Meticulous theorization and history of BEING Black in space
598770
Title of review suffices. This is a necessary and illuminating read, as are the texts to which this project is indebted
155981
I picked up this book because I didn't know anything about space, other than watching Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.  All I knew was I WANT all of that to be real, I love the idea of space travel, aliens, etc. and I wanted to know where we are really at in terms of discovering all of this.  This book is amazingly well written.  Hawking does a great job of explaining really complicated science in straightforward terms.  It's still challenging, and not "light" reading, but fascinating stuff.  It left me feeling in total awe of the universe we live in, and humbled, actually, to know that somehow humanity came about from these random (or not? depends on if you believe in God) collisions of stars and heating/cooling of elements...I think everyone should read this book.
2685189
So much more detail than could fit into the movie Hidden Figures. The history of segregation, but more importantly what it felt like at the time is enough to read this book. The separate discrimination as women, and as black, make the story of their engineering triumphs all the more spectacular.
2036479
In this book, Sowell has driven the final nail into the coffin of weak-minded, non-historical Afrocentric sophistry that has polluted and retarded serious study of negroid ethnic people over the past 40 years.

Unacknowledged by the USA's dark/pale Marxist-Lenninist-Maoist "political correct intellectually dishonest" class for nearly a century have been open-minded intellectuals and clear-eyed thinkers such as...

Albert Murray, Ralph Ellison, James A. McPherson, Constance Rourke, John A Kouwenhoven, Harold Cruse, Stanley Crouch, Gerald Early, Philip D Morgan, Stephen L Carter, Randall Kennedy, John H McWhorter, David Levering Lewis, Wilson Jeremiah Moses, Robert L Woodson, Sr, Ira Berlin, James Weldon Johnson, Benjamin E Mays, Sterling Brown, J Saunders Reddings, Frank M Snowden, Jr, Aaron Douglas, Romare Bearden, Kenneth M Stampp, Eugene D Genovese, Stanley Engerman, Herbert G Gutman,  Lois E Horton, James O Horton, Eric Foner, Nathan B Huggins, Sidney W Mintz, Leon F Litwack, John Thornton, John W Blassingame, George M Fredrickson, Edmund S Morgan, David Brion Davis, Winthrop D Jordan and Nell Irvin Painter...

who have aurged in various forms/ideas/shapes/ways on the unique "All-Americanism" of the human experience of USA Negro ethnic citizens.

Sowell documents that this is in-fact the case:

It can be strongly and loudly said - as many of the above authors have done - the USA Negro is the most "American" of all Americans.

Afrocentric non-thinkers need to face this cold, hard fact and all other realities of the modern human condition.

African cultures, African material products and African social values that existed below the Sahara - 386 years ago - offered enslaved negro ethnic men and women "nothing" worth keeping during their first 246 years in the North American colonies and later in the usa.

As Sowell shows, most bonded southern USA Negroes (between 1619 to 1865) adopted cultural patterns of those living in "semi-freedom/semi-bondaged" around them: that of the dysfunctional, self-destructive, anti-intellectually-engaged, "lowlife" english/irish, near pale/pale/off-pale redneck-yeoman/yeowoman-cracker.

Thomas Sowell's over-riding message in this book can be summed up very simply as...

Vile Criminally-Diseased & Criminally-Insane Black Ghetto Rats: Let Go Of Your Redneck Ways

