Review of 'Portrait of the Scientist As a Young Woman' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Part biography, part science, part description of the upcoming Psyche mission. Knew I wanted to read this as soon as I could get ahold of it - and preferably before the launch, which was then scrubbed.
The description of the NASA and/or JPL vetting program was fascinating. The science behind solid cores and the early solar system was interesting, and fairly well presented. The author had to overcome a lot in life, and this gives a clear window into that. The entire book lives up to the title.
And yet... I thought the story could flow better. Instead it jumps around, trying unsuccessfully to touch on all the topics. The timeline was roughly chronological, but that also was hard to follow. A better book about the science and process would be four stars, and a better structured biography would be the same. For me, the average of the two brings …
Part biography, part science, part description of the upcoming Psyche mission. Knew I wanted to read this as soon as I could get ahold of it - and preferably before the launch, which was then scrubbed.
The description of the NASA and/or JPL vetting program was fascinating. The science behind solid cores and the early solar system was interesting, and fairly well presented. The author had to overcome a lot in life, and this gives a clear window into that. The entire book lives up to the title.
And yet... I thought the story could flow better. Instead it jumps around, trying unsuccessfully to touch on all the topics. The timeline was roughly chronological, but that also was hard to follow. A better book about the science and process would be four stars, and a better structured biography would be the same. For me, the average of the two brings down the rating.
The worst part, not at all the author's fault - is that the mission isn't finished yet. Will there be a sequel, or a revision? I'll be watching for it.