''Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight'' is a nonfiction book by

Amy Shira Teitel Amy Shira Teitel is a Canadian author, popular science writer, spaceflight historian, and YouTuber. Career Writer Amy Shira Teitel is a native of Toronto. She has written for The Daily Beast, ''National Geographic'', Discovery News, ''Scientific ...

published in 2020.

Summary

''Fighting for Space'' presents the intertwined biographies of two pilots,

Jacqueline Cochran Jacqueline Cochran (May 11, 1906 – August 9, 1980) was an American pilot and business executive. She pioneered women's aviation as one of the most prominent racing pilots of her generation. She set numerous records and was the first woman to br ...

and

Jerrie Cobb Geraldyn M. Cobb (March 5, 1931 – March 18, 2019), commonly known as Jerrie Cobb, was an American aviator. She was also part of the Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent physiological screening tests at the same time as the original Merc ...

, and their competing visions of women in the space program.

Reception

In ''

The Space Review ''The Space Review'' is a free online publication, published weekly with in-depth articles, essays, commentary and reviews on space exploration and development. It was founded in February 2003 by Jeff Foust, the current editor, publisher and regu ...

'',

Jeff Foust Jeff Foust is an aerospace analyst, journalist and publisher. A senior aerospace analyst with the Futron Corporation in Bethesda, Maryland, he is the editor and publisher of ''The Space Review'' and has written for ''Astronomy Now'' and '' The New ...

says "Teitel certainly brings to life these two pioneering women who had similar visions, but conflicting views of how to realize them." Foust takes issue with the lack of footnotes and Teitel's reluctance to address inconsistencies between claims made by the women and historical evidence.

Ethan Siegel Ethan R. Siegel is an American theoretical astrophysicist and science writer, who studies the Big Bang theory. In the past he has been a professor at Lewis & Clark College and a blogger at ''Starts With a Bang'', on ScienceBlogs and also on Forbe ...

, astrophysicist and science writer, says the book is "incredibly well-researched" and "what's perhaps most breathtaking about the book is the sheer number of long-buried letters and correspondences that Teitel has unearthed and reproduced in full." The ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' describes it as an "inspiring story" and an "awe-inducing biography that space junkies, feminists, and historians will eat up." ''Fighting for Space'' was a Library Journal Top Pick in women's history. ''Kirkus Reviews'' described it as a "well-researched contribution to women's and aviation history."

References

{{reflist

External links

Interview
with

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

C-Span interview
(video) 2020 non-fiction books Mercury 13 Grand Central Publishing books