One of the terrific challenges of being a in a superlative position within an already lofty profession is people always ask you to write a memoir. Like a few of her exceptional astronaut predecessors, Col Collins occupies an especially heralded position in aerospace culture, and we want to hear her story. Both authors of this wonderful work address the issue directly: their reactions of “alright, cut it out, here’s your book” – are really just a smile of feigned exasperation. A whirlwind career constantly training for spaceflight just doesn’t easily support the detailed life review process needed for a biographic story. As a reader, you will be pleased she waited until she had some time for reflection, and to chose a great co-author.
In these pages we experience how a test pilot, a profession often saddled with a clichéd insufferable ego label, can possess strength through humility. Sometimes wanting to do well in all things is a overwhelming drive, and sometimes just part of normal life. Collins’ voice here is direct, with a sincere economy of words: she is not prone to embellishment. Some may attribute this to a common trait in her business: the necessary “radio shorthand” style common to aerospace professionals who must share meaning quickly and accurately. Yet over the chapters, we hear her describe teenaged adversity the same way she reflects on a near accident in her spacecraft. But it’s not modesty in the face of events so few have experienced; it’s just her.
Despite the pressure cooker of the public eye, carrying the weight of the Shuttle program on her shoulders as commander of the return-to-flight recovery from the 2003 Columbia disaster, she’s as real as can be. She will always describe herself as being fortunate as much as skilled, but it is refreshing that her leadership recognized and rewarded her abilities, and generally supported her path. Yet as the title suggests, the invisible barriers of last century military culture, though eventually evolving, clobbered her on several notable occasions. The challenge of career plus family, the can-you-have-it-all concept, is prominent. If you encountered her on the street, you might say she looks like another really nice mom, and you’d be right: raising two children between spaceflights, with a dual military/commercial pilot spouse, rates some insightful pages. There are notable reveals: we learn of Collin’s extreme highs and lows in the astronaut office of the 1990s, and a couple were genuine surprises to this reviewer. It’s certainly appropriate – and often mandatory – to keep certain things private when working for a public agency like NASA. We’re real insiders when she tells us what was on her mind on those toughest days.
Having been fortunate to have a few social encounters with both authors, it is possible to make a general comparison between their written and public personas. Simply put, Eileen Collins is genuine; her style is personable and honest. WYSIWYG, while a worn-out expression, really applies. No pretense, direct and polite, and yes, with that economy of words. At public events she treats everyone with a focus that really lets you know the moment is yours, much like her late astronaut colleague Alan Bean. At a round dinner table, she will always engage each person. Jonathan Ward is a true polymath: he combines the literary and technical with equal power, and through these strengths gives the reader the fullest appreciation of his coauthor’s character. There are great complimentary styles generated here.
My biographic measure is straightforward: did I feel like I had a conversation with the subject, and were they enjoyable company in print? A big yes to both. The glass ceiling has been a contentious and difficult barrier for many decades, but this journey through it offers an important and highly worthwhile experience.
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Top reviews from other countries
Tasillo Roemisch
Wirklich "Best of"! Unbedingt lesenswert!
Reviewed in Germany on May 31, 2024Avril
Brilliant account of her career
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2024
Debbie Smith
Terrific thanks for letting us in on your life
Reviewed in Australia on November 14, 2022
