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A Short History of the Twentieth Century, or, When You Wish Upon a Star
"A Short History of the Twentieth Century, or, When You Wish Upon a Star", by Kathleen Ann Goonan, is about the daughter of a rocket scientist in the post 1950s who wants to go to the moon, despite being discouraged because "girls don't do that." A novelette that's science fiction by association.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2014
About the author
Kathleen Ann Goonan
67 books52 followersFrom Locusmag.com
Author Kathleen Ann Goonan, 68, died January 28, 2021. She was born May 14, 1952 in Cincinnati OH and at age eight moved to Hawaii for two years while her father worked for the Navy, after which the family moved to Washington DC. She got a degree in English from Virginia Tech in 1975, and earned her Association Montessori International Certification in 1976. She taught school for 13 years, ten of those at Montessori schools, including eight years at a school she founded in Knoxville TN. She spent a year back in Hawaii and took up writing full time before returning to the DC area in 1988, the same year she attended Clarion West. She began teaching at Georgia Tech in 2010, where she was a Professor of the Practice.
Goonan’s first story ‘‘Wanting to Talk to You’’ appeared in Asimov’s in 1991. Notable stories include ‘‘Kamehameha’s Bones’’ (1993), Nebula Award nominee ‘‘The String’’ (1995), British SF Award finalist ‘‘Sunflowers’’ (1995), and Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist ‘‘Memory Dog’’ (2008).
Debut novel Queen City Jazz (1994), a New York Times Notable Book, was shortlisted for a British Science Fiction Association Award, and launched her Nanotech Quartet: sequel Mississippi Blues (1997), Nebula Award-nominated prequel Crescent City Rhapsody (2000), and final volume Light Music (2002), also a Nebula Award finalist. Standalone The Bones of Time (1996) was a Clarke Award finalist. Alternate history In War Times (2007) won the Campbell Memorial Award and was the American Library Association’s Best SF Novel of 2007, and was followed by sequel This Shared Dream (2011), a Campbell Memorial Award finalist. Angels and You Dogs, a short story collection, was published by PS Publishing in 2012.
Goonan and her work were featured in venues such as Scientific American (‘‘Shamans of the Small’’) and Popular Science (‘‘Science Fiction’s Best Minds Envision the Future’’). As a member of SIGMA, she gave talks for the Joint Services Small Arms Project and the Global Competitiveness Forum in Ryhad. She published more than 40 short stories, including ‘‘A Love Supreme’’ (Discover Magazine 10/12), ‘‘Bootstrap’’ (Twelve Tomorrows 9/13), ‘‘Sport’’ (ARC 2/14), ‘‘What Are We? Where Do We Come From? Where Are We Going?’’ (Tor.com), ‘‘Girl In Wave; Wave In Girl’’ (Hieroglyph), ‘‘Wilder Still, the Stars’’ (Reach for Infinity), and ‘‘Tomorrowland’’ (Tor.com).
Goonan lived in Tennessee and Florida with husband Joseph Mansy, married 1977.
Author Kathleen Ann Goonan, 68, died January 28, 2021. She was born May 14, 1952 in Cincinnati OH and at age eight moved to Hawaii for two years while her father worked for the Navy, after which the family moved to Washington DC. She got a degree in English from Virginia Tech in 1975, and earned her Association Montessori International Certification in 1976. She taught school for 13 years, ten of those at Montessori schools, including eight years at a school she founded in Knoxville TN. She spent a year back in Hawaii and took up writing full time before returning to the DC area in 1988, the same year she attended Clarion West. She began teaching at Georgia Tech in 2010, where she was a Professor of the Practice.
Goonan’s first story ‘‘Wanting to Talk to You’’ appeared in Asimov’s in 1991. Notable stories include ‘‘Kamehameha’s Bones’’ (1993), Nebula Award nominee ‘‘The String’’ (1995), British SF Award finalist ‘‘Sunflowers’’ (1995), and Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist ‘‘Memory Dog’’ (2008).
Debut novel Queen City Jazz (1994), a New York Times Notable Book, was shortlisted for a British Science Fiction Association Award, and launched her Nanotech Quartet: sequel Mississippi Blues (1997), Nebula Award-nominated prequel Crescent City Rhapsody (2000), and final volume Light Music (2002), also a Nebula Award finalist. Standalone The Bones of Time (1996) was a Clarke Award finalist. Alternate history In War Times (2007) won the Campbell Memorial Award and was the American Library Association’s Best SF Novel of 2007, and was followed by sequel This Shared Dream (2011), a Campbell Memorial Award finalist. Angels and You Dogs, a short story collection, was published by PS Publishing in 2012.
