A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults): My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars

By Hakeem Oluseyi, Joshua Horwitz

Edition

Library edition with trade jacket added

Publisher Penguin Random House Imprint Delacorte ISBN

9781984849649

A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults): My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars

Name: A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults): My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars
SKU: 9781984849649J
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

In stock

SKU

9781984849649J

Skip to the end of the images gallery

Skip to the beginning of the images gallery

CONTENT NOTIFICATIONS

Crime: Drug Trafficking/Dealing,Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism,Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Drug Use/Abuse,Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Underage Use,Language: Strong Language,Violence: Child Abuse,Violence: Cruelty to Animals,Violence: Domestic/Physical Abuse,Violence: Gun Violence

Details

A NASA astrophysicist narrates his improbable journey from an impoverished childhood and an adolescence mired in drugs and crime to the nation's top physics PhD program at Stanford in this inspiring coming-of-age memoir.

Born into extreme poverty and emotional deprivation, James Edward Plummer was blessed with a genius I.Q. and a love of science. But in his community, a young bookworm quickly becomes a target for violence and abuse. As he struggles to survive his childhood in some of the toughest cities in the country, and his teenage years in the equally poor backwoods of Mississippi, James adopts the hybrid persona of a "gangsta nerd"--dealing weed in juke joints while winning state science fairs with computer programs that untangle the mysteries of Einstein's relativity theory.

When his prodigious intellect gains him admission to the elite Physics PhD program at Stanford University, James finds himself torn between his love of science and a dangerous crack cocaine habit he developed in college. With the encouragement of his mentor Art Walker, the lone Black faculty member in the physics department, James finally seizes his dream of a life in science and becomes his true adult self, changing his name to Hakeem Muata Oluseyi in honor--and celebration--of his African heritage.

In the tradition of The Autobiography of Malcolm X and The Other Wes Moore, A Quantum Life is an uplifting journey to the stars fueled by hope, hustle, and a hungry mind. As he charts his development as a young scientist, Oluseyi also plumbs the mysteries of the universe where potential personal outcomes are as infinite as the stars in the sky.

More Information

More Information
Standard MARC Records Download Standard MARC Records Cover Art Download Cover Art

Reviews

Biography High Plus (Grades 9 & Up)

Biography High Plus

Biography High Plus (Grades 9 & Up)

For Grades 9 & Up

Fascinating biographies and compelling personal stories that provide a view into history or perspective on the issues of our times.

14 books per Year

$302.40 per Year

Interests

Diversity, LGBTQ+, Nonfiction, Biographies

Like this book? Get more like this every month.

LEARN MORE

The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and ...
By David J. Dennis Jr.,David J. Dennis Sr.

Biography High Plus

May 2022

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Crime: Hate Crimes,Language: Racial or Ethnic Epithet/Slur,Language: Strong Language,Sexual Content: Reference/Discussion,Violence: Domestic/Physical Abuse,Violence: Torture

Add to Cart
My Selma: Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement
By Willie Mae Brown

Biography High Plus

January 2023

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism,Discrimination: Xenophobia,Language: Infrequent Use,Language: Mild Language,Language: Racial or Ethnic Epithet/Slur,Violence: General

Add to Cart
Don't Look Back: A Memoir of War ...
By Achut Deng,Keely Hutton

Biography High Plus

October 2022

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Medical: Graphic Descriptions,Violence: Sexual Assault/Rape,Violence: War/Harsh Realities of War

Add to Cart
Disappearing Act
By Jiordan Castle

Biography High Plus

August 2023

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Crime: General,Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Underage Use,Language: Strong Language,Violence: Suicide Reference/Discussion

Add to Cart
Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor's Life
By Marilyn Nelson

Biography High Plus

January 2022

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism,Illustrations/Images: Nudity/Partial Nudity,Language: Racial or Ethnic Epithet/Slur,Violence: Child Abuse

Add to Cart
From Here
By Luma Mufleh

Biography High Plus

May 2023

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Crime: Punishment/Execution,Discrimination: Reference/Discussion,Discrimination: Religious,Discrimination: Sexism,Discrimination: Sexuality,Language: Moderate Language,Sexual Content: Contact Between Adult and Minor,Sexual Content: Mild Sexual Content/Themes,Violence: Gun Violence,Violence: Suicide,Violence: War/Harsh Realities of War

Add to Cart
Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam
Written and illustrated by Thien Pham

Biography High Plus

June 2023

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism,Violence: Mild Violence

Add to Cart
Abuela, Don't Forget Me
By Rex Ogle

Biography High Plus

September 2022

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS

Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism,Discrimination: Sexuality,Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Underage Use,Language: Infrequent Use,Language: Strong Language,Violence: Child Abuse

Add to Cart