Will you be spending the holiday weekend curled up with a book? Us, too – so we wanted to share a selection of Texas Standard book interviews from this year. Happy reading!
Meet the women who broke barriers in overlooked corners of NASA
In 2017, the film “Hidden Figures’” brought to the big screen the stories of three African American women whose calculations for NASA helped put the first American into orbit. But those aren’t the only women who’ve broken barriers at the agency. From mathematicians to flight controllers, trainers and astronauts, these women have forged careers in a field dominated by men. Editor Jennifer Ross-Nazzal tells some of their stories in “Making Space for Women: Stories from Trailblazing Women of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.”
Texas State alumna debuts children’s book ‘celebrating the love of San Marcos’
Kelly Stone loved San Marcos from the day she visited Texas State University for cheerleader camp in the ’90s. She was inspired to write “Goodnight San Marcos” after visiting New Orleans and buying a “Goodnight NOLA” children’s book for her kids.
‘Where Wonder Grows’ is a journey through the magic of grandma’s backyard
Author Xelena González and illustrator Adriana Garcia teamed up for their second book together, focusing on relics from nature representing the elements of earth, fire water and air.
Is ‘rewilding’ the future of conservation?
We’re in the middle of what environmentalists call a “biodiversity crisis” as climate change and human-caused habitat loss cause wildlife numbers to dwindle all over the planet. But what if we could at least partially reverse it? A novel approach to conservation aims to restore natural habitats through what’s called “re-wilding”– and could help ecosystems more closely resemble their natural state. Millie Kerr explores in “Wilder: How Rewilding is Transforming Conservation and Changing the World.”
Musician Margo Price writes about lean times on the way up in new memoir
She’s been called country music’s next star. But Margo Price’s rise to fame has included a lot of heartbreak, too. Her memoir, “Maybe We’ll Make It,” reflects on loss, motherhood and the search for artistic freedom in a male-dominated medium.
The ‘Secret City’: How homophobia shaped national politics during the Cold War
For much of U.S. history, homosexuality has been taboo. Even the accusation of being gay could jeopardize your career and reputation – and as historian James Kirchick notes, even mark you as a national security threat. “Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington” documents how homophobia influenced presidencies and politics during the 20th century.
