This meticulously researched and captivating book tells the incredible stories of the first six American women in space from NASA's groundbreaking 1978 astronaut class: Sally Ride, Judy Resnick, Kathy Sullivan, Anna Fisher, Rhea Seddon, and Shannon Lucid. The author takes deep dives into their historic Space Shuttle missions during the 1980s, showcasing their extraordinary achievements and diverse expertise—whether as engineers, physicists, medical doctors, or more. The book also highlights the media frenzy these women faced, especially Sally Ride, who broke barriers and received unprecedented attention—something their male counterparts never had to deal with. It explores the remarkable balance they struck between their careers and personal lives—something often scrutinized in the women, but never for the men. The tragic Challenger disaster, in which Judy Resnick lost her life, is also covered in depth, with Sally Ride playing a pivotal role in the investigation that followed. I remember being in fourth grade when the Challenger disaster happened, and what was supposed to be a day of excitement quickly turned into heartbreak. This book is an inspiring, thought-provoking journey through space history that pays tribute to the significant and lasting impact these women had on the field. If you're interested in space exploration, women's history, or the spirit of pioneers who shattered barriers, this is a must-read! I can't recommend it highly enough.

Big thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to read and review this advanced copy!

Vital addition to gender studies and American history bringing the contributions of women to the forefront and inspiring young women to strive for greatness.

"𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯: 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦-𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦."

We've all heard of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, but often overlooked are the other five in the group of the first women astronauts of NASA. While I did enjoy learning more about Sally's life, I really enjoyed hearing the stories of the other women too. Some nonfiction books like these can read like a history book and feel rather dull, but I was truly immersed in the story of all these women and their accomplishments and didn't feel bored a single time. So I highly recommend to anyone who has even a slight interest in NASA or stories of strong, brave, and groundbreaking women, even if you're not typically a nonfiction reader.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝘅
• Sally Ride - first American woman in space

• Judith Resnick - fourth woman in space, second American woman in space, first Jewish woman in space

• Kathy Sullivan - second woman to perform a spacewalk

• Anna Lee Fisher - first mother in space

• Rhea Seddon - surgeon and astronaut who flew on three Space Shuttle flights

• Shannon Lucid - first American woman to fly on a space station, first Chinese-born woman in space, first woman to make a third, fourth, and fifth spaceflight

Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Six is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read. It held my attention throughout and was so very interesting, engaging and entertaining. I can easily see it inspiring a whole new generation of women to be active in NASA.

Read number 2 for #greatspaceread and I learned so much. The first six women chosen to be astronauts were amazing women and just wanted to do the job they were hired to do. I particularly learned a lot about Sally Ride and was happy to learn that I share a birthday with Anna Fisher. Thank you to @netgalley for this e-galley.

Can you name the first six women astronauts? Before I read this book, I only knew about the first woman in space, Sally Ride. I was very happy to learn the remarkable story of the first class of female astronauts selected in 1978: Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Kathy Sullivan, Anna Fisher, Margaret “Rhea” Seddon, and Shannon Lucid through the new book The Six by Loren Grush.

My thoughts on this book:

• I read this both as a physical book and listened to the audiobook. I liked that the book had a brief two pages of the “cast of characters” describing the six women astronauts. It helped me to keep the ladies straight while I was listening to the audiobook. I would reference this section often at the start of the book.

• The physical book has great pictures and index.

• Nichelle Nichols visited Nasa’s newly named Johnson Space Center to talk about the space shuttle and a new crop of astronauts. These astronauts were going to be more than just test pilots. They wanted scientists and engineers, women, and people of color to apply. This sounds like it was a very inspirational pitch that got a lot of people to apply.

• Just like their male counterparts, all six women were extraordinary, very smart, and successful people.

• Unfortunately, the novelty of female astronauts caused a lot of press and strange questions to them. I can’t imagine as an engineer being asked about make-up and dating rather than your skills that got you to your position.

• I really identified with Judy Resnik and loved her story. I was horrified to discover that she was killed on the Challenger. I was eight when the Challenger exploded, and we watched it live on TV at school. Christa McAuliffe, a schoolteacher going to space to show that space travel was for everyone, is the person that most stuck in my mind from this disaster. I was glad to learn more about the rest of the crew.

• Besides learning the early history of each woman and why they became astronauts, and how they made their way through training and going to space, I learned a great deal about the space program in the 1970s and 1980s.

• I also learned a lot about the Challenger disaster and Sally Ride’s involvement in the investigation afterwards. I want to learn more.

• Each woman was treated in the book as an individual and we also learned about their lives outside of the space program.

• Sally Ride was chosen as the first woman in space as it was believed she could best handle the overwhelming attention she received. It is amazing how much attention she received compared to the other five women.

• The writing was very engaging, and I learned a lot from this nonfiction book. I read most of this book for Women’s History month in March and finished it up at the beginning of April.

