Play Book Tag discussion

Calculating Stars 4++stars
In 1952 a large meteorite crash destroys Washington DC and nearby states. Meteorites killed the dinosaurs, and Elma York (phD in math and physics) calculates that this could be an extinction level event. It won’t happen fast, but her (rocket scientist) husband says, we need to make plans to leave the planet.

This is a fascinating alternative history book about the acceleration of the space program in the 1950s. This wasn’t quite the sparkly adventure book I imagined, with kick-ass women, fast action and fun, but in some ways it was better. It was more realistic. The main character wasn’t superwoman. She wasn’t unfailingly confident, and she had a common anxiety disorder. (She even once told her husband she had cramps in order to avoid presenting her calculations to a high level meeting of men. Don’t judge her.) Elma flew a plane in the war as a Wasp, and women handle the G forces better, so she hoped to get a chance to fly. Her father was a general and her mother a genteel southern lady, so she was raised to be polite even in the face of gross discrimination, a-holes, and politics. This was the 1950’s and her behavior and attitudes are consistent with that. The pace is a little uneven but I loved the book overall.

Nancy ... I know you have having troubles with GR earlier. This got posted twice. I recommend you delete the OTHER one (less complete than this one).