At Midwinter 2010 in Boston, the winner of the inaugural YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults will be announced.’  To celebrate this award, the YALSA blog will be publishing interviews with some of the shortlisted authors.’  Our next interview is with Tanya Lee Stone, author of Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream.

Almost Astronauts

Almost Astronauts

The Nonfiction Committee on Almost Astronauts:’  “In the early 1960s, the doctor in charge of testing NASA’s astronauts decided to find out if female pilots were capable of passing the grueling qualification tests required of male pilots. Feasible? Yes. Allowed? No. All testing of women’s potential for the Mercury program was done outside NASA’s purview and without their permission. The reasons why will stun readers.”

YALSA Blog: Congratulations on being included on the shortlist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults!’  What was your reaction to being included on the shortlist for this first-ever award?

Tanya Lee Stone:’  I was ecstatic! It’s such an honor to be included, and so exciting to be part of the first year’s celebration.
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