Matich, Elise. Sew Sister: The Untold Story of Jean Wright and NASA’s Seamstresses. Elise Matich, Illus. Tilbury House, 10/2023. [40]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.95. 978-0-88448-982-5. GRADES 2–5. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Jean Wright (who is white) learned to sew as a young girl, but her other hobby was following the events of space exploration. Those two interests merged when she found a job sewing special thermal blankets for NASA’s space shuttle. Although the book opens on Wright and her journey, the main focus of the book is how women and their sewing skills contributed to the success of the space shuttle program. The text describes the process of how they assembled the blankets, the materials used, the machinery needed, and how much of the construction was so delicate it had to be done by hand. The realistic illustrations appear to be done in pencil and watercolors, and many pages use quilting stitches as decoration. The book ends with more information and several color photos on the subject (which included depictions of two Black women on the otherwise white sewing team). Although this may seem like a minor story in the achievement of space exploration, the book is compelling and shines a light on women’s contribution to this history.
Penny Peck—SJSU iSchool