Character Analysis
As nerds, we think we're justified in saying that The Martian is one geek-filled book. The novel is filled to the brim with 'em: Doctor Who-loving, botany-studying, wheeling-and-dealing nerds. There is one person, however, who stands apart in this world of black framed glasses and disco records.
That person is Annie Montrose.
As NASA's resident PR guru, Annie is charged with rallying public support for the rescue mission. This is actually a pretty big deal, because the novel shows us "how much red tape gets cut when everyone's rooting for one man to survive" (21.18). With Annie Montrose leading the charge (giving "hourly press conferences," no less), what could've been a PR disaster turned into a massive success (7.179).
We don't think that this takes away from the great work of scientists like Rich Purnell and Mindy Park—we just think that this no-nonsense PR professional deserves her fair share of the praise.