the calculating stars by mary robinette kowal

I did not spot one in this book, but due to the amount of diversity, I have high hopes that a queer character will be introduced (or come out) later in the series. As a queer reader, seeing all this representation kept me on my toes, expecting to see a queer character somewhere. Kowal incorporates such issues as how the meteorite affected the Jewish community, who was already struggling in the aftermath of the Holocaust how the meteorite was disparagingly affecting Black communities, from being evacuated to getting healthcare, to how mental health may be a struggle for some but should not disqualify one from being able to do their job, as well as other issues. Not only did Kowal draw attention to the fact that POC women were having a much more difficult time being considered qualified to become an astronaut, despite being overqualified, she spoke of several other racial barriers her characters faced. When throwing up barriers for Elma to face on her road toward becoming an astronaut, Kowal did not gloss over the intersectionality of this issue. The Calculating Stars focuses on the effort of women as computers at this time, and how the space program would have failed without these incredible ladies. If the promise of Lady Astronauts (or Astronettes, if you like) is not enough to get you to pick up this book, perhaps the wide array of diversity in this novel will. It is glaringly obvious that Kowal did a mass amount of research, not just from the reference page in the back of her book, but by the ease with which she writes about the finer points of space launches and training tactics in the 50s. Elma is determined to save the world, even if that means she must colonize the moon herself.Ī beautiful blend of historical fiction and science fiction, The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal is the first book in a currently growing series that explores the concept of women becoming astronauts and colonizing the moon in the 50s.

Humanity is now in a desperate race against time to start colonizing the moon before environmental affects from the meteorite cause the Earth to become uninhabitable.

Barely escaping with their lives, Elma and Nathanial fly west and get jobs at the newly founded International Aerospace Coalition. That is, until the early hours of a morning in 1952 when a meteorite hits Washington, D.C., wiping out the entire east coast.

The calculating stars by mary robinette kowal