Ellen Ochoa, First Female Hispanic Astronaut

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up
Describing how injustices suffered as a Mayan child led Menchú to become an influential advocate of human rights for indigenous peoples, this stirring biography is the strongest of these three books. Kallen discusses the controversy surrounding the Nobel laureate's first and most famous work, I, Rigoberta Menchú , including author commentary. Although mentioned in the text, Menchú's Crossing Borders is omitted from the further-reading list. Whereas the selection of photos and captions enhance the text, the other two works suffer from stock photos and generic captions. Huerta covers the activist's skills as a negotiator, her decision to give up teaching to help poor Mexican workers, the difficulty she had combining family life and work, and her current activity. Generally, the quotations are the strongest part of the book and help tell the story of this remarkable woman. A map showing the route of a march during her grape boycott is a helpful addition. In Ochoa , Wukovits describes the astronaut's flights and other work at NASA and her family life but provides little new information or inspiration. Many quotes are from documents that are easily accessible online. Consider purchasing Menchú for reports; better information on Huerta and Ochoa can be found elsewhere.
—Linda L. PlevakCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.