Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist in Science and Inquiry

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Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist

George D. Morgan

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Sep 05, 2018 Charlene rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography, space, history, technology

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. George Morgan didn't know a whole lot about the mother who gave up her promising career to raise him. Instead of being bitter, he embraced all the dichotomies of his life, and really life in general, and worked hard to uncover who his mother was, who she truly was. This is book is the result of an honest look at what he found.

I remember reading Lynn Margulis' words about her life. She said you can either be a great scientist or a great mother, b One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. George Morgan didn't know a whole lot about the mother who gave up her promising career to raise him. Instead of being bitter, he embraced all the dichotomies of his life, and really life in general, and worked hard to uncover who his mother was, who she truly was. This is book is the result of an honest look at what he found.

I remember reading Lynn Margulis' words about her life. She said you can either be a great scientist or a great mother, but you cannot be both. In order to make great discoveries, you need the time and freedom to truly devote yourself to your craft. In the 1950s, Mary Sherman Morgan tried to do just that. If she were a man, the book would not have been about what type of mother she was, whether she had sex before marriage and gave up a baby for adoption, or whether she needed to leave her career so she could raise more children. If she were a man, it would have been heroic if she created a new rocket fuel that allowed the USA to launch a satellite and came home at the end of a long day and gave the children a little hug before bed or tucked them in. No one expected more from an important man who had an important job in the 1950s. But, it was so different for the women who broke the glass ceiling and paved the way for the rest of us.

Mary Sherman (Morgan) lived on a farm and was the child of people who surely did not value her for her intelligence. In fact, she was punished for it, kept from school, and was expected to do chores instead of homework. In order to devote herself to chemistry, Mary had to make an elaborate plan to run away from her home, try to find a way to pay for college (even though she didn't even have money for a jacket), and figure out how to work and go to school. When in the workplace, she had to be the lone woman in a sea of brilliant men. Despite all the roadblocks, this genius woman invented a rocket fuel that would ensure the satellite could be launched without blowing up. It took a special mind to figure out how to create such a fuel. Men had tried to figure it out but Mary Sherman Morgan was the best man for the job.

In the telling of his mother's story, and her place in history, George Morgan really tried to get into her mind. He grew up knowing a distant mother, who was not very affectionate, who spent what seemed like a sad and lonely life shuffling cards (imo, she must have missed working and being useful in the larger world, but idk); and yet, George wrote with such a balanced view. He appreciated who his mother was to the world, even though she could not be what he needed. The way he strung together words and conveyed the life of Mary, the way he let her be who he imagined she was, seemed like the most beautiful prose I had ever read. Often he imagined her conversations. He took the actual events and weaved them with what he knew about her to reconstruct the conversations. I was so captivated by his writing style, I wished the book would go on forever.

I cannot believe this book took me this long to read. I guess after reading Hidden Figures, I thought this would be too much of a repeat. But can you really ever get enough of revolutionary women who changed the world? This should have been at the top of my list long ago. I don't know who I love more, Mary for her brilliant brain and contribution to the world or George for writing such an amazing book from such a unique perspective. Exquisite! ...more

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