An appealing biography of a quietly trailblazing engineer.
An accessible biography of Margaret Hamilton, who had a leadership role in writing the software that would send astronauts to the moon—and bring them back.
A prologue sets up President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon and MIT’s Instrumentation Lab’s role in developing the Apollo Guidance Computer; Margaret was the only woman in the room during a pivotal meeting between skeptical astronauts and the MIT team, who promised to achieve this goal within a few years. Hamilton’s story, intertwined with the Apollo missions, is then set out in a linear fashion: childhood, adolescence, college, and marriage; her path to becoming a key player in writing the software for the AGC; and multiple Apollo missions and her career after the Apollo program ended. Hamilton’s task was not just to write code, but to persuade the astronauts to trust the digital autopilot feature; she accomplished both and declared the moon landing a highlight of her life. Technical language and terms are explained simply, and captioned photographs and sidebar content are included generously throughout. These valuable elements—such as a photo of Hamilton in a command module simulator and information about Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson—make the book inviting and approachable. The book presents Hamilton as not having focused or dwelled on any gender-based discrimination she faced and does not look at how she was able to succeed despite it.
An appealing biography of a quietly trailblazing engineer. (timeline, notes, references, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-62672-856-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ali makes a near-perfect subject for this eye-catching example of creative nonfiction.
The story of sports icon Muhammad Ali is told through created documents that explore his controversial life and its impact.
Ali was probably the first figure whose time on the public stage brought together issues of sports, race, religion and politics. His larger-than-life persona attracted great media attention, much of it polarizing. To tell his story, Denenberg has created fictional articles from newspapers and magazines, “man-on-the-street” interviews, letters to the editor, and “breaking news” radio and TV transcripts, all well-grounded in the context of the turbulent 1960s and ’70s. Ali’s religious conversion, his adoption of the name that defined him, and his relationships with Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad are shown generating mixed reactions in both black and white communities. The boxer’s stand against the Vietnam War, the career price he paid and his comeback culminating in his current legendary status round out the narrative. Period photographs and sepia-tone pages support the style of the telling. Similar to other works of nonfiction that employ fictional techniques, the created documents are based on the author’s extensive research and serve to focus on those aspects of Ali’s life that will resonate, and the accessible layout will connect especially with reluctant readers.
Ali makes a near-perfect subject for this eye-catching example of creative nonfiction. (timeline, bibliography) (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4814-0141-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
A tour (de force) through the human body that’s eminently understandable and entertaining and even often quite funny.
Anatomy and physiology presented in a readable, comprehensible and entertaining format.
One of the 50 Questions series, this effort presents a tour of the systems of the human body through the use of chapter-heading questions. Most questions imbue a level of humor to the presentation: “Is [the heart] a pump or a love machine?” or “Is there snot in your stomach?” These might irritate the most serious students, but many more will be intrigued enough to read further. Detailed information is presented in a conversational style. Ample, accurate scientific details are broken into short sections that make the complexity of the human body more comprehensible and may inspire more in-depth research. The inclusion of brief, illuminating historical anecdotes—for example, a fur trader who had a hole shot in his stomach in 1822 and lived to tell the tale—provides a context for our current understanding of the human body. Occasional references to recent technology, like an implanted microchip to control building electronics, are sure to awe readers. A smattering of experiments, including one to make synthetic mucus, offer yet another dimension. Kinnaird’s quirky, generally silly, cartoonlike illustrations pepper the pages, adding flavor and flair. End material, particularly the outstanding sources used for chapter notes, elevates this offering even further.
A tour (de force) through the human body that’s eminently understandable and entertaining and even often quite funny. (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55451-613-1
Page Count: 108
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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