Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780593186794)

In a beautifully written, science-packed, and inspirational memoir, Egyptian-American astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance shares how she boldly carved out a place in the field of astrophysics, grounding herself in a lifelong love of the stars to face life's inevitable challenges and embrace the unknown.

As a child, Sarafina El-Badry Nance spent nearly every evening with her father gazing up at the flickering stars and pondering what secrets the night sky held. The daughter of an American father and Egyptian mother who both pushed her toward academic excellence, Sarafina dreamed of becoming an astronomer and untangling the mysteries of the stars overhead. But it wasn't long before she was told, both explicitly and implicitly, that girls just weren't cut out for math and science.

In Starstruck, Sarafina invites us to consider the cosmos through fascinating science lessons to open each chapter. But she also traces more earthbound obstacles--of misogyny and racism, abuse and intergenerational trauma, anxiety and self-doubt, cancer diagnoses and recovery--she faced along the way. As her career and passion for space brought her from UT Austin to UC Berkeley, and even to a Mars astronaut simulation in Hawai'i, Sarafina learned how to survive--and ultimately thrive--in a space that was seldom welcoming to women, and especially not to women of color.

Honest and empowering, Starstruck sits at the intersection of the study of our cosmos--itself constantly changing--and the transformative experience of embracing resilience to pursue one's passion.


Author: Sarafina El-Badry Nance
ISBN-10: 0593186796
ISBN-13: 9780593186794
Publisher: Dutton
Language: English
Published: 06/06/2023
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.30w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2023
Booklist 06/01/2023 pg. 24