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A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults) by Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz
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A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults)

My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars

My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars

My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars

My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz
Read by Hakeem Oluseyi

By Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz
Read by Hakeem Oluseyi

Best Seller
Paperback $12.99

Aug 13, 2024 | ISBN 9781984849663 | Young Adult

Hardcover $18.99

Aug 15, 2023 | ISBN 9781984849632 | Young Adult

Ebook $8.99

Aug 15, 2023 | ISBN 9781984849656 | Young Adult

Audiobook Download $18.00

Aug 15, 2023 | 462 Minutes | Young Adult

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    A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults) by Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz
    Hardcover $18.99
    Aug 15, 2023 | ISBN 9781984849632

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    • $12.99

      Aug 13, 2024 | ISBN 9781984849663 | Young Adult

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • $18.99

      Aug 15, 2023 | ISBN 9781984849632 | Young Adult

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Aug 15, 2023 | ISBN 9781984849656 | Young Adult

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Aug 15, 2023 | ISBN 9780593680278 | Young Adult

      462 Minutes

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    About A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults)

    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.

    About A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults)

    Renowned American astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi (born James Plummer) pens a gripping, gritty coming-of-age memoir, from young boy to graduate-school student, that will resonate with teenagers, especially those of color, who are facing many choices and obstacles as they navigate their young adult lives.

    He was born James Plummer and grew up in poor neighborhoods where  gangs were common. What set him apart were his love of the starlit sky and the mysteries of science and his off-the-charts IQ.

    Despite the constant upheaval and turbulence of his home life, James  devoured books, conducted science experiments, and taught himself computer programming, winning a state science fair with his project  modeling Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. His thirst for knowledge would be his guiding star even when destructive habits—a crack cocaine addiction in college and graduate school—nearly derailed his dream of  becoming a research physicist. Although at times he self-sabotaged his life and found the struggle nearly unbearable, he persevered and ultimately became a renowned astrophysicist, changing his name to Hakeem Oluseyi to honor his ancestors. 

    This honest, compelling memoir will inspire readers to reach for their own dreams.

    About A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults)

    Renowned American astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi (born James Plummer) pens a gripping, gritty coming-of-age memoir, from young boy to graduate-school student, that will resonate with teenagers, especially those of color, who are facing many choices and obstacles as they navigate their young adult lives.

    He was born James Plummer and grew up in poor neighborhoods where  gangs were common. What set him apart were his love of the starlit sky and the mysteries of science and his off-the-charts IQ.

    Despite the constant upheaval and turbulence of his home life, James  devoured books, conducted science experiments, and taught himself computer programming, winning a state science fair with his project  modeling Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. His thirst for knowledge would be his guiding star even when destructive habits—a crack cocaine addiction in college and graduate school—nearly derailed his dream of  becoming a research physicist. Although at times he self-sabotaged his life and found the struggle nearly unbearable, he persevered and ultimately became a renowned astrophysicist, changing his name to Hakeem Oluseyi to honor his ancestors. 

    This honest, compelling memoir will inspire readers to reach for their own dreams.

    About A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults)

    Renowned American astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi (born James Plummer) pens a gripping, gritty coming-of-age memoir, from young boy to graduate-school student, that will resonate with teenagers, especially those of color, who are facing many choices and obstacles as they navigate their young adult lives.

    He was born James Plummer and grew up in poor neighborhoods where  gangs were common. What set him apart were his love of the starlit sky and the mysteries of science and his off-the-charts IQ.

    Despite the constant upheaval and turbulence of his home life, James  devoured books, conducted science experiments, and taught himself computer programming, winning a state science fair with his project  modeling Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. His thirst for knowledge would be his guiding star even when destructive habits—a crack cocaine addiction in college and graduate school—nearly derailed his dream of  becoming a research physicist. Although at times he self-sabotaged his life and found the struggle nearly unbearable, he persevered and ultimately became a renowned astrophysicist, changing his name to Hakeem Oluseyi to honor his ancestors. 

    This honest, compelling memoir will inspire readers to reach for their own dreams.

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    Listen to a sample from A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults)

    About Hakeem Oluseyi

    Hakeem Oluseyi is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, inventor, educator, television personality, and public speaker. Since 2007, he has been a professor… More about Hakeem Oluseyi

    About Joshua Horwitz

    Joshua Horwitz is the author of the New York Times bestseller War of the Whales: A True Story, which won the… More about Joshua Horwitz

    About Hakeem Oluseyi

    Hakeem Oluseyi is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, inventor, educator, television personality, and public speaker. Since 2007, he has been a professor… More about Hakeem Oluseyi

    About Joshua Horwitz

    Joshua Horwitz is the author of the New York Times bestseller War of the Whales: A True Story, which won the… More about Joshua Horwitz

    About Hakeem Oluseyi

    Hakeem Oluseyi is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, inventor, educator, television personality, and public speaker. Since 2007, he has been a professor… More about Hakeem Oluseyi

    About Joshua Horwitz

    Joshua Horwitz is the author of the New York Times bestseller War of the Whales: A True Story, which won the… More about Joshua Horwitz

    About Hakeem Oluseyi

    Hakeem Oluseyi is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, inventor, educator, television personality, and public speaker. Since 2007, he has been a professor… More about Hakeem Oluseyi

    About Joshua Horwitz

    Joshua Horwitz is the author of the New York Times bestseller War of the Whales: A True Story, which won the… More about Joshua Horwitz

    Product Details

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Nonfiction

    Paperback | $12.99
    Published by Ember
    Aug 13, 2024 | 352 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | Young Adult | ISBN 9781984849663

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Nonfiction

    Hardcover | $18.99
    Published by Delacorte Press
    Aug 15, 2023 | 352 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | Young Adult | ISBN 9781984849632

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Nonfiction

    Ebook | $8.99
    Published by Delacorte Press
    Aug 15, 2023 | 352 Pages | Young Adult | ISBN 9781984849656

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Nonfiction | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $18.00
    Published by Listening Library
    Aug 15, 2023 | 462 Minutes | Young Adult | ISBN 9780593680278

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    Praise

    ★ “This absorbing, suspenseful memoir….will keep readers riveted.” —Booklist, starred review

    “Unflinchingly honest; a memoir in which young readers can find useful lessons.” —Kirkus Reviews

    “By celebrating a Black academic in the STEM field, this scientist’s memoir envisions a place for anyone who has a dream that the possibility is there to achieve it.” —School Library Journal

    Awards

    Mathical Book Prize WINNER 2024

    Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books SELECTION 2023

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