We Dream of Space

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I did not connect the space shuttle launch they talked about the ENTIRE book to the Challenger disaster until the very end (even though they called it the Challenger the whole time and the date January 1986 is literally written at the top of every page). I think I actually enjoyed the book more in my ignorance, though, because the climax of the book was a total shock to me (my actual thoughts: "The space shuttle exploded?! No way! Poor Bird. Wait, is this an actual occurrence in history? Oh my goodness, the Challenger!" *face palm*).

We Dream of Space was a good read. I did feel anxious for a large part of the novel because Cash and Fitch's situations seemed so bleak and their parents' discord was so potent. But their baby steps toward progress in the final chapters was just enough to feel totally hopeful for their ultimate redemption.

Back to the Challenger. I read about Judith Resnik after finishing the novel and she really was so cool. What a tragedy this shuttle explosion was . . . and I never mourned it until now. I thought it was fascinating to learn in the author's notes how few people actually watched this tragedy unfold live. No social media, cable news was rare and most people were at work. The one major exception was American children! NASA had arranged for schools to have satellite broadcast set up so students could watch the first teacher launch into space. That was honestly probably very jarring, very traumatic for many kids (I guess if they understood what was happening). Erin Entrada Kelly showed that well through Bird's reaction. 

Biggest Takeaway: I want to be a better parent.