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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This book blends memoir with explanations of the author's scientific field, astrobiology. Both strands are compelling, but the jumps from one strand to the other are jarring as they are not well-connected. I recommend the book for those who are interested in the career trajectories of women and minorities in academic science fields - it has a lot to say about overcoming systemic roadblocks. I also recommend the book to anyone who suffers from imposter syndrome, as Shields describes how she ultimately finds ways to ameliorate her feelings of inadequacy.
Got about halfway through this one. It was a pretty good story, I just had a lot of other good-looking books to get to and I felt I had gotten all I could out of this one. I skipped ahead and skimmed through the rest of it.
Dr. Aomawa Shields was in the first year of her astrophysics PhD program when a white male professor told her that she wasn't dedicated enough to the field if she also loved things like art, theatre, poetry, and fashion. She spent 10 years working as a professional actor before regaining the courage to pursue her dream. In this memoir, Shields shares her journey to becoming an astronomer and astrobiologist, creating her own path despite being the oldest student and only Black person in her PhD cohort, and why she dreams of life elsewhere in our universe. I really appreciate how Shields discusses things like imposter syndrome and the forces both external and internal that made her feel like an outsider in the world of astronomy. Her story is fascinating and written in a compelling way, and I love how she ties in some of her research topics. It's an inspiring memoir with approachable descriptions of astronomical concepts that will make you look at the stars in a new way.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I made it about 70 pages into this book before stopping. I think Dr. Shields is an incredible speaker, but I didn’t find this book to be engaging. Her writing style changes frequently from formal to casual and I found that distracting.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I don't know that a memoir has touched me so personally for quite some time. Hearing Aomawa talk about never feeling like she fit in, or that she always felt everything was forced in her twenties resonated with me so much. But then her finding herself and learning how to take up her space as a brilliant mind in a male and white-dominated field... it was phenomenal. I listened to the audiobook that she narrates and listening to her tell her own story was amazing. She really makes you feel like she is giving you a warm hug, and mentally I needed that.
This was my favorite quote from the book:
"The different faces of the moon I see throughout each month don't change what the moon actually is; a whole, complete, spherical body hurdling through space in slow orbit around the earth. The moon is bright in places, dark in other places, smooth in places, rough and cratered in other places. I see the moon in light and in shadow. I know that without these parts of the moon, the universe would be the less. I see the moon whole, no part missing, no part detracting from its brilliance, as it lies suspended in perfect union with the vast universe. I am the moon.” Ch. 10 “Life on Other Planets” Aomawa Shields, PhD
This was my favorite quote from the book:
"The different faces of the moon I see throughout each month don't change what the moon actually is; a whole, complete, spherical body hurdling through space in slow orbit around the earth. The moon is bright in places, dark in other places, smooth in places, rough and cratered in other places. I see the moon in light and in shadow. I know that without these parts of the moon, the universe would be the less. I see the moon whole, no part missing, no part detracting from its brilliance, as it lies suspended in perfect union with the vast universe. I am the moon.” Ch. 10 “Life on Other Planets” Aomawa Shields, PhD
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced