What would've happened had a meteorite struck the Atlantic in 1952, decimating Washington, D.C. and a large chunk of the east coast? The Calculating Stars imagines not only the immediate fallout, but also the knock-on effects of rapid climate change and an accelerated space race, this time with an international cohort seeking salvation among the stars. Yes, there are changes to the world we learned about in school, but you know what they say... the more things change, the more they stay the same.
In this FANTASTIC book, Elma York is a former WASP pilot, brilliant math computer, and wife of NASA's lead engineer when the meteorite hits. By some miracle, she and her husband survived the strike and both are hired on to the International Aerospace Coalition's team to work on sending a man to the moon, with eventual plans to put a base there for colonizing other planets. While she loves the math, what Elma really wants is to become an astronaut herself. But since this is taking place in the 1950s, Elma has to deal with the sexist policies that block her from joining the astronaut corps, becoming aware of the racist policies her friends face at the same time.
This is a well-researched, well-rounded story of an amazing woman, and I absolutely cannot believe it's taken me this long to read it. I loved every page, and I can't wait to hear what the Orcs & Aliens have to say about this next week!
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