before pancreatic cancer ended it. But these sadder elements are rare; mostly the book tells the story of a uniquely talented woman. "Just as the boys on the block in Sally's childhood picked her for their teams, the men in the physics department at Stanford and now the men at NASA had picked her for their teams, too. All her life, people wanted Sally to be part of their team -- because she was competent, determined, and cool under pressure, and because she was truly a team player."… (mais)

SALLY RIDE: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY OF AMERICA’S PIONEERING WOMAN IN SPACE by Tam O’Shaughnessy tells the inspiring story of a scientist and astronaut who advocated for space exploration and science education.

Written by Sally’s long-time partner Tam O’Shaughnessy’s, this visually-rich photobiography is filled with personal photographs and artifacts including school papers, ticket stubs, letters, and receipts that provide intimate insights into the life of this very private person. What makes this work particularly appealing and unique is the way the author weaves in her own thoughts and memories of Sally throughout the narrative.

Although Sally Ride was best known as a space shuttle astronaut, this middle-grade biography explores the entire life of this famous woman. Unlike most works of nonfiction, this book doesn’t start with a Table of Contents. Instead, it begins with a prologue sharing the story of how Sally and Tam met. The book is divided into sections focusing on Sally’s early childhood, her tween and teen years, her college years, her time as an astronaut, and her life as an advocate for science education. The book concludes with a cast of characters, timeline, and index.

Librarians will find this to be a popular biography. It’s easy-to-read and highly illustrated making it particularly useful for reluctant readers. Unlike many biographies that examine a famous person at a distance, this book provides a very personal look at this private person. The author does a stellar job addressing Sally’s love-life using an age-appropriate approach. Although Sally will likely be known for her ground-breaking firsts as both a female and lesbian astronaut, the book focuses on her life rather than these labels.

It can be difficult to find engaging biographies for the middle grades. Look for this work of nonfiction on the best of 2015 lists!

Published by Roaring Brook Press an imprint of Macmillan on October 6, 2015.… (mais)