Overall, The Six is a captivating nonfiction book that chronicles that true stories of the first six women astronauts. I recommend it to everyone.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Author for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

I found the book to be a well researched and written account of the challenges faced by the first six female US astronauts. As has been the case in many fields, women and minorities have faced a step uphill climb to overcome organizational and societal prejudice, and this book shows that space was no exception.

A path crossed by women pioneers, and paid in at least one case with their lives, has now being transformed into a more accessible career choice for women. Yet progress will still need to continue in the future, and most importantly the highest effort must be made to prevent regression.

Relying on interviews, news reports, and other documentation, Grush examines the lives of the first six female astronauts. She writes an interesting story of how each was selected and chosen for the different flights. Mixing their personal lives with their professional, she attempts to give the reader a well-rounded picture of each person and the obstacles each had to overcome.
I would have liked to hear more first hand accounts of how the women felt, especially the reactions as they transversed the earth.
The author spent a great deal of time on Sally Ride’s personal life, which is well known and seemed redundant.

I absolutely loved this book, The Six is about the first six astronauts in NASA and there journeys, you learn about each of their histories and the difficulties they faced when dreaming of becoming an astronaut. Through this book you see where each person developed their love of space and how it got them into space. I've always loved space and never thought about how much of a struggle it was to get into NASA as a woman and being in a field where it was difficult to gain respect.

I received this book complimentary through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I read this back in November for one of my non fiction books and I loved it! I learned so much and have so much respect for these woman!

This book did an amazing job informing us of the NASA careers for the first six women astronauts who were admitted to the program, the author writes and does a wonderful job informing us each of their careers. I honestly didn't know they were all part of a class of new astronauts which includes the first members of color. The author tells the story of each of the six people but also as part of a larger group.I hate to admit I only knew of Sally Ride and nothing about these incredible other woman which made me sad. Together, the Six helped build the tools that made the space program run. One of the group, Judy Resnik, sacrificed her life when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded at 46,000 feet. Everyone knows of Sally Ride’s history-making first space ride, but each of the Six would make their mark.

The Six really highlights the first six women who earned the very prestigious title of astronaut. From their background stories growing up, to their journey in education and even into piloting planes, to their rise (with so.....many..............many..........many...........obstacles) into space. So much research has been done, down to even the fitting of the space suits, but it reads like a regular everyday novel. I especially appreciate the weight of the understanding of all implications of their path, from questions asked of them that weren't asked of their male peers, to not stopping their wants of motherhood, of their united front in public, of juggling the weight and depth of others opinions and intrusions on their lives, knowing the cost if they made a single mistake. Absolutely fascinating and highly recommended!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

This is the story of the first 6 women astronauts. Larger than life figures for me as I was growing up, this is a fascinating book and look into the lives that make up these women. The stories we never heard just make me admire these wonderfully strong and courageous women more.

A compellingly written account of “the untold story of America’s first women astronauts” — perfect for nonfiction November!

I loved this read. It was a seamless blend of the technical achievements, personal struggles, and lasting legacies of our country’s first six female astronauts. The writing provided plenty of detail (and so many enlightening and amusing anecdotes!) without dragging or weighing down the narrative aspects involved. Honestly, can’t recommend it enough! I really enjoyed learning more about the history of the space program as a whole, as well as several milestones that I was only vaguely knowledgeable about, from Sally Ride’s historic flight to the space race with the Soviet Union to the Challenger explosion.

Thanks so much to the author, Scribner, and NetGalley for my digital copy — so glad I got the chance to read! The Six is available now!

1978. The first women were selected to be astronauts for NASA, and history was made. Certainly, we're all familiar with Sally Ride, at least in part, and this book showcases each of the six women - Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon - and highlights their careers and the paths that led them there.

Journalist Loren Grush shows how these women persevered in making an impact despite facing misogyny in the workplace and media.

Well written, solid read, interesting stories and trajectories of the women, and a book that I'll recommend heartily to friends and family.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

have been interested in space since I was a child watching space launches on TV. I listened to the audiobook of ENDURANCE back in 2018 where Scott Kelly shares his unexpected journey to becoming an astronaut and chronicles his year on the ISS. It is a fascinating read. Last October, I watched the SpaceX Crew launch into space from a beach in Florida. It was quite amazing to watch knowing there were people heading to space. Even though I was just about 60 miles from the launch site, I was still shocked at how loud it was and how much I could see of the launch. I would definitely do that again.

When NASA first sent astronauts into space, women couldn’t apply. Then in the late 70s, NASA created a campaign for women encouraging them to send in their resumés. Eight thousand women applied and from that group of women, six were chosen to enter the astronaut realm: Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon. Some of these names might be more familiar than others, but all of them eventually made it into space.

