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A girl's guide to missiles : growing up in America's secret desert Cover Image Book

A girl's guide to missiles : growing up in America's secret desert / Karen Piper.

Growing up in America's secret desert (portion title)
Piper, Karen Lynnea, 1965- (author.).

Summary:

"The China Lake missile range is located in a huge stretch of the Mojave Desert, about the size of the state of Delaware. It was created during the Second World War, and has always been shrouded in secrecy. But people who make missiles and other weapons are regular working people, with domestic routines and everyday dilemmas, and four of them were Karen Piper's parents, her sister, and--when she needed summer jobs--herself. Her dad designed the Sidewinder, which was ultimately used catastrophically in Vietnam. When her mom got tired of being a stay-at-home mom, she went to work on the Tomahawk. Once, when a missile nose needed to be taken offsite for final testing, her mother loaded it into the trunk of the family car, and set off down a Los Angeles freeway. Traffic was heavy, and so she stopped off at the mall, leaving the missile in the parking lot. Piper sketches in the belief systems--from Amway's get-rich schemes to propaganda in The Rocketeer to evangelism, along with fears of a Lemurian takeover and Charles Manson--that governed their lives. Her memoir is also a search for the truth of the past and what really brought her parents to China Lake with two young daughters, a story that reaches back to her father's World War II flights with contraband across Europe. Finally, it recounts the crossroads moment in a young woman's life when she finally found a way out of a culture of secrets and fear, and out of the desert."--Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780399564543
  • ISBN: 9780735220393
  • Physical Description: x, 322 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Publisher: New York, New York : Viking, [2018]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-322).
Formatted Contents Note:
Becoming China Lakers -- A teenage weaponeer -- Dynamic instability -- Cold War at home -- Anything can be a weapon -- Off target -- Life without weapons.

Search for related items by subject

Subject:
Piper, Earl Marwin, 1922-2005.
Piper, Karen Lynnea, 1965-
Piper, Mary Dahlstrom.
United States. Office of Strategic Services > Biography.
Naval Ordnance Test Station (China Lake, Calif.) > Employees > Biography.
Cold War.
Guided missiles > United States > History > Anecdotes.
Young women > West (U.S.) > Biography.
Electronic technicians > United States > Biography.
California, Southern > Social life and customs > 20th century.
Genre:
Anecdotes.
Autobiographies.

Available copies

  • 10 of 10 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 10 total copies.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Jacksonville Main Library BIO PIPER (Text) 36015000703096 Adult Biography Available -

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MARC Record

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24512. ‡aA girl's guide to missiles : ‡bgrowing up in America's secret desert / ‡cKaren Piper.
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520 . ‡a"The China Lake missile range is located in a huge stretch of the Mojave Desert, about the size of the state of Delaware. It was created during the Second World War, and has always been shrouded in secrecy. But people who make missiles and other weapons are regular working people, with domestic routines and everyday dilemmas, and four of them were Karen Piper's parents, her sister, and--when she needed summer jobs--herself. Her dad designed the Sidewinder, which was ultimately used catastrophically in Vietnam. When her mom got tired of being a stay-at-home mom, she went to work on the Tomahawk. Once, when a missile nose needed to be taken offsite for final testing, her mother loaded it into the trunk of the family car, and set off down a Los Angeles freeway. Traffic was heavy, and so she stopped off at the mall, leaving the missile in the parking lot. Piper sketches in the belief systems--from Amway's get-rich schemes to propaganda in The Rocketeer to evangelism, along with fears of a Lemurian takeover and Charles Manson--that governed their lives. Her memoir is also a search for the truth of the past and what really brought her parents to China Lake with two young daughters, a story that reaches back to her father's World War II flights with contraband across Europe. Finally, it recounts the crossroads moment in a young woman's life when she finally found a way out of a culture of secrets and fear, and out of the desert."--Provided by publisher.
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60010. ‡aPiper, Karen Lynnea, ‡d1965- ‡0(CARDINAL)531013
60010. ‡aPiper, Mary Dahlstrom. ‡0(CARDINAL)418315
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