CLASSIFIED

Highlights the life and secret work of Cherokee aerospace engineer Mary Golda Ross.

As a teen in the 1920s, Mary Golda Ross loves “puzzling out math equations” despite expectations of the times. At 16, she finds being the only girl in a college math class means working extra hard to prove herself to the boys who “refused to sit next to” her. Guided by her Cherokee belief that “gaining life skills in all areas” is important, Ross not only strives for better grades, she aims for loftier goals. Each step of the way—whether teaching high school, working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or helping solve aircraft design flaws during World War II— Ross is fueled by other Cherokee principles as well. Ultimately, her passion for math and her commitment to those deeply rooted values result in her selection to a “supersecret work team” that promises to take her career, and the world, further than ever before. Meticulously researched and subtly framed according to the Cherokee beliefs that piloted Ross, page-turning prose elevates this Indigenous hidden figure to her rightful place in history. In addition, bold, classic-comics–like illustrations and colors reminiscent of 1950s advertisements give an appropriately retro vibe. A stellar addition to the genre that will launch careers and inspire for generations, it deserves space alongside stories of other world leaders and innovators.

Liftoff. A biography that lands beyond the stars!