Unfortunately, Judy Resnik perished in the Challenger flight in 1986, her second scheduled trip to space. Most people born in the 80s or earlier can say where they were while watching the Challenger take off. I was in my school lunchroom and remember feeling shocked and devastated. I appreciated reading the behind-the-scenes of that particular launch and what happened after. I’m not sure how I didn’t remember hearing that the crew members’ remains were found months later at the bottom of the ocean in the crew compartment. But, this bit of knowledge brought me some peace. The final chapters of this book detail this particular space launch, the reactions of the other five women astronauts, and the mistakes that were discovered during that launch.

While reading this book, I wanted to keep telling people about it because I think everyone should read it. These six women blazed a trail for women not just in space but in many other disciplines. The Six came to NASA with degrees in medicine, engineering, science, and more. But, were still considered to not be “smart enough” or “capable enough” to be astronauts. They had to be tested to make sure they could handle the rigors of space travel when in most cases, the women actually performed better than the men.

“The Six understood that as the first women, their every move was being scrutinized, more so than the performance of any of their male colleagues. They also realized that if one of them visibly messed up, critics would pounce, using the failure as evidence that women weren’t fit for space.”

Each of the six women’s journeys to space is chronicled in the book, but Sally Ride’s journey gets a bit more coverage due to her being “The Chosen One”. I hadn’t thought about the kind of notoriety Sally Ride had to deal with by being the first American woman in space. Even in the early 80s, I was shocked at how scrupulous and idiotic the paparazzi and media were. Some of their questions regarding Sally in space were appalling and incredibly disrespectful.

Loren Grush’s meticulous research, personal stories, and knowledge of NASA made this an amazing read for me. If you enjoy learning about fascinating women in history, want to learn more about space travel, or just want an enjoyable reading experience, this book is for you. If you’d like a fun book flight to pair with this book, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY would make for a great reading experience due to the similarities of women trying to get ahead in the world of science.

Lauren Grush brings the lives of the first six female American astronauts to life in this incredible book. An extraordinarily readable nonfiction book, Grush introduces readers to Sally Ride (a well-known name already), Judy Resnik (who lost her life in the Challenger disaster), Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon. Grush emphasizes their lives until they officially join NASA and the many paths they took to get to the same point, their time with NASA, and their lives after making American and scientific history in this book, providing further context and information about the lives of these incredible women (before they made history). Grush’s narrative style gives this the feel of a fiction book, though in reality it is more on the lines of narrative biography, and she intermixes the six narratives in an organic way over the course of the book. The information that Grush provides is personal, detailed, and full of fascinating pieces of information about working at NASA in the late twentieth century, and the information is presented in a fascinating, clear, and comprehensive way. Grush’s latest book, The Six, is a great insight into and overview of the first women astronauts and their lives, successes, struggles, and tragedies as groundbreakers and trailblazers for subsequent generations.

The Six is about 6 women who were NASA Astronauts. As a girl who would love to be an astronaut myself, I am always excited to read about some of the women who have paved the way, whether it ends up being a path I can actually follow them down or not.  This was a long book and full of a LOT of details and information which made it difficult for me to really get into at times and it took me quite some time to make my way through it.  But a lot of the things they had to go through being women hit home for me as I am also a woman in a male-dominated field - but we can do everything they can - if not moreso!

This book contains some great stories about some remarkable women so if you're as interested in bad ass women and space as I am, definitely check out this book!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

This book focused on a fascinating and generally underrepresented aspect of American history in terms of space exploration. Learning about that first class of women astronauts in America was eye opening. To see all that they had to over come to achieve these dreams, and yet the way they were treated in some aspects as lesser is unreal. Hearing someone asked if 100 tampons were enough for a 7 day trip into space made me so angry. Also there being problems with not having small enough space suits for space walks just seems so ignorant of NASA. One specific part I thought Grush did great on was diving into the experience and qualifications these women have. Going through how these women got to be "the Six" shows the exemplary character and expertise of these women. These women were trailblazers for so many young girls with big dreams, and I think Grush did a great job of exploring that. The only critique is that there are a lot of supporting people and it can be hard to keep track of names. However, because these are real people, it is easy to look up certain people to remind oneself.

I loved learning about these amazing female astronauts. They overcame so many stereotypes and so much adversity to make their dreams come true and paved the way for our daughters to do the same!

Video review: August & September Wrap Up || Quality over Quantity
https://youtu.be/oR5ySGsWrxI

A compelling read about the experiences of the first six women picked to go into space for NASA. The usual maddening sexist obstacles appear, of course, and the antiquated opinions of the old male guard, perhaps particularly prevalent in the military and flying arena. The women's individual stories are interesting and varied.

This is a great read for anyone interested in the space program or women's history. It winds up with the Challenger disaster which is presented as the tragedy it was to not only the nation but the co-workers of those killed. Lots of great anecdotal behind the scenes stories. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.