***********Monday Recommendations from the Reading Circle**********
Readers might be interested in books that were taught in ENG 388 this past spring. It was a senior capstone course offered to non-majors. The focus of the class was The Literature, History, and Science of Spaceflight taught by Dr. Denys Van Renen.
In the course students read “both fiction and nonfiction works as we try to understand (a) the history of and rationales for spaceflight; (b) the ‘actors’ across national, racial, and social lines; (c) the literature, films, and documentaries that explore why the heavens excite the human imagination; and (d) the scientific and technological advances that have made it possible.”
· Cixin Liu, The Three-Body Problem (2008)
Available at the Kearney Public Library
Publisher’s description: “Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.”
· Margo Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures (2016)
Available at the Calvin T. Ryan Library: (2nd Level) QA27.5 .L44 2016
Publisher’s description: "Before John Glenn orbited the earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South's segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America's aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam's call, moving to Hampton, Virginia, and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. Even as Virginia's Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley's all-black "West Computing" group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens."
· Frank Herbert, Dune (1965)
Available at the Calvin T. Ryan Library: (2nd Level) PS3558.E63 D8 1965
Publisher’s description: “Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.”
· Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff (1979)
Available at the Calvin T. Ryan Library: (second level) TL789.8.U5 W64 1979
Publisher’s description: “Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure; namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers, that made The Right Stuff a classic.”
· Andy Weir, The Martian (2011)
Available at the Kearney Public Library
Publisher’s description: “Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?”
· Ursula K. Le Guin, “Vaster than Empires and More Slow”
A short story that appears in the collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters: short stories
Available Calvin T. Ryan Library: (2nd Level) PS3562.E42 W56 1975
· Albert Harrison, Spacefaring: The Human Dimension (2001)
Available at Calvin T. Ryan Library through its e-book collection
Publisher’s description: “The stars have always called us, but only for the past forty years or so have we been able to respond by traveling in space. This book explores the human side of spaceflight: why people are willing to brave danger and hardship to go into space; how human culture has shaped past and present missions; and the effects of space travel on health and well-being. A comprehensive and authoritative treatment of its subject, this book combines statistical studies, rich case histories, and gripping anecdotal detail as it investigates the phenomenon of humans in space-from the earliest spaceflights to the missions of tomorrow. Drawing from a strong research base in the behavioral sciences, Harrison covers such topics as habitability, crew selection and training, coping with stress, group dynamics, accidents, and more. In addition to taking a close look at spacefarers themselves, Spacefaring reviews the broad organizational and political contexts that shape human progress toward the heavens. With the ongoing construction of the International Space Station, the human journey to the stars continues, and this book will surely help guide the way.”
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See last Monday’s Reading Recommendations on Memorial Day HERE.