First published 2018
A massive meteorite strikes the East Coast in 1952, wiping out Washington DC and triggering a climate disaster that will make Earth uninhabitable. Elma York, a former WASP pilot turned mathematician, finds herself working as a calculator for the International Aerospace Coalition's urgent mission to reach the moon. The coalition needs to accelerate space colonization before the planet becomes as lifeless as it was for the dinosaurs. Elma watches skilled women pilots and scientists contribute their expertise to the program, yet only men are selected for space missions. Her determination to break this barrier grows stronger as the climate crisis worsens. Elma must challenge deeply rooted social conventions while proving she deserves a place among the astronauts. Her mathematical mind and flying experience make her qualified, but society's expectations about women's roles stand in her way. The race to save humanity becomes personal as Elma fights for her right to help secure their future among the stars.
Genres: science-fiction, 20th-century, feminism, 21st-century, climate-change, alternate-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: determined-heroine, gender-barriers, social-change
Setting: East Coast, International Aerospace Coalition, Washington DC
Period: 1952
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