A Quantum Life by Hakeem Oluseyi

A gritty memoir of a man who rose out of a violent and transient childhood to become a scientist for NASA. Instead of falling into a downward spiral of poverty, abuse, violence and drugs Hakeem discovered early on that he had a super power that would save him - he was smart. The more he learned, the more he wanted to understand which got him countless whippings as a kid but gave his curious mind somewhere to go other than the streets. His life was a yo-yo which included gang trouble and drugs but education led him eventually to Stanford and a career at NASA. He is blunt and honest in his accounting of the challenges and triumphs and hopefully his story will inspire young people at a crossroads to succeed and appeal to those who have the power to lift up rather than force down.  4 stars