The Sky Is for Everyone is an internationally diverse collection of autobiographical essays by women who broke down barriers and changed the face of modern astronomy. Virginia Trimble and David Weintraub vividly describe how, before 1900, a woman who wanted to study the stars had to have a father, brother, or husband to provide entry, and how the considerable intellectual skills of women astronomers were still not enough to enable them to pry open doors of opportunity for much of the twentieth century. After decades of difficult struggles, women are closer to equality in astronomy than ever before. Trimble and Weintraub bring together the stories of the tough and determined women who flung the doors wide open. Taking readers from 1960 to today, this triumphant anthology serves as an inspiration to current and future generations of women scientists while giving voice to the history of a transformative era in astronomy.
With contributions by Neta A. Bahcall, Beatriz Barbuy, Ann Merchant Boesgaard, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Catherine Cesarsky, Poonam Chandra, Xuefei Chen, Cathie Clarke, Judith Gamora Cohen, France Anne C贸rdova, Anne Pyne Cowley, Bo偶ena Czerny, Wendy L. Freedman, Yilen G贸mez Maqueo Chew, Gabriela Gonz谩lez, Saeko S. Hayashi, Martha P. Haynes, Roberta M. Humphreys, Vicky Kalogera, Gillian Knapp, Shazrene S. Mohamed, Carole Mundell, Priyamvada Natarajan, Dara J. Norman, Hiranya Peiris, Judith Lynn Pipher, Dina Prialnik, Anneila I. Sargent, Sara Seager, Gra啪ina Tautvai拧ien臈, Silvia Torres-Peimbert, Virginia Trimble, Meg Urry, Ewine F. van Dishoeck, Patricia Ann Whitelock, Sidney Wolff, and Rosemary F. G. Wyse.
Awards and Recognition
- A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year
"An inspiring anthology of writings by trailblazing female astronomers from 1960 to today."鈥擲imon Ings, New Scientist
"The particulars of each woman鈥檚 experience are unique, which is part of what makes their stories compelling. . . . As I read through the book, no single essay stood out to me. Instead, I was affected (sometimes deeply) by each woman鈥檚 story in a different way, and I often felt compelled to take note of some phrase or piece of sage advice."鈥擭icolle Zellner, American Scientist
"Trimble and Weintraub bring together essays by women who reached for the stars in this uplifting anthology. . . . Filled with moving testimonies and awe-inspiring discoveries, this is a wonderful tribute to the joys of science and the tough road many women had on the way to forging their careers."鈥�Publishers Weekly
"The essays in The Sky Is for Everyone illustrate the progress women have made in the field, although that push to equality is not complete."鈥擩eff Foust, Space Review
"This anthology of 37 short autobiographies covers more than six decades of astronomy and shows the varied paths of female astronomers and the roadblocks that can slow or sideline their success."鈥擜shley Yeager, Science News
"These stories will absolutely inspire our next generation of female scientists. . . . [The Sky Is for Everyone] is an absolute must-read for any young lady who is thinking of starting a career in astronomy. The same applies to anybody who is interested in the history of women in astronomy."鈥斺�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�婱ary McIntyre, Journal of the British Astronomical Association
"[These autobiographical essays] provide a rich portrait of the experiences, ranging from triumphs to heartbreaks, that constitute the lives of women in contemporary astronomy. . . .They demonstrate that a rewarding career in astronomy is possible for anyone who gives it a try and succeeds at overcoming the many hurdles that confront us all regardless of gender."鈥擠avid H. DeVorkin, Quest
"A communal love letter to astronomy and the broader sciences. . . . The Sky Is for Everyone is a valuable read for astronomers and those interested in the status of women in science, but also for department heads and policymakers who should take note of how institutional barriers can be broken down and accommodations made to improve the astronomy community."鈥擩oanna Behrman, Physics Today
"[The] essays are universally well written."鈥擧.D. Wong, Choice
鈥淚 thought I had written the definitive book about women in astronomy, but I bow to The Sky Is for Everyone. Its authors are the observatory directors, the university professors, the leaders of the international research teams that launch telescopes into space and draw down the secrets of the cosmos, each one telling her own story of a life in science.鈥濃�擠ava Sobel, author of The Glass Universe
鈥淎 rich and captivating array of personal stories that provide a welcome addition to the history of astronomy. Here are the women who revealed the stars鈥� chemical compositions, designed cutting-edge telescopes, mapped the universe鈥檚 large-scale structure, measured cosmic expansion, and hunted for extrasolar planets. They are the pathfinders who helped define our modern universe.鈥濃�擬arcia Bartusiak, author of The Day We Found the Universe and Black Hole
鈥淭his thought-provoking collection of stories by an absolutely amazing set of women astronomers worldwide is motivating, at times heartbreaking, and truly inspirational.鈥濃�擜nne-Christine Davis, University of Cambridge
鈥淲hat makes this book priceless is that each astronomer has written her own words. Every story is different, and all the details matter, yet the commonalities are impossible to miss. I can鈥檛 imagine a better resource for learning what it鈥檚 like to be a successful woman in science.鈥濃�擲ean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime
鈥淭hrough the individual voices of extraordinary women, Trimble and Weintraub tell a humbling and inspiring story of the evolution of astronomy and the struggle of women to enter the field.鈥濃�擩enny Greene, Princeton University
鈥淭hese eloquent memoirs by prominent women astronomers span sixty years of social and scientific progress. They are pointed, poignant, and wise. Read them, ponder their common themes, and let us all learn from them.鈥濃�擱oger Blandford, KIPAC, Stanford University
鈥淭his is a book whose protagonists have traversed with joy, perseverance, and pluck the entire golden age of modern astronomy and astrophysics. Together, their thrilling and moving essays combine into an eloquent, detailed history of scientific ideas, education, and aspirations, the magnificent instruments and places of discovery they have inhabited, and the doors they have opened to others and onto the universe.鈥濃�擠iana Kormos Buchwald, general editor of the Collected Papers of Albert Einstein
