Corner Books: A mesmerizing look at the 'Mercury 13'

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They were true pioneers, 13 fearless women pilots who aspired to become astronauts.
Their hope flared in the early 1960s, when they underwent -- and passed with flying colors -- the same physical and psychological fitness tests used to vet the original "Mercury 7" astronauts, men like Alan Shepherd and John Glenn. As a result, the women came to be known as the "Mercury 13."
Unfortunately, as author Tanya Lee Stone writes in her mesmerizing new children's book "Almost Astronauts" (Candlewick Press, $24.99 hardcover, $17.99 paperback, ages 10 up), a potent combination of sexism and racism prevented these women from achieving their dreams of flying into space.
"People kept saying that it wasn't their time," Stone said in a recent interview during a book tour. "That's not a valid argument!"
Ostensibly, women were kept out of the astronaut program for years because of a requirement that astronauts be jet test pilots -- an impossibility for women at that time. In fact, as Stone demonstrates -- respectfully, but honestly -- the Mercury 13's aspirations were undercut by like Glenn, Vice President Lyndon Johnson and Jackie Cochran, the most famous woman pilot of the day.
"I call it 'American heroes behaving badly,' " Stone said.
For example, at a July 1962 congressional hearing on the issue of women astronauts, Glenn argued that the idea was counter to "our social order." Glenn's sentiments were echoed at the hearing by Cochran, who was, as Stone details, jealous that she was too old to be part of the Mercury 13 group.
But the most damning evidence contained in Stone's book comes from a March 1962 meeting with Johnson. Details of the meeting were kept confidential until two years ago, when Jerrie Cobb, the leader of the Mercury 13, finally decided to reveal what had happened.
As Stone details in her book, Cobb "told me that Johnson had looked at her and said, 'Jerrie, if we let you or other women into the space program, we'd have to let blacks in. We'd have to let Mexican-Americans in, and Chinese-Americans. We'd have to let every minority in, and we just can't do it.' "
Stone adds: "It was prejudice -- against women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians -- that had kept the women on the ground."
In Stone's hands, the story of the Mercury 13 is a compelling one, and provides young readers with a fascinating, sometimes infuriating look at American society in the 1960s. But Stone initially had difficulty deciding how to tell the story, first trying it as a picture book, then a series of poems, before finally settling on the current format of narrative non-fiction interspersed with numerous photos.
Telling stories of strong girls and women is a passion with Stone, who lives in Vermont with her husband and two young children. Raised in Milford, Conn., Stone majored in English at Oberlin College and music at Oberlin Conservatory before becoming an editor in New York.
Although Stone has edited and written dozens of non-fiction children's series books, it wasn't until recently that she began writing books "in my own voice." These critically acclaimed books include a young-adult novel, "A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl," picture-book biographies of Elizabeth Cady Stanton ("Elizabeth Leads the Way") and Alexander Calder ("Sandy's Circus") and middle-grade biographies of Amelia Earhart and Ella Fitzgerald.
In addition to "Almost Astronauts," Stone has just published a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and is working on a book about Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman doctor. She's also writing a book, "Barbie: For Better or For Worse," which looks at the doll's cultural impact. All books are aimed at young readers.
Overall, Stone believes that knowing the stories of women like the Mercury 13 can help prepare today's young women to better confront prejudice that still can stymie their dreams.
"It's really important," Stone said. "Girls today will continue to shape our world. In order to do that effectively, they have to know whose shoulders they are standing on."

(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.Macpherson(at)gmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)
CHILDREN'S CORNER