Goonan and her work were featured in venues such as Scientific American (‘‘Shamans of the Small’’) and Popular Science (‘‘Science Fiction’s Best Minds Envision the Future’’). As a member of SIGMA, she gave talks for the Joint Services Small Arms Project and the Global Competitiveness Forum in Ryhad. She published more than 40 short stories, including ‘‘A Love Supreme’’ (Discover Magazine 10/12), ‘‘Bootstrap’’ (Twelve Tomorrows 9/13), ‘‘Sport’’ (ARC 2/14), ‘‘What Are We? Where Do We Come From? Where Are We Going?’’ (Tor.com), ‘‘Girl In Wave; Wave In Girl’’ (Hieroglyph), ‘‘Wilder Still, the Stars’’ (Reach for Infinity), and ‘‘Tomorrowland’’ (Tor.com).
Goonan lived in Tennessee and Florida with husband Joseph Mansy, married 1977.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 14, 2014
Actual rating: 2.5
This was an enjoyable enough little story if a bit light. Although the plot focusses on Carol and on her struggles to become a scientist, I have to admit that I was much more interested by Carol's dad. I wanted to read more about his experience during and after the war. I wanted to read more about Braun and his involvement with Nasa. Had I liked Carol's character more I might have been interested in her story but I can't say I felt much sympathy towards her and didn't care much what happened to her. I did like June's character quite a lot and think it would have been much more interesting to focus on why she had to give up her career to become a Stepford wife of sorts.
Goonan's writing is a bit uneven as she breaks the rhythm of the story several times by throwing in dates and historical facts. This might be one of the reasons why I never really managed to get into the story.
This novelette had a lot of potential but it somehow feels like the author missed the point. It wasn't a bad read but I can't say it was a good one either. Ultimately it all felt a bit meh.
This was an enjoyable enough little story if a bit light. Although the plot focusses on Carol and on her struggles to become a scientist, I have to admit that I was much more interested by Carol's dad. I wanted to read more about his experience during and after the war. I wanted to read more about Braun and his involvement with Nasa. Had I liked Carol's character more I might have been interested in her story but I can't say I felt much sympathy towards her and didn't care much what happened to her. I did like June's character quite a lot and think it would have been much more interesting to focus on why she had to give up her career to become a Stepford wife of sorts.
Goonan's writing is a bit uneven as she breaks the rhythm of the story several times by throwing in dates and historical facts. This might be one of the reasons why I never really managed to get into the story.
This novelette had a lot of potential but it somehow feels like the author missed the point. It wasn't a bad read but I can't say it was a good one either. Ultimately it all felt a bit meh.
July 20, 2014
It was a good story about Carol, a woman growing up in the second half of the twentieth century and the challenges she faced in wanting to become a rocket scientist and astronaut. She was hearing the same exciting messages that every other kid in America was hearing, on Disney specials and from her parents who were scientists, so why wouldn't she want to have an exciting career and go to the moon? The world was changing, but slowly. I enjoyed the way that the story wove the timeline of real world moments in history and experiences that influenced a so many people into the intimate fictional story of this woman and her family. Of course there were major rockets being launched, the first trip to the moon, but what really struck me was those Disney specials about space that I'd never heard of. It's wild to read about (of course I looked them up) the collaboration between Disney and Wernher von Braun, the former Nazi head of our rocket program, to produce these specials, and that 42 million people watched them. The challenges that Carol faced were well summed up by the quote that she read at one point by von Braun (who was her father's emotional nemesis in the story) when he was asked about women becoming astronauts in the future and he replied that they were reserving 110 pounds of payload for recreational equipment. Yup, that really happened. Which highlights the other thing that makes the story work well. Carol's journey wasn't a piece of cake. She didn't just get into the right school and persevere through sheer cussedness and triumph because she was through a straight uphill path. She hit roadblocks, she felt like quitting, she did quit, the path zigzagged, she dealt with too much family tragedy (who among us hasn't) and in the end she did persevere and in the end she did succeed. The author made her into someone I could relate to, even though I'm certainly not a rocket scientist or an astronaut. And that's what made the story successful.