Blues to you
1604821
I was a bit skeptical about this book at first since it has a bit of a Sci-fi edge to it.. which just isn't my genre in books or movies. However the sci-fi aspect just added to the story and is an important part of it.
I finished this book is ONE day, I couldn't put it down!
Ms Boof writes vividly, you almost feel as though you're there in the story. I wish the book was a little longer and I wish she elaborated on certain parts but overall this book still has some powerful messages and sheds light on the self hatred we as black people carry all the way from Africa to America.. and the disdain that our own men and a lot of the world feel for black women basically dating back since the beginning of time. I learned a lot in this book, and it also made me take a look at some of my own ways of thinking.
Definitely a must read.
1939083
Excellent reading. I had no idea about the importance of African Americans, in particular African American women, in the United States' race to space.  Can't wait for the film about these brilliant women to hit theaters this winter!!
362536
"The Emperor has no clothes!" is the theme of this masterfully written treatise. The author proves that Einstein stole credit for the theory of relativity, by comparing side-by-side the words of Einstein with the words of his predecessors. The documentation presented in this book is incredible! There appear to be thousands of references. I predict the emergence of many doctoral theses based on the facts presented in this book. I agree with the author's conclusion that "Einstein" is a comic book legend born of hype and myth. I never knew that there was so much evidence to support the conclusion that Einstein's first wife wrote his papers. I also was surprised to learn that Minkowski's ideas were so unoriginal. It seems this will be a series (see page 107), with a book coming out on the general theory? If so, I can't wait to read it. This is a really well written book! I'm glad I bought it. AJ
3562666
As I turn 19, I am in search of answers as to my identity & the identity of my people, where we come from. I am somewhat familiar with our history but I always wandered how are people fell so low from rulers & leaders of Civilization to semi-savages and a people with no identity ,nor purpose. I am just getting into the read and 61 pages in already it is packed to the gills with history. Things I never knew. I can tell that this will be a very rewarding read and study! also in this book Chancellor Williams lays a strong foundation for future historians studying the history of the Black Man & Woman so that they aren't researching thru the lens of white supremacy.
3680902
This mighty book is a veritable kaleidoscope of intriguing personalities; all of them with a common legacy - they were all selected at some time as a candidate to fly into space.  Many made it, while others didn't for varying reasons, but they are all in here, with individual photographs accompanying each biographical entry.  It is a brilliant concept, and extraordinarily handy for spaceflight researchers and biographers such as myself.  It is as close to indispensible as any book can be.

The only difficulty for the author in producing such a book lies in the fact that every year, ineluctably, sees a whole new batch of spaceflight candidates selected; the reason why this book has already been revised twice (and let's hope for a fourth revision).

Moreso than any other book, "Who's Who in Space" offers a history of human spaceflight by showcasing the men and women who were and are an integral part of that history, and the author is to be commended for his diligent and ongoing research.  Highly recommended in all editions.
3357599
This MUST BE ADDED IN EVERY BLACK PERSONAL LIBRARY.  Every Black person MUST read this book.  Beautifully written!
So much hidden gems within this book.  As a young woman who is embarking on  her spiritual journey, I recognized (some part of ) myself within this book.

"It was all in me. I was the room and the door. It was all me. I just had to remember. "  Malidoma Some.
381697
Hansen has penned an epic look at the life of Neil Armstrong and the early history of unmanned and manned flights to the moon. His look is both telescopic and microscopic. Telescopic in the grandeur of its scope, moving from 500 years ago in Armstrong's ancestral Scotland to Armstrong's life today, and everything in between. Microscopic in the detail of its scope, examining every cell of Armstrong's life from his mother's character, to his boyhood fascination with engineering, to his early training, to his relationship, to his inner thoughts and feelings.

Weighing in at a hefty 784 pages, "First Man" is a heavyweight edition to the growing historical biographies about manned space flight. Armstrong, notoriously private, opens his life to Hansen leading to many surprising revelations, especially the details of the Gemini 8 emergency which reads like a Ronnie Howard Apollo 13 script.

"The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" dips equally into his career and his character. At times the mind-boggling vocational details are over-presented, slowing down an otherwise gripping historical narrative. Counterintuitively, the most compelling narratives occur on earth, not in the heavens. Hansen's account of the death of Karen Armstrong, Neil's daughter, personalizes the engineer into the father. His account of Armstrong's divorce from Janet personalizes the engineer into the human being.

