Best of the Best Book Club: “The Calculating Stars” by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Coronado Public Library’s Best of the Best Book Club meets regularly on the 4th Wednesday of each month to discuss books that have won major awards.

For our March meeting, we will discuss the 2019 Hugo Award winner The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, a novel that imagines an alternate history of spaceflight that speaks volumes about the present.

Place this title on hold via our online catalog, or check out the e-book through the CloudLibrary app.

About The Calculating Stars

On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.