There are now many biographies for kids about astronaut and astrophysicist Sally Ride, but this one stands out for being written by Ride’s partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, and being full of photographs from all stages of Ride’s life, as well as lovely domestic details about their life together.
The story begins during Ride’s childhood in California and shows us her interest in sports and in science (particularly tennis and astronomy). We see how she and Tam met through a mutual tennis friend, unaware of where their meeting would take them. We follow Ride into college and see the first time she fell in love with a woman (not Tam), but how her desire not to be open about their relationship sadly ended it. In graduate school, where Sally continued to play tennis, she and Tam reconnected. then parted as their studies took them to different states.
Ride had planned to be a university professor, but was sidetracked by NASA’s first-ever recruitment of women astronauts. Ride applied and was accepted, o ne of six chosen from 8,079 applications overall, 1,251 from women. It was on to astronaut training, and O’Shaughnessy’s account is full of details here that young readers will likely love.
We see Ride’s marriage to another astronaut, Steve Hawley, her selection to be the first American woman in space, that first successful flight and the fame that followed. Another mission came after that, along with lectures around the country about her experiences. Ride, a private person, was not thrilled about being in the spotlight, but loved teaching young students about science.
She also loved seeing friends as she traveled, including Tam. On one trip, O’Shaughnessy relates, O’Shaughnessy was surprised to discover that “She was in love with me—and I was in love with her. What a sweet surprise!” O’Shaughnessy describes how she (O’Shaughnessy) had figured out she was gay earlier in life and was comfortable with it, and Ride’s fears had faded, too, as society was becoming more accepting.
The space shuttle Challenger disaster was “heartbreaking” as Ride lost many friends, but she served with an open mind during the investigative hearings. She then knew it would be a long time before NASA could recover and she could fly again, so she retired from NASA—and also ended her marriage, moving back to California to live with Tam, where they both taught at the university level and together launched a series of science books for kids. Later, Ride surprised O’Shaughnessy by having a star in the Orion constellation named after their initials, “TOSKR.” Later, they launched a company, Sally Ride Science, devoted to science events and books for young people. O’Shaughnessy gives us plenty of insight into the various aspects of running this company and of Ride’s energy and enthusiasm for it all.
We see their home life, too, as they walked their dogs and played chess, Scrabble, darts, and ping-pong. Their happiness was shattered, however, when Ride was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The women tried to learn what they could about the disease and to do what they could through diet and exercise to slow its progress. Ride underwent chemotherapy and radiation. O’Shaughnessy also shares a poignant moment when Ride tells her how much she loves her and how much their life together has meant, and closes the book after Ride’s death with a quote from their favorite poem, Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day”: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
A highly recommended biography for both the account of Ride’s career and of her personal life, told by the person who knew her best.
