In 1630; along with hundreds of other settlers; John Winthrop left England for the New World. Because of his ardent Puritan beliefs and natural talent for government and politics; he was appointed governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. He became the foremost political leader in the colony for nearly 20 years; including twelve nonconsecutive terms as governor. When Winthrop and these new settlers arrived in the New World; they were aiming to create their own utopia; but they encountered difficulty and dissent. In The Puritan Dilemma: John Winthrop; biographer Edmund Morgan helps us understand the motivations behind Puritan migration to America and the ideological and political difficulties they faced once they arrived. What does freedom mean? What is the proper role of the individual in society? Alongside the unfolding drama of a developing country; Morgan explores the life of John Winthrop and the core question of what level of responsibility people owe to their community and society.
#21710 in Books Holt Nathalia 2017-01-17 2017-01-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x .88 x 5.50l; .0 #File Name: 0316338907352 pagesRise of the Rocket Girls The Women Who Propelled Us from Missiles to the Moon to Mars
Review
78 of 80 people found the following review helpful. Girls Who Code - the Women Who Built America's Space ProgramBy Lynne SpreenWhile the STEM debate rages; Rise of the Rocket Girls shatters the American stereotype that girls can't do numbers. Rocket Girls tells the story of California's JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) from the early days (1940s) when the main goal was to strap a rocket onto a plane to make it go faster; to the present time of space exploration. In 1940; when the guys were shooting rockets out of a dry canyon in southern California; one of them just happened to be married to a girl who was good with numbers. Barbara calculated speed; trajectory; combustion; and other factors for rocket and propellant development; and she set the tone for future projects.As the work grew; and young JPL expanded; the number of women "computers" (they computed! The term predates the machines) grew. The woman who was in charge of the "computers;" Macie Roberts; hired only women for the department; because she wanted to preserve the camaraderie and team spirit so essential to this critical work. Thus; in a benevolent form of gender discrimination; JPL developed a sterling team of brilliant women. Macie often reminded the women; "In this job you need to look like a girl; act like a lady; think like a man; and work like a dog."As we learn about the development of rocketry; the author; Nathalia Holt; weaves in cultural developments; such as the invention of pantyhose and the rise of the women's liberation movement. She also includes snippets from the women's personal lives (like the fact that pregnancy meant instant termination--until the program realized it was dead without the women computers; and adapted flexibility to accommodate them).The women went from pencils and notebook paper to making history. Their calculations put the first man on the moon. Their formulas became code; and they became the first computer programmers. As Holt says; "You can write a lot of programs in five decades. The code that (the women) wrote would continue to work its way into spacecraft; navigation systems; climate studies; and Mars rovers. It would get spliced up and repurposed; pasted into different missions; sent out into space; driven on far-off planets...to (currently orbiting Mars and Saturn spacecraft)...to future Earth-orbiting instruments designed to study our own world."If you are one of those who believes females aren't geared toward math and science; you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to read this engaging; compelling book. It will tell you of a time when women; using only their minds and pencils; rendered the complex calculations that allowed the United States of America to have a space program at all.76 of 80 people found the following review helpful. Rocket GirlBy Katie CustomerAs a former 'Rocket Girl' (General Dynamics/Convair Launch Vehicle Engineering); I found this book fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. By degree a mechanical engineer; I wrote and ran computer code (on punch cards) to determine heat loads on the rockets and their payloads. I remember the engineering challenges of correctly modeling laminar and turbulent air flows over payload cover structures and how much I enjoyed the work. It was a short career - I was tempted away by a High Temperature Gas Cooled Nuclear Reactor - but my most vivid memories will always be my first job out of college on the Atlas (work horse of the century) and Centaur launch vehicles.63 of 65 people found the following review helpful. Buy this book! A fantastic history of the women who pioneered space flight!By Antonio PaolaI have read this book twice already. I honestly loved it in so many ways. It's one of those rare; well-written; well-researched books that serves as a great tribute to these women; a tribute to the women pioneers of space flight. Nathalia; thank you for sharing their story!
