She Persisted: Sally Ride

by Atia Abawi, Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger Narrated by Carolyn Kang, Chelsea Clinton

Overview

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds!

In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Atia Abawi, readers learn about the amazing life of Sally Ride--and how she persisted. 

As the first American woman in space, Sally Ride broke barriers and made her dreams come true. But she wanted to do even more! After leaving NASA, she created science and engineering programs that would help other girls and women make their dreams come true as well.

Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Sally Ride's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.

And don't miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Temple Grandin, Virginia Apgar, and more!

Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Carolyn Kang describes the life and career of the first American woman in space, Sally Ride. This biography details her early life as an aspiring tennis player in California in the 1950s. Though sometimes bored in school, Ride was fascinated by science at a time when girls were not encouraged to become scientists. She went on to get advanced degrees in physics and become one of the first females to be recruited to work at NASA. Kang’s calm tone and measured pace reflect the discipline that helped Ride succeed as a woman in a male-dominated field. A list of tips at the end of the audiobook will give kids ideas for ways they can “persist” and follow their own dreams. S.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Praise for She Persisted: Sally Ride:
 
"A well-rounded portrait not only of its subject but also of the obstacles faced by women in science and in astronautics." --The Horn Book

JUNE 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Carolyn Kang describes the life and career of the first American woman in space, Sally Ride. This biography details her early life as an aspiring tennis player in California in the 1950s. Though sometimes bored in school, Ride was fascinated by science at a time when girls were not encouraged to become scientists. She went on to get advanced degrees in physics and become one of the first females to be recruited to work at NASA. Kang’s calm tone and measured pace reflect the discipline that helped Ride succeed as a woman in a male-dominated field. A list of tips at the end of the audiobook will give kids ideas for ways they can “persist” and follow their own dreams. S.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2021-01-27
Sally Ride: from tennis-playing schoolgirl through astronaut and educator to entrepreneur.

Sally Ride stars in this entry to the chapter-book series spun off from Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger’s picture book She Persisted (2017). Long before she becomes the first woman to go to space, Sally is an athlete, a White girl born in California in 1951. She’s a tennis whiz but an inconsistent scholar, attending a prestigious private school on an athletic scholarship. Though the narrative a little ostentatiously tells readers that “Sally persisted,” the youth presented here—a child who rolls her eyes at boring teachers, a college student who drops out to play tennis, an excellent tennis player who “just did not enjoy” the effort of becoming a professional—shows the opposite. Sexism is alluded to, but no barriers are portrayed as blocking young Sally herself. Though her amazing achievements aren’t downplayed, the groundbreaking Sally Ride, in this telling, becomes simply someone who applied for a job and excelled once she liked what she was doing. Sally’s partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, is mentioned as such, but the text avoids using any pronouns for O’Shaughnessy, which, along with her gender-neutral name, may leave many young readers ignorant that Ride silently broke sexuality barriers as well.

Despite choruses praising Ride’s persistence, her life is inexplicably portrayed as lacking struggle. (reading list, websites) (Biography. 7-9)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176024609
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Series:	She Persisted Series
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

Read an Excerpt

Dear Reader,

As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didn’t see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men. 

I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girls—and children of all genders—to see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives. 

I’m so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of women’s persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering. 

And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn’t important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.

Warmly,
Chelsea Clinton


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: California Girl
Chapter 2: Science and Sports
Chapter 3: Dreams Can Change
Chapter 4: Space Woman
Chapter 5: After the Landing
Chapter 6: Swinging on a Star
How You Can Persist
References


Chapter 1
California Girl

Sally Kristen Ride was born a California girl. She loved the taste of the sun on her face and wind in her hair. She was smart and sassy. She was energetic and strong. She was a diehard Los Angeles Dodgers fan, dreaming of one day playing shortstop for them. Sally did not grow up wanting to be an astronaut, but life would lead her down a path of hard work, luck and privilege that would eventually make her the first American woman in space.

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