Ackmann, Martha

"An engaging, intimate portrait of Emily Dickinson, one of America's greatest and most-mythologized poets, that sheds new light on her groundbreaking poetry. On August 3, 1845, young Emily Dickinson declared, 'All things are ready'--and with this resolute statement, her life as a poet began. Despite spending her days almost entirely 'at home' (the occupation listed on her death certificate), Dickinson's interior world was extraordinary. She loved passionately, was ambivalent toward publication, embraced seclusion, and created 1,789 poems that she tucked into a dresser drawer. In These Fevered Days, Martha Ackmann unravels the mysteries of Dickinson's life through ten decisive episodes that distill her evolution as a poet. Ackmann follows Dickinson through her religious crisis while a student at Mount Holyoke, her startling decision to ask a famous editor for advice, her anguished letters to an unidentified 'Master,' her exhilarating frenzy of composition, and her terror in confronting possible blindness. Together, these ten days provide new insights into Dickinson's wildly original poetry and render a concise and vivid portrait of American literature's most enigmatic figure"--Provided by the publisher.

Profiles the story of Marcenia Lyle "Toni" Stone, who became the first female to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues in 1953 after other African-American male players followed Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron into the majors.

Provides a history of the group of women who were trained to be the first American women in space during the early 1960s but were grounded by NASA's sexist "boy's club" culture.

Profiles the thirteen women who underwent secret testing from NASA in the hopes of becoming America's first female astronauts.