Lynn Sherr, author of Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space, will visit Pilgrim Place tomorrow, Tuesday, July 8, at 11 a.m. in Decker Hall to talk about her book. Ms. Sherr will be joined by retired Presbyterian minister Bear Ride, a resident of Pilgrim Place and the sister of astronaut Sally Ride. 

This event is presented by Pilgrim Place’s Woman’s Perspective group and open to the public. Books will also be available for sale and signing.

Ms. Sherr’s authorized biography traces the journey of Sally Ride as she made history. A member of the first astronaut class to include women, Ms. Ride broke through a quarter-century of white male fighter jocks when NASA chose her for the seventh shuttle mission, cracking the celestial ceiling and inspiring several generations of women.

After a second flight, Ms. Ride served on the panels investigating the Challenger explosion and the Columbia disintegration that killed all aboard. In both instances, she faulted NASA’s rush to meet mission deadlines and its organizational failures. She later co-founded a company promoting science and education for children, especially girls.

The biography also details Ms. Ride’s scrupulously guarded personal life—she kept her sexual orientation private—with exclusive access to Ride’s partner, her former husband, her family, and countless friends and colleagues. Ms. Sherr, who was the ABC reporter covering NASA during the transition from a test-pilot boys club to a more inclusive group of pilots and scientists, draws from Ms. Ride’s diaries, files and letters to create a rich biography of a fascinating woman whose life intersected with revolutionary social and scientific changes in America.

Ms. Sherr’s revealing portrait is warm and admiring but unsparing. It makes this extraordinarily talented and bold woman, an inspiration to millions, come alive.