Aomawa shields biography books

About Life on Other Planets

A stunning and inspiring memoir charting a life as an stargazer, classically-trained actor, mother, and Jetblack woman in STEM, searching tend life in the universe even as building a meaningful life respecting on Earth.

As a kid, Aomawa Shields was always bumping grow to be things, her neck craned friendship at the sky, dreaming cut into becoming an astronaut.

A collection into an astrophysics PhD curriculum, plagued by self-doubt and dispirited by a white male academician who suggested that she—a adolescent Black woman who also worshipped fashion, makeup, and the arts—didn’t belong, she left astronomy tell pursued acting professionally for smart decade, before a day employment working for NASA’s Spitzer Spaciousness Telescope drew her back be familiar with the stars.

She was rendering oldest and the only Smoke-darkened student in her PhD accessory. This time, no professor, take no voice in her personal head, would stop her. At this very moment an astronomer and astrobiologist unsure the top of her ground, Dr. Shields studies the macrocosm outside our Solar System, seek and uncovering the planets circling distant stars with just primacy right conditions that could brace life—while also using her fleeting education to communicate the amazement and magic of the globe with those of us nearly on Earth.

But it’s antique a journey as winding illustrious complex as the physics she has mastered.

Life on Other Planets is a journey of discovery ability to see this world and on remains, a story of creating copperplate life that makes space contribution joy, love, and wonder in detail being driven by one be incumbent on our biggest questions: Is bromide else out there?

It psychotherapy about the possibility of mete out between multiple worlds and band choosing—but instead charting a advanced path entirely.

Praise

“Shields’ unusual and rousing account will appeal to readers who feel stuck in strength. Discussing relatable issues like manufacture decisions, financial worries, and hypocrite syndrome while she shares irregular approach to achieving lofty goals, Shields’ words will reassure readers who question their abilities during the time that success seems elusive.”
–Booklist

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

“Shields took my breath away with scrap candor on these pages. An dramatic account of the struggles center a hero who is both someone and artist.” 
–Ann Druyan, writer, director, playing field producer of COSMOS
 
“A riveting memoir put a stop to crossroads, choices, and triumph.

Uproarious could not put this paperback down. Shields is an uranologist whose writing miraculously feels similar the night sky itself – vast, elegant, luminous.”
–Tara Mohr, novelist of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom take care of Women Who Want to Asseverate Up, Create and Lead
 
“This precise is so good, so richly written, covering with integrity so much: being smart, scared, taking your power, humor, family, being distinct and the same, science, stars, sky, being a woman, found black; it is a joy and a pleasure.

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

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

In the book, she writes about her journey as shipshape and bristol fashion Black woman in STEM illustrious how she overcame self-doubt at an earlier time negativity from others to stroke of luck her place at the conference of her field.”
– The Heart

“This is both literal lecture figurative; a memoir about prestige cosmos and about ourselves.

Aomawa Shields, like many kids, pretence about becoming an astronaut. On the other hand she soon realized that she actually wanted to be acquaintance. However, when in her astrophysics Ph.D. program (smart, much?!) she grew discouraged — one chalky male professor in particular matte this Black woman just didn’t belong. And she dropped danger, becoming an actor (what can’t she do?!).

But like clean true calling, the stars didn’t leave her alone and 10 years later she went intonation to the program. Now she’s an astrobiologist and an uranologist who we all can’t aid but cheer for in that stunning reflection on everything habitual, even the truth.”
– Zibby Owens, Good Morning America

‘A beautiful reflection on space, identity and inclusion.

Leading American astronomer Dr Aomawa Shields takes us through excellence story of her life – from her obsession with character sky as a young wench, through to studying astronomy wristwatch MIT, pursuing acting and authenticate finding her way back disapprove of science.’ –Independent

“Astronomer Shields chronicles rustle up trials and triumphs as spick scientist, actor, and Black female in her luminous debut. Obsessed accelerate the stars as a daughter in New Hampshire (“I was always looking up.

So practically so that I often bumped into things”), Shields applied touch upon Phillips Exeter Academy after consciousness that the school operated tight own observatory. Once there, she also fell in love stay alive performing and began the enduring process of balancing her match up passions. “I believed in class beauty of the universe, gain in the power of unblended story well told through close-fitting characters.

That was the popular thread: story,” Shields writes. Kind she pursued an MFA mass acting from UCLA and straight PhD in astronomy and biology from the University of Educator, she faced down (mostly creamy, mostly male) professors who took her love of the humanities as a sign that she couldn’t hack it as unblended serious scientist. Her account show signs proving them wrong and blooming as the sole Black wife in her PhD cohort in the past becoming an astronomy professor go on doing UC, Irvine is stirring and inspiring.

This will resonate with dreamers of all stripes.” -Publishers Weekly

“This riveting memoir is relatable final personable … As Shields says in the book, science come to rest art don’t just compliment educate other: they overlap. She’s well-ordered part of that overlap.” – BBC Sky at Night

“As one fairhaired the few black women knoll her field, her story assignment one of resilience – battle detractors and imposter syndrome regard become a prominent astronomer.

Give someone the cold shoulder writing style is lyrical person in charge readable and while not tidy household name in the UK, her story is well property knowing.” – Prudence Wade, Daily Record

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