Reading "First Man" feels like having the visor lifted from Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit. We glimpse the man behind the mission, and the mission of the man.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph. D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."
1801798
Coincidentally, I'd just finished reading the Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson when I heard an NPR interview with the author of this book.  I was immediately hooked because of the similarities and parallels between the African American community's trek  out of the south and the Bengali seamen's trek across our country. The fact that the Bengalis, because of their dark skin, faced some of the same prejudices and outrages that American born Blacks faced, was eye opening and saddening.  Good book with extensive documentation.  Must-read if you are interested in another facet of our American history.
329348
In An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, former CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield shares a variety of tales from his extensive career both on and off the planet, as well as the personal philosophy that helped him through it all.

Hadfield is the kind of individual that you want as role model your children.  His work ethic is exemplary, and he emphasizes the critical nature of ongoing personal education and development as key to his success.  Don't determine your self worth based on where you end up, he says, but on the effort you will put in to get there.  If something is worth doing, it is worth committing to and doing well, regardless of the payoff.  Perhaps not revolutionary ideas in and of themselves, but backed by the life story of someone who has embraced these principles and embodied them.  Hadfield's career is a feel good story for anyone who believes in the power of hard work and education.

While An Astronaut's Guide spends a lot of time on the author's attitudes and ethics, it's by no means a self help book.  The text is also a candid biography, giving great insight into the years of development that went into building the career of a star (no pun intended) astronaut.  Hadfield reminisces on his youth, his time as a military test pilot, and his many additional years training at NASA before ever reaching space.  We learn how the intense commitment involved can affect personal relationships and family dynamics.  It becomes clear that today's select few astronauts represent, in many ways, the pinnacle of humanity: it's a lifestyle that demands levels of intelligence, dedication, and both physical and mental training that very few of us could hope to successfully achieve.

Chris Hadfield first reached fame several years ago through a series of educational and entertaining social media postings made from the ISS.  We learn that these were motivated by his love of the space program, and, with the help of his son back on Earth, he wanted to do his part to boost public awareness and interest.  The videos became a hit and internet stardom followed.  I'm the kind of person who finds any story about life beyond Earth hard to pass up, simply for the curiosity and wonder they evoke.  From the vastness of the cosmos to the minutia of how to brush your teeth successfully in zero gravity, it's all fascinating stuff, and Hadfield, who flew on three separate occasions, brings these anecdotes in spades. The same attitude that lead him to educational social media carries through in his writing, and we're gifted with numerous stories that run the gamut from the profound and enlightening to the humorous.  The author is consistently candid about the astronaut experience, and these sections proved particularly hard to put down.

All in all, it's difficult not to recommend this book.  If you're already a fan of space travel, or the space program, you will receive a bevy of stories and insights from a man who spent decades at NASA and commanded the ISS.  And if you aren't a space enthusiast yet, you might just be one by the end.  But even without all of the fantastic anecdotes, Chris Hadfield is still an eminently likable and admirable personality with a lot of unique life experience to share.  Worth reading whether you're an aspiring astronaut, or just aspiring to become a more enlightened human being.
1231681
I picked up this book out of curiosity and I loved it. This book takes a scientific and intelligent approach in interpreting the world of Black Pimps and goes real deep and beyond the big fur coats, canes, funny hats, and legion of hot women you typically see on television and in the movies.
3034462
Black Whole is a giant leap along the road of how the Universe REALLY works.  It is backed up by other research, and very strangely coincided with the CERN FTL incident.  (Which they are now busy repudiating (Feb '12) since it conflicts with Einstein)

Einstein was a genius; he would have loved to meet Nassim Haramein.  The two of them would have been dynamite!

If your curiosity gene is alive and well, don't miss this - it is BRILLIANT.  (AND better yet - Nassim is a genius and a scientist who can speak in baby talk for the likes of me, a non-scientist!)

I've watched it 3 times, and learned more each time.  Here come the next three......
2472444
So inspiring and complete.
I think every Black person in this world really have to read this book once in their lifetime.
2944698
While there is already a strong body of work from the likes of Anthony Browder showing that at least some of the Ancient Egyptians were Black Africans, it is two white guys, Robert Bauval and Thomas Brophy, who show without a doubt that Imhotep, celebrity doctor, architect, engineer and, um, Renaissance man of his time, was a Black African. Strong academic research backs it all up. Bravo Bauval & Brophy!