Space Books
By: Julia Welzen
The library’s A Universe of Stories summer reading program has officially begun and books about space are a perfect complement to it. Don’t think space books are your thing? Try these titles or talk to a librarian – we love to help you find your next read!
The space opera genre features dramatic plots and chivalric romance, but Catherynne M. Valente’s Space Opera is literally opera – “Eurovision in space,” as one reviewer said – in which humans must earn their place in the political realm of the greater galaxy by dazzling the other beings with their song.
The Hugo and Nebula award-winning Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor follows a 16-year-old mathematical genius who attends the prestigious Oomza University on another planet. Binti is a member of the Himba ethnic group (based on the Himba of current-day Namibia) and struggles to fit in with her classmates while still remaining true to herself and her culture.
You may have already seen the hit 2016 film Hidden Figures, but its inspiration – the book by Margot Lee Shetterley – delves deeper into the struggles and accomplishments of the female African-American mathematicians who worked for NASA and made spaceflight possible.
Scott Kelly has been in space longer than any other American and his memoir, Endurance, gives us an insight into the road that led him to become a top astronaut and the challenges of being in space long term.
The next total solar eclipse we’ll see in Indiana won’t be until 2024, but you can become an eclipse expert with Sun Earth Moon by Tyler Nordgren, who delves into the science, history, and myths of the dramatic astronomical event.