Making Contact: Jill Tarter and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Paperback – Import, 14 August 2018

Dr. Tarter is an icon of SETI, that is why I chose this book. The book mixes the biography aspect with the scientific work. So be patient with personal details about Dr. Tarter. The book does get to her work with SETI and it treats it well. Overall, I recommend.

Loved this incredible story. I've always been fascinated with the stars and the search for life in the universe. I read this book in preparation to interview Dr. Jill Tarter for an independent documentary film and the narrative and details of her journey helped me feel like I already knew her heading into the talk.

This book is a wonderful, provocative read. Just today I read ""peculiar' radio signals emerge from nearby star." Well I'm old enough to remember when “nearby” was much, much nearer than eleven light years away. The article is timely…The subject of the book Jill Tarter, Ph.D. was the former Director of the Search for Extraterrestrial Life institute (SETI). And she was instrumental in establishing the approaches used to assess odd signals like the one identified from the Arecibo Observatory mentioned above. This book describes those approaches and the scientific challenges in dealing with radio-astronomy and the practical challenges in dealing with politicians who fund big, audacious ideas.Sarah Scoles, the author, is a wonderful writer weaving together the personal and work struggles confronting Tarter using wit and a foundational understanding of the science behind the work. Scoles writes clearly about topics that aren’t so clear.Please put Tarter among those scientists who choose to go after really big problems that few others have the guts to pursue. She chose to go after a big, a gargantuan problem, and seek the answer to a universal human question. Are we alone?Oh yeah, Tarter is the inspiration for Jodie Foster’s character in the film “Contact”.Are we alone transcends, race, gender, class, age, and geographic boundary. Everyone has at one point looked up on a clear night and wondered about such events. Tarter has spent a life time working to find out for us all.And any who are trying to inspire girls toward a STEM educational path should gift this book. Hell, gift this book to anyone who has stared above in wonder. Jill Tarter has walked-the-walk as an accomplished scientist. Though gender is addressed the author does not beat you over the head to remind you Tarter is a female in a male dominated scientific community. The fact that she had to fight her way in is actually understated especially when you consider when she chose to pursue what she loves. She was a female scientist when being a female scientist was not in fashion.For any looking for inspiration, I encourage you to read this book. The audacity of the work, the challenge to secure funding, and the constant effort to gain political support is an on-going, competitive endeavor. And, of course, the challenge of finding suitable planets, odd signals and then differentiating them from anything we created is a big technical challenge given the enormity of space.How Tarter perseveres is inspirational and a wonderful lesson for all.This is a well written, inspirational story about a remarkable fighter and a remarkable goal - to discover if we are alone.

Interesting style for a biography, but entertaining to read. If you're interested in SETI Jill Tarter is definetely someone you should know about.

Not as enthralling as I had hoped for. Will read it to the end, but can't see me reading it for the second time.