Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025 fiction)

It is the 1980s and the space race is still being run – by men. However, NASA is interested in recruiting a few good women in the right fields to join the teams being prepared for the Space Shuttle program. Joan Goodwin feels her degree in Astronomy would be helpful, so she applies for the program. It takes a couple tries, but she is accepted and begins the grueling training process in order to travel into Space. It is an arduous journey for reasons other than the training itself. Joan’s sister Barbara is a single mother, interested in herself and her needs, and so Joan spends a great deal of time with her niece Frances, being asked to pick her up from school, care for her on weekends, and more. Joan relishes the opportunity, but sometimes the schedules don’t mesh. And while Joan is a great astronomer, she isn’t always a great flyer and gets sick in zero gravity. But there is also the community of astronaut candidates and their relationships with each other. Without telling the whole story, this is a very well-written, well-researched novel about the space program and its effect on the participants. It is a page-turner for sure. I read it in less than two days. Recommended!

Reviewed by Ginger Russell