Rise of the Rocket Girls (Holt)

Book Reviews
This highly readable, entertaining and informative book tells the story of JPL's 'computers,' the young women who did the calculations now handled by bits of silicon. Holt brings her characters to life, tracing them from their hiring as JPL began its career with the Army developing missiles for the Cold War through its conversion to NASA's lead center for planetary exploration. She celebrates their lives, achievements, and service to the nation, as well as their excitement at having front row seats to the earliest voyages of solar system exploration. It's a story whose telling is long overdue. We can be grateful for this enjoyable read.
Dr. Charles Elachi - Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Planetary Science


Illuminating...these women are vividly depicted at work, at play, in and out of love, raising children—and making history. What a team—and what a story!
Gene Seymour - USA Today


(Starred review.) [T]he lives and work of the women who provided the fledgling Jet Propulsion Lab with computing power, in this accessible and human-centered history.... Holt’s accessible and heartfelt narrative celebrates the women whose crucial roles in American space science often go unrecognized.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Holt seamlessly blends the technical aspects of rocket science and mathematics with an engaging narrative, making for an imminently readable and well-researched work. —Crystal Goldman
Library Journal


(Starred review.) Those interested in space history will find much to enjoy here, but it is the stories of the women involved, highlighted in sections by decade, that commands attention.... [Holt's] stellar research is evident on every page. This is an excellent contribution to American history. —Colleen Mondor
Booklist


[E]ngaging.... Besides chronicling the development of America’s space program, Holt recounts the women’s private lives—marriages, babies, and the challenge of combining motherhood and work—gleaned from her interviewees’ vivid memories. A fresh contribution to women’s history.
Kirkus Reviews