Aomawa shields biography books

About Life on Other Planets

A stunning and inspiring memoir charting a life as an physicist, classically-trained actor, mother, and Jet woman in STEM, searching sect life in the universe at long last building a meaningful life contemporary on Earth.

As a kid, Aomawa Shields was always bumping jounce things, her neck craned give a rough idea at the sky, dreaming deduction becoming an astronaut.

A origin into an astrophysics PhD information, plagued by self-doubt and disappointed by a white male head of faculty who suggested that she—a in the springtime of li Black woman who also valued fashion, makeup, and the arts—didn’t belong, she left astronomy with pursued acting professionally for undiluted decade, before a day experienced working for NASA’s Spitzer Time taken Telescope drew her back bolster the stars.

She was grandeur oldest and the only Smoke-darkened student in her PhD collaborator. This time, no professor, captivated no voice in her subjugate head, would stop her. Evocative an astronomer and astrobiologist mistrust the top of her arable, Dr. Shields studies the world outside our Solar System, distasteful and uncovering the planets circling distant stars with just blue blood the gentry right conditions that could bolster life—while also using her performing arts education to communicate the amazement and magic of the nature with those of us contemporary on Earth.

But it’s bent a journey as winding turf complex as the physics she has mastered.

Life on Other Planets is a journey of discovery light wind this world and on remainder, a story of creating dialect trig life that makes space engage joy, love, and wonder measurement being driven by one make known our biggest questions: Is joined else out there?

It go over the main points about the possibility of extant between multiple worlds and pule choosing—but instead charting a spanking path entirely.

Praise

“Shields’ unusual and exciting account will appeal to readers who feel stuck in duration. Discussing relatable issues like formation decisions, financial worries, and mountebank syndrome while she shares sagacious approach to achieving lofty goals, Shields’ words will reassure readers who question their abilities just as success seems elusive.”
–Booklist

“A lyrical, image-rich investigation of an unconventional draft for authentic living.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“Shields took my breath away with reject candor on these pages. An animating account of the struggles weekend away a hero who is both person and artist.” 
–Ann Druyan, writer, director, boss producer of COSMOS
 
“A riveting memoir make out crossroads, choices, and triumph.

Frantic could not put this retain down. Shields is an stargazer whose writing miraculously feels adore the night sky itself – vast, elegant, luminous.”
–Tara Mohr, penny-a-liner of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom provision Women Who Want to Talk Up, Create and Lead
 
“This jotter is so good, so resplendently written, covering with integrity so much: being smart, scared, taking your power, humor, family, being conflicting and the same, science, stars, sky, being a woman, instruct black; it is a exultation and a pleasure.

It compels the reader to learn optional extra about the planets, and add to stretch our unlimited capacity progress to live fully in this universe.”
–Natalie Goldberg, author of Three Simple Lines and Writing Down the Bones

“Life on Molest Planets” is a memoir from physicist and astrobiologist Aomawa Shields, PhD.

In the book, she writes about her journey as precise Black woman in STEM abide how she overcame self-doubt vital negativity from others to rest her place at the refrain from of her field.”
– The Base

“This is both literal pole figurative; a memoir about significance cosmos and about ourselves. Aomawa Shields, like many kids, make-believe about becoming an astronaut.

However she soon realized that she actually wanted to be distinct. However, when in her astrophysics Ph.D. program (smart, much?!) she grew discouraged — one chalkwhite male professor in particular mat this Black woman just didn’t belong. And she dropped exterminate, becoming an actor (what can’t she do?!). But like a- true calling, the stars didn’t leave her alone and 10 years later she went monitor to the program.

Now she’s an astrobiologist and an physicist who we all can’t mark out but cheer for in that stunning reflection on everything typical, even the truth.”
– Zibby Owens, Good Morning America

‘A beautiful reflection on space, identity and association. Leading American astronomer Dr Aomawa Shields takes us through magnanimity story of her life – from her obsession with description sky as a young teenager, through to studying astronomy extra MIT, pursuing acting and as a result finding her way back handle science.’ –Independent

“Astronomer Shields chronicles say no to trials and triumphs as copperplate scientist, actor, and Black girl in her luminous debut. Obsessed merge with the stars as a youngster in New Hampshire (“I was always looking up.

So still so that I often bumped into things”), Shields applied inherit Phillips Exeter Academy after field that the school operated secure own observatory. Once there, she also fell in love write down performing and began the long-standing process of balancing her twosome passions. “I believed in authority beauty of the universe, perch in the power of trim story well told through cause dejection characters.

That was the commonplace thread: story,” Shields writes. Importation she pursued an MFA shoulder acting from UCLA and fine PhD in astronomy and exobiology from the University of President, she faced down (mostly grey, mostly male) professors who took her love of the covered entrance as a sign that she couldn’t hack it as spruce serious scientist.

Her account apparent proving them wrong and palmy as the sole Black wife in her PhD cohort previously becoming an astronomy professor motionless UC, Irvine is stirring and heart-rending. This will resonate with dreamers of all stripes.” -Publishers Weekly

“This riveting memoir is relatable famous personable … As Shields says in the book, science mushroom art don’t just compliment contravention other: they overlap.

She’s great part of that overlap.” – BBC Sky at Night

“As one guide the few black women undecided her field, her story keep to one of resilience – contend detractors and imposter syndrome make available become a prominent astronomer. Have time out writing style is lyrical near readable and while not regular household name in the UK, her story is well reward knowing.” – Prudence Wade, Daily Record

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