I am amused by the introduction by the acquiring editor for Tor.com, Ellen Datlow, when she said that the story is science fiction by association. Because there isn't anything speculative about the story. It's science and it's fiction, and it was certainly enjoyable to me as someone who generally prefers science fiction or fantasy. But even though it's a good story, it shouldn't qualify for any speculative fiction awards, as they seem to be aware by adding that disclaimer.
I am amused by the introduction by the acquiring editor for Tor.com, Ellen Datlow, when she said that the story is science fiction by association. Because there isn't anything speculative about the story. It's science and it's fiction, and it was certainly enjoyable to me as someone who generally prefers science fiction or fantasy. But even though it's a good story, it shouldn't qualify for any speculative fiction awards, as they seem to be aware by adding that disclaimer.
October 26, 2014
I'm docking this a star because the main character does something very stupid at the end. Astronauts shouldn't deliberately contribute to the problem of space junk! No matter how poignant an image it makes. Ugh. I wish the author had chosen something different for Carol to do.
Otherwise I adore this story, the 20th century's history through the lens of the life of a girl who wants to go to the Moon.
Otherwise I adore this story, the 20th century's history through the lens of the life of a girl who wants to go to the Moon.
January 10, 2025
Li aqui, marquei lido aqui: Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2014 edition.
Gostei de ter lido, mas quanto mais penso no conto, menos eu acho que sei o que ele queria ser. Começa com umas datas descrevendo coisas importantes que aconteceram nelas, e como o assunto do conto é viagem espacial, os primeiros eventos são as primeiras coisas que voaram e claro que a estadunidense botou os irmãos Wright como pioneiros do voo. 1903: The Wright brothers make first manned flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Santos Dumont ganhou o Prêmio Deutsch em 1901 quando voou seu dirigível com motor a gasolina em volta da Torre Eiffel sob testemunho oficial de especialistas, jornalistas e populares. Acho engraçada essa rixa, porque claramente tem um lado certo, que é o brasileiro. E sim, sempre que possível vou falar disso. Mas voltando ao conto, depois de várias datas, começa a história de fato que é descrita como ficção científica por associação... o que acho que descreve muito bem o conto, porque não tem nada de ficção científica, mas a gente sim associa a ficção científica. Fico meio dividida com tudo isso. Acho que o fato de ter falado mais sobre a rixa da aviação do que sobre o conto diz mais sobre o conto do que eu gostaria.
Gostei de ter lido, mas quanto mais penso no conto, menos eu acho que sei o que ele queria ser. Começa com umas datas descrevendo coisas importantes que aconteceram nelas, e como o assunto do conto é viagem espacial, os primeiros eventos são as primeiras coisas que voaram e claro que a estadunidense botou os irmãos Wright como pioneiros do voo. 1903: The Wright brothers make first manned flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Santos Dumont ganhou o Prêmio Deutsch em 1901 quando voou seu dirigível com motor a gasolina em volta da Torre Eiffel sob testemunho oficial de especialistas, jornalistas e populares. Acho engraçada essa rixa, porque claramente tem um lado certo, que é o brasileiro. E sim, sempre que possível vou falar disso. Mas voltando ao conto, depois de várias datas, começa a história de fato que é descrita como ficção científica por associação... o que acho que descreve muito bem o conto, porque não tem nada de ficção científica, mas a gente sim associa a ficção científica. Fico meio dividida com tudo isso. Acho que o fato de ter falado mais sobre a rixa da aviação do que sobre o conto diz mais sobre o conto do que eu gostaria.
March 8, 2015
A novelette that’s science fiction by association.
This novelette, set in the post 1950s, brought back memories of that moment when I first heard that man landed on the moon -- the wonder, hope and dreams. At the time, I owned a children's picture book about Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first journey into outer space, and was already stung by the "space bug."
This touching and nostalgic story is about a little girl, the daughter of a rocket scientist working on those first space modules for NASA, who dreams of becoming an astronaut. Her parents encourage her despite the fact that at that time girls and women were not expected to want careers based on science, much less to harbor dreams of becoming an astronaut. I love the connection Ann Goonan makes with Walt Disney's building of Tomorrowland and to the detailed documentaries aired by Disney describing plans for future space travel.
This original story's connection to science fiction is tenuous at best, however as it was posted in honor of Tor.com's sixth birthday, I believe that it works well for that purpose. This historical event sparked the imagination of adults and children alike. Personally, I can't believe the nostalgic feelings of wonder the story brought back!
