A scientist’s candid, unnerving memoir in which her profession takes a back seat to personal struggles.
An Egyptian American astrophysicist describes a turbulent life.
Nance was educated at a religious private school, where her fascination with the stars overcame her reluctance to quarrel with the school’s minister about spiritual matters. Though her parents were loving, they fought constantly. They separated for the first time when the author was in high school, and they got divorced while she was in graduate school. With a chaotic home life, Nance took shelter in education and her yearning to become an astronomer. Readers will admire her ability to overcome the expected barriers, including sexist teachers and a lack of female mentors and classmates. Most of the text describes the miseries of her personal life; at one point during high school, both parents moved out, leaving her to live alone for much of the year. The author fell in love with a fellow college student, but he turned out to be jealous and abusive. Later, her father was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. After she discovered that she inherited his cancer gene, which would likely lead to breast cancer, she underwent a double mastectomy in her early 20s. The remainder of the book recounts her progress to a career in astrophysics, and Nance discusses inspirational teachers and exhilarating experiences contemplating the heavens, often pausing for short, stand-alone essays on astronomical basics, including planets, black holes, and the Big Bang. The author is unafraid to admit being overwhelmed by her setbacks and recounts a steady stream of crushing disappointments, anxiety, panic attacks, psychotherapy, depression, and treatment for PTSD. “It is at night,” she writes, “when my work pauses and I have no structure, that the terror takes over, when I feel invisible claws wrapping around my heart and squeezing my chest.” At the conclusion, she has found love and a satisfying career.
A scientist’s candid, unnerving memoir in which her profession takes a back seat to personal struggles.Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780593186794
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
A remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.
A duo of French mathematicians makes the scientific case for God in this nonfiction book.
Since its 2021 French-language publication in Paris, this work by Bolloré and Bonnassies has sold more than 400,000 copies. Now translated into English for the first time by West and Jones, the book offers a new introduction featuring endorsements from a range of scientists and religious leaders, including Nobel Prize-winning astronomers and Roman Catholic cardinals. This appeal to authority, both religious and scientific, distinguishes this volume from a genre of Christian apologetics that tends to reject, rather than embrace, scientific consensus. Central to the book’s argument is that contemporary scientific advancements have undone past emphases on materialist interpretations of the universe (and their parallel doubts of spirituality). According to the authors’ reasoned arguments, what now forms people’s present understanding of the universe—including quantum mechanics, relativity, and the Big Bang—puts “the question of the existence of a creator God back on the table,” given the underlying implications. Einstein’s theory of relativity, for instance, presupposes that if a cause exists behind the origin of the universe, then it must be atemporal, non-spatial, and immaterial. While the book’s contentions related to Christianity specifically, such as its belief in the “indisputable truths contained in the Bible,” may not be as convincing as its broader argument on how the idea of a creator God fits into contemporary scientific understanding, the volume nevertheless offers a refreshingly nuanced approach to the topic. From the work’s outset, the authors (academically trained in math and engineering) reject fundamentalist interpretations of creationism (such as claims that Earth is only 6,000 years old) as “fanciful beliefs” while challenging the philosophical underpinnings of a purely materialist understanding of the universe that may not fit into recent scientific paradigm shifts. Featuring over 500 pages and more than 600 research notes, this book strikes a balance between its academic foundations and an accessible writing style, complemented by dozens of photographs from various sources, diagrams, and charts.
A remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9789998782402
Page Count: 562
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.
The third volume in the Elephant Whisperer series.
In this follow-up to An Elephant in My Kitchen, Malby-Anthony continues her loving portrait of the Thula Thula wildlife reserve, which she co-founded in 1998 with her late husband, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who published the first book in the series, The Elephant Whisperer, in 2009. Following his death in 2012, Malby-Anthony sought to honor his legacy by continuing his vision “to create a massive conservancy in Zululand, incorporating our land and other small farms and community land into one great big game park.” At the same time, the elephants gave her “a sense of purpose and direction.” In the Zulu language, thula means quiet, and though the author consistently seeks to provide that calm to her charges, peace and tranquility are not always easy to come by at Thula Thula. In this installment, Malby-Anthony discusses many of the challenges faced by her and her staff, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included an aggressive, 2-ton rhino named Thabo; the profound loss felt by all upon the death of their elephant matriarch, Frankie; difficulty obtaining permits and the related risk of having to relocate or cull some of their animals; the fear of looting and fire due to civil unrest in the region; and the ongoing and potentially deadly struggles with poachers. Throughout, the author also shares many warm, lighthearted moments, demonstrating the deep bond felt among the humans and animals at the reserve and the powerful effects of the kindness of strangers. “We are all working in unity for the greater good, for the betterment of Thula Thula and all our wildlife….We are humbled by the generosity and love, both from our guests and friends, and from strangers all around the world,” writes the author. “People’s open-hearted support kept us alive in the darkest times.”
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250284259
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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