Customer Reviews

Find Where The Wind Goes: Moments From My Life

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I read this book with girls ages 11-14 in a mentoring program that I am involved in. We had such a wonderful discussion. The girls could instantly relate to the challenges that Dr. Jemison faced as a young African American girl trying to excel in a non-traditional field of endeavor.

I highly recommend this book because Dr. Jemison is so warm, honest and down to earth in her story telling. She also lets you see the ordinary side of her and her family. It gives every little girl the realization that they too (with a little hard work) can achieve their dreams if they remain focused and true to themselves.

Dr. Jemison's life is filled with adventure and adversity and she often chooses the "road less traveled". It truly has made all the difference.

Find Where the Wind Goes
Dr. Mae Jemison


Dr. Mae Jemison was a doctor and the she became an astronaut. She worked on the Endeavor Space Lab. I chose this book because it talked about space and the exploration or space. Working on the space lab was a tough job. It was a tough challenge for her like getting a perfect score on the SAT.

When she was little she was the only one in her class that wanted to be an astronaut. She had an older brother and sister that marginally supported her dream of being an astronaut. Her family had to move from Alabama to California for her dad's job when she was 13 years old. Her mother and the rest of her family were mad that they had to move because they loved Alabama.

When she started high school, it was very rough for Mae, she didn't know anybody. Mae failed her first trimester of science. She really wanted to be an astronaut and this may have stopped her chances. She tried really hard and the rest of the year she did well. Mae graduated from high school with honors. Mae attended college and had a few problems there. She worked hard and graduated with a doctorate in science.

Then, she signed up to be a part of NASA. When she turned in her application she didn't get a response for a year. The reason was that the Challenger had exploded in space and the space program was on hold. She didn't think she was good enough for NASA. One year later she received a letter that she had been accepted to the program. She had to train vigorously before her first mission. Her first mission was to set up a space lab. This lab had to be set up with the Endeavor. They spent a week in space experimenting with insects and their environment. When Mae came back to earth they were hoarded by a bunch or newscasters. She explained what they did in space and how it felt to be in space.

Mae learned that change is sometimes good. If it wasn't for her Dad and his job, she wouldn't have been in space then and she wouldn't have been there today. She knew that having a good education was important and necessary for that type of job.

When I started reading this book, I expected it to be full of inspiration and advice on how to acheive great things in life as Dr. Jemison did. While I respect her for her wonderful acheivements, ambition, and zeal, through out the book I could not help but think she was conceited and stuck on herself. This book was not inspirational or encouraging to me. Rather, it was just about how wonderful Dr. Jemison is. She told story after story after story about how she was so wonderful, and I felt, above other people. I also found editing errors in it which I felt was unacceptable. I am a sixteen year-old girl who wants to be a doctor when I grow up, so I thought reading this book would be worthwhile. I do admire her for following her dreams and "the wind" (which by the way became an overused metaphor), but I spent my time reading the book frustrated and wondering when she would stop tooting her own horn.

I saw Dr. Jemison on a public access TV program. Her writing in this book is so conversational that I did not even realize that she was actually *reading* from her book! I knew then that the book would be enjoyable to read since the writing would be very accessible. I got the book as soon as I had a chance.

It *was* enjoyable because she speaks in a normal conversational tone that makes one feel at home with her.

I found her life to be amazing -- and I've never read about someone who is so intelligent, talented and personable.

While I think that the intended audience for this book is teen/pre-teen gals, I did also enjoy it for the sake of just learning about this amazing woman.

My only criticism is that the book tended to jump around a bit.

I was lucky enough to meet Dr Jemison in persona dn get my book autographed by her. I was excited by this alone. However I got home and sat down and read the book and i was even more taken then I was when I started. A true fro teh grassroots story. Shows how far women have some and how far they ahve to go. I saw her do a session with children and she is a true role model for us all