A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults) My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars

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. 

Poignant and hopeful, A Quantum Life charts the remarkable resilience of a boy who was offered few chances to succeed, but fought hard to achieve his dream.

Hakeem Oluseyi, PhD, is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, inventor, educator, television personality, and public speaker. He is currently a Clarence J. Robinson Professor at George Mason University and president of the National Society of Black Physicists. Previously, he was a Distinguished Professor of Aerospace, Physics & Space Sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology from 2007 to 2019 and has held professorships at MIT, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Washington, and the University of Cape Town. Dr. Oluseyi has also served as the Space Science Education Manager of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., and chief science officer of Discovery Science. He has appeared in science and engineering programming on Netflix, Discovery Science, Nat Geo, PBS, BBC, and more. Dr. Oluseyi is an inductee of the National Academy of Inventors, the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, and the Sigma Pi Sigma physics honor society.

Joshua Horwitz is the author of multiple nonfiction books, including the New York Times bestseller War of the Whales: A True Story, which won the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.