COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., and WALTHAM,
Mass. (Nov. 28,
2011) – Fred Ledley’s first novel, Sputnik’s
Child, recalls the events that shaped the ideas and lives of the baby
boom generation and laid the groundwork for an age of technology and its challenges. Proceeds
from sales of the novel, which was released this month, are being donated to
the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation for educational programs to inspire
a new generation of explorers.
Sputnik’s
Child tells the story of
a girl born in October 1957, the day that Sputnik was launched. It is Jackie’s
story and the history of a generation that found faith in the promise of
technologies that could transport men to the Moon and picture Earth as it might
appear to God. Jackie and her friends come of age in the 1960s, frightened by
riots and wars, but also inspired by the civil rights movement, Woodstock and
the exploration of space.
For Jackie, the image of astronauts
orbiting and walking on the Moon gives her confidence that the frightful
problems on Earth can be solved, and she achieves personal and professional
success communicating the promise of the emerging age of technology. But when
her daughter is diagnosed with a disease that has no known cause or cure,
Jackie is confronted with a crisis of faith.
“Writing this book was like
rediscovering everything that happened to shape and inspire our generation,” said
Fred Ledley, the book’s author and a professor at Bentley University. “It
seemed right to donate the proceeds from this book to the Space Foundation to
support their mission of inspiring the next generation.”
“Readers of this engaging novel will
relive the emotions they felt hearing the Apollo
astronauts read Genesis from lunar orbit, watching men walk on the lunar
surface and witnessing the tragedy of
Challenger and they’ll recall how these experiences shaped their identities
and ideas,” said Iain Probert, vice president – education for the Space
Foundation. “By donating the proceeds of this book to support our many
educational programs, Fred Ledley is helping another generation share in these experiences.”
The novel is also recognized by the
Space Foundation as a Certified Space Imagination ProductTM, part of
the Space Foundation’s Space Certification ProgramTM. This
designation is given to entertainment products, books, games or toys that
increase interest in and excitement for space and inspire new generations to
take an active interest in space.
Sputnik’s
Child is available in
paperback and electronic editions from online retailers and by request at bookstores.
To purchase, find out more about the book or get involved in the conversation, visit www.sputnikschild.com or
Facebook (Sputniks Child).
About the author
Fred Ledley is an accomplished physician, scientist, entrepreneur and member of the baby boom generation. He has written extensively on topics ranging from biology and medicine to philosophy, ethics, education and the sense of wonder. In his first novel, Sputnik’s Child, heprovides a human perspective on the ideas that influenced his generation and the faith that will inform the future. Ledley is a professor and the Chair of the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences at Bentley University, where heteaches biology, management and futurism.
About Bentley University
Bentley University is one of the nation’s leading business schools, dedicated to preparing a new kind of business leader – one with the deep technical skills, broad global perspective and high ethical standards required to make a difference in an ever-changing world. Bentley’s rich, diverse arts and sciences program, combined with an advanced business curriculum, prepares informed professionals to make an impact in their chosen fields. Located on a classic New England campus minutes from Boston, Bentley is a dynamic community of leaders, scholars and creative thinkers. For more information, visit www.bentley.edu .
About
Space Certification
Space
CertificationTM products and services are guaranteed to effectively
promote the value of space utilization or to have stemmed from or been improved
by technologies developed for space exploration. Comprising three categories - Certified
Technology Products, Certified Educational Products and Certified Imagination
Products – the program is administered by the Space Foundation to provide a unique
marketing edge for partners, demonstrate how space technologies improve life on
Earth and make space more accessible to everyone. The Space Certification
program is complemented by the Space Foundation’s Space Technology Hall of
Fame®, a scholarly recognition program that honors extraordinary space
technologies that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. For more information go to more information, go to www.SpaceTechHallofFame.org or www.SpaceCertification.org.
About
the Space Foundation and Space Foundation Education Programs
The Space Foundation is an
international, nonprofit organization and the foremost advocate for all sectors
of the space industry. Founded in 1983, it is a leader in space awareness
activities, space-related research and analyses and major industry events, all
in support of its mission "to advance space-related endeavors to inspire,
enable and propel humanity." The Space Foundation is building the next generation
of space leaders and improving the overall quality of education through
teacher, student and community programs that integrate space into the classroom
to improve students’ interest and skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). See www.SpaceFoundation.org/education. Headquartered in Colorado Springs,
the Space Foundation has a Washington, D.C.office and has field representatives in Texas and Florida. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org, or follow the Space Foundation on
Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube.
Contacts:
Space Foundation
media@SpaceFoundation.org
+1.719.576.8000
Janet P. Stevens,
APR, Vice President – Marketing &
Communications
Carol
S. Hively, Manager - Communications
Bentley University
jhowarth@bentley.edu
+1.781.891.2725
Joanna Howarth
Assistant Director
of Public and Media Relations