This novelette, set in the post 1950s, brought back memories of that moment when I first heard that man landed on the moon -- the wonder, hope and dreams. At the time, I owned a children's picture book about Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first journey into outer space, and was already stung by the "space bug."
This touching and nostalgic story is about a little girl, the daughter of a rocket scientist working on those first space modules for NASA, who dreams of becoming an astronaut. Her parents encourage her despite the fact that at that time girls and women were not expected to want careers based on science, much less to harbor dreams of becoming an astronaut. I love the connection Ann Goonan makes with Walt Disney's building of Tomorrowland and to the detailed documentaries aired by Disney describing plans for future space travel.
This original story's connection to science fiction is tenuous at best, however as it was posted in honor of Tor.com's sixth birthday, I believe that it works well for that purpose. This historical event sparked the imagination of adults and children alike. Personally, I can't believe the nostalgic feelings of wonder the story brought back!
December 25, 2015
An interesting story of a girl dreaming about becoming an astronaut. The story is heavily tied into the history of Disney and the space race. And communism. Can't forget that.
Things jumped around a bit too much for my tastes - the beginning of the story was more of a collection of Carol's memories, while the final quarter became focused on the overarching story. The transition from Carol's childhood to her entry into college was a bit jarring.
The story would focus on Carol's struggles to be taken seriously as a woman in the mid-twentieth century, and then the story would throw in mentions of Disney and the US's attempts to get into space, just to make sure that you hadn't forgotten about that particular plot line. The two sort of come together at the end, when Carol finally gets to go into space, but it's a long way to go for that payoff.
All in all though, it was pretty neat tale.
Things jumped around a bit too much for my tastes - the beginning of the story was more of a collection of Carol's memories, while the final quarter became focused on the overarching story. The transition from Carol's childhood to her entry into college was a bit jarring.
The story would focus on Carol's struggles to be taken seriously as a woman in the mid-twentieth century, and then the story would throw in mentions of Disney and the US's attempts to get into space, just to make sure that you hadn't forgotten about that particular plot line. The two sort of come together at the end, when Carol finally gets to go into space, but it's a long way to go for that payoff.
All in all though, it was pretty neat tale.
Read
October 8, 2023A charming short piece about a little girl with a rocket scientist dad who dreams of going to space. It gains an extra poignancy for me from the contrary currents; yes, in the fifties and sixties it might have seemed absurd that a woman could go into space, and haven't we come so far since then? But, part of the trade-off is that now nobody, whatever their sex, gets to go any further than Earth orbit.
March 2, 2019
Charming. A bit too cute, all inclusive and on the nose.
Read
May 19, 2020After reading In War Times, and falling in love with this author, I went in search of more. I found this gem in an anthology in the library.
February 16, 2017
He sido incapaz de acabarlo; falta de interés en la historia y un ritmo muy lento.
April 23, 2024
This short story is a fictional biography of astronaut Carol Hall, from her early childhood being inspired by her rocket scientist father and the opening of Disney's Tomorrowland, through to her stint on the International Space Station.
Carol's life is told in a barrage of short scenes that owe much to the structure of a biopic film. Significant chunks of the story touch on the difficulties women have for many years being taken seriously in scientific positions and on the work of scientists extracted from Germany in the aftermath of the second world war.
The realism of the story meant that it didn't move me in the way that a more speculative story might have done but Goonan's writing is undeniably competent. She presents a very believable slice of life in twentieth century America and character relationships that many readers will no doubt relate to. So biographical is the tone that I wondered all the way through whether Carol was fictional or a real historical figure (I will leave you to research that for yourself).
A good story, but one that didn't really match my tastes in fiction.
Carol's life is told in a barrage of short scenes that owe much to the structure of a biopic film. Significant chunks of the story touch on the difficulties women have for many years being taken seriously in scientific positions and on the work of scientists extracted from Germany in the aftermath of the second world war.
The realism of the story meant that it didn't move me in the way that a more speculative story might have done but Goonan's writing is undeniably competent. She presents a very believable slice of life in twentieth century America and character relationships that many readers will no doubt relate to. So biographical is the tone that I wondered all the way through whether Carol was fictional or a real historical figure (I will leave you to research that for yourself).
A good story, but one that didn't really match my tastes in fiction.
August 15, 2014
Really amazing story. A good read for anyone who's ever been told they can't do something because of their gender, race, etc.
December 28, 2014
Short but beautiful.
February 9, 2015
Good, but deeply depressing. Actual rating 3.65 - and "science fiction by association" isn't quite enough.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews