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Find Where The Wind Goes: Moments From My Life
"The writing sings" says PW in this "inspiring autobiography." Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, is truly a modern hero with a remarkable, inspirational story to tell.
Mae Jemison made history as the first African-American woman in space. But she's also taken center stage as an actress, scientist, doctor, and teacher-not to mention all the "top ten" lists she's made, including People's 50 Most Beautiful People AND the 1999 White House Project's list of the 7 women most likely to be elected President. The adventures of her life make for a truly compelling read. And to top it all off, with her charming sense of humor, Mae is a remarkable storyteller. The variety and richness of Mae Jemison's experiences will inspire every reader who picks up this book.
Mae Jemison made history as the first African-American woman in space. But she's also taken center stage as an actress, scientist, doctor, and teacher-not to mention all the "top ten" lists she's made, including People's 50 Most Beautiful People AND the 1999 White House Project's list of the 7 women most likely to be elected President. The adventures of her life make for a truly compelling read. And to top it all off, with her charming sense of humor, Mae is a remarkable storyteller. The variety and richness of Mae Jemison's experiences will inspire every reader who picks up this book.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 25, 2025
Only 1 week left in women’s history month, surely you jest. My dad worked as a chemical engineer for thirty years. As a member of his professional society, he received Chemical Engineering Progress magazine bimonthly. In junior high, most science teachers awarded two points of extra credit for every current events science article and summary that we brought in. I was in junior high from the years 1991-1993, and an article that stands out to this day is describing Dr Mae Jemison’s voyage to space. Why in a chemical engineering magazine one might ask? The answer is that Jemison is a chemical engineer. Always looking to research and honor women from across the spectrum during women’s history month, somehow a bell went off in my head to read Mae Jemison’s biography. I would have enjoyed reading a comprehensive scientific biography because, yes, I am after all these years the nerdy daughter of an engineer who enjoyed accompanying her dad to work on days off of school. I’ve seen esters made in a lab and assisted in small scale experiments. My dad thought I’d be a great engineer, and in hindsight I probably would have. At age seventeen, I had no idea what I wanted to do, and I have grown into my profession over time. The subjects I enjoy teaching the most, math and science. I have all the respect in the world for trailblazing female scientists. They had to break more barriers than women in other fields. While I could not find a biography geared toward adult audiences, I did find a memoir that Mae Jemison wrote for young adult readers. I go where, she notes, the wind blows, and I am honored to include Mae Jemison in my women’s history month lineup.
Born on October 17, 1956 ( a fellow late libra!!!) in Decatur, Alabama, Mae Jemison and her family were part of the great migration north, settling on Chicago’s south side in 1961. My dad is from the north side of Chicago, and I know from his upbringing and reading about the African American experience during those decades, thar the north and south sides were drastically different. Mae’s mother was also a trailblazer, returning to school to get her bachelors and masters in education. Her father was an early example of a man who helped at home more so than other men of the era. Both Dorothy and Charles Jemison told their three children to reach for the stars. They did not know that their youngest daughter would take those words literally. They should not have been surprised. All three Jemisons excelled academically and socially. Mae enjoyed researching the stars from an early age and enjoyed excursions to the Adler Planetarium. Even in elementary school, her favorite subjects were math and science. She did so well in school that she skipped a grade, enabling her to enter high school at age twelve. That is discouraged now but not in the 1960s, and for Mae that meant taking as much science as early as possible. From the time she was nine years old, Mae Jemison knew that one day she would go to space and her parents helped to foster these dreams.
Because this book is geared toward young readers, Jemison offers advice to them that would not be necessary in a full length book for adults. As a teacher and as a person, I found this advice both enlightening and helpful. For example, her advice on relationships between siblings. I only have one sibling who I am not close with so I can not always grasp relationships between my own kids. They tell me that I am not social enough to understand. Mae Jemison should be the dictionary definition of nerd but she was also well rounded. In addition to excelling in STEM, she loves to dance and even participated in West Side Story in high school. Additionally she has a lifelong appreciation for studying the cultures of the world that comprise humanity. These last few sentences speak to the affinity I have for her and know that hers was more than a smiling face that I selected from a magazine. To this day, one can find her traveling the world and finding dance classes close to her home. At Stanford University, she completed a double major in chemical engineering and African Studies. The African Studies, she cites, is because there the professors and classmates accepted her as her. In engineering, people could not believe that she belonged, thinking her high school transcripts something of a fluke. The naysayers are what encouraged Jemison to complete this high powered degree in four years and even after enrolling in medical school, she had one eye on the space program.
My dad can attest that in his early days as an engineer his college and professional life was devoid of both women and people of color. Mae Jemison checks off both boxes. It is little wonder to me that she chose African Studies and Swahili to get away from the naysayers. Even after establishing herself professionally, she wanted to be an astronaut. Her first exposure to space was through Star Trek at age nine when she saw Lt Uhura played by Nichelle Nichols. That did it for her. NASA through the 1970s was white men in white coats and the bigwigs there actually encouraged women and people of color to apply (what a concept). The Challenger disaster put a damper on NASA’s recruitment, but Jemison joined in the class of 1988 and went to space in 1992, around the time that I must have seen the article about her in CEP magazine. She broke barriers as the first woman of color in space, but the flight was a one off. She has since decided to devote her career to serving people of the globe and finding a way to bring sustainable resources to all. Her dream is Stars 100 which is to establish interstellar communication within the next century. I have little doubt that Jemison will be successful in her endeavors as she has always had one eye on the stars.
Mae Jemison’s advice to youth is to go where the wind takes you. She has lived in Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Japan among other places. She has surveyed the Arctic as part of her Stars 100 initiative. She has danced at every stop along the way. Mae Jemison has always been an overachiever determined to follow her dreams. She is a fellow Chicagoan, Libra, math lover, musical theater aficionado, and cat mom. Other than my fear of needles and flying to space (two feet on the ground thanks), we could be distantly related in a way that all humanity is connected. Other readers note that because this memoir is geared toward teens, it is devoid of emotion. I did not see it that way - I saw a remarkable woman imparting advice to youth and encouraging them to go into math and scientific professions. The other complaint was editing. I know from my dad’s technical writing, that it isn’t perfect. No one is, not even top scientists and engineers. Mae Jemison’s life is hardly complete. I look forward to seeing what she achieves in the last quarter of her life. I have a feeling that whatever she chooses to accomplish, it will be trailblazing.
🌟 4 stars 🌟
Born on October 17, 1956 ( a fellow late libra!!!) in Decatur, Alabama, Mae Jemison and her family were part of the great migration north, settling on Chicago’s south side in 1961. My dad is from the north side of Chicago, and I know from his upbringing and reading about the African American experience during those decades, thar the north and south sides were drastically different. Mae’s mother was also a trailblazer, returning to school to get her bachelors and masters in education. Her father was an early example of a man who helped at home more so than other men of the era. Both Dorothy and Charles Jemison told their three children to reach for the stars. They did not know that their youngest daughter would take those words literally. They should not have been surprised. All three Jemisons excelled academically and socially. Mae enjoyed researching the stars from an early age and enjoyed excursions to the Adler Planetarium. Even in elementary school, her favorite subjects were math and science. She did so well in school that she skipped a grade, enabling her to enter high school at age twelve. That is discouraged now but not in the 1960s, and for Mae that meant taking as much science as early as possible. From the time she was nine years old, Mae Jemison knew that one day she would go to space and her parents helped to foster these dreams.
Because this book is geared toward young readers, Jemison offers advice to them that would not be necessary in a full length book for adults. As a teacher and as a person, I found this advice both enlightening and helpful. For example, her advice on relationships between siblings. I only have one sibling who I am not close with so I can not always grasp relationships between my own kids. They tell me that I am not social enough to understand. Mae Jemison should be the dictionary definition of nerd but she was also well rounded. In addition to excelling in STEM, she loves to dance and even participated in West Side Story in high school. Additionally she has a lifelong appreciation for studying the cultures of the world that comprise humanity. These last few sentences speak to the affinity I have for her and know that hers was more than a smiling face that I selected from a magazine. To this day, one can find her traveling the world and finding dance classes close to her home. At Stanford University, she completed a double major in chemical engineering and African Studies. The African Studies, she cites, is because there the professors and classmates accepted her as her. In engineering, people could not believe that she belonged, thinking her high school transcripts something of a fluke. The naysayers are what encouraged Jemison to complete this high powered degree in four years and even after enrolling in medical school, she had one eye on the space program.
My dad can attest that in his early days as an engineer his college and professional life was devoid of both women and people of color. Mae Jemison checks off both boxes. It is little wonder to me that she chose African Studies and Swahili to get away from the naysayers. Even after establishing herself professionally, she wanted to be an astronaut. Her first exposure to space was through Star Trek at age nine when she saw Lt Uhura played by Nichelle Nichols. That did it for her. NASA through the 1970s was white men in white coats and the bigwigs there actually encouraged women and people of color to apply (what a concept). The Challenger disaster put a damper on NASA’s recruitment, but Jemison joined in the class of 1988 and went to space in 1992, around the time that I must have seen the article about her in CEP magazine. She broke barriers as the first woman of color in space, but the flight was a one off. She has since decided to devote her career to serving people of the globe and finding a way to bring sustainable resources to all. Her dream is Stars 100 which is to establish interstellar communication within the next century. I have little doubt that Jemison will be successful in her endeavors as she has always had one eye on the stars.
Mae Jemison’s advice to youth is to go where the wind takes you. She has lived in Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Japan among other places. She has surveyed the Arctic as part of her Stars 100 initiative. She has danced at every stop along the way. Mae Jemison has always been an overachiever determined to follow her dreams. She is a fellow Chicagoan, Libra, math lover, musical theater aficionado, and cat mom. Other than my fear of needles and flying to space (two feet on the ground thanks), we could be distantly related in a way that all humanity is connected. Other readers note that because this memoir is geared toward teens, it is devoid of emotion. I did not see it that way - I saw a remarkable woman imparting advice to youth and encouraging them to go into math and scientific professions. The other complaint was editing. I know from my dad’s technical writing, that it isn’t perfect. No one is, not even top scientists and engineers. Mae Jemison’s life is hardly complete. I look forward to seeing what she achieves in the last quarter of her life. I have a feeling that whatever she chooses to accomplish, it will be trailblazing.
🌟 4 stars 🌟
July 11, 2022
To be clear I am a huge fan of Dr. Mae Jemison. This book gives the reader fascinating knowledge at a snails pace. Her early admittance to college, her mother's willingness to brandish a gun in defense of her children, her ability to speak Russian and Swahili, her affinity and high ability at dance, and stories of her time being a practicing doctor in the peace corps all serve to paint a more fleshed out image of an American hero.
Even so I found this book dragged and was hard to get through. The pacing was slow and lacked the flow and ease I like to read through memoirs with. Still, Dr. Jemison is a fascinating figure and I would recommend this book even if it seems to be a one and done.
Even so I found this book dragged and was hard to get through. The pacing was slow and lacked the flow and ease I like to read through memoirs with. Still, Dr. Jemison is a fascinating figure and I would recommend this book even if it seems to be a one and done.
May 19, 2017
Jemison has had a fascinating and inspiring life, that's for sure. So I had extremely high hopes for this book. However, I was disappointed in how she chose to structure the telling of her life story. It seemed as if she had turned on a tape recorder and recorded her memories, and then transcribed them without much revision. For example, she might be telling about college life and suddenly say, "Oh, but I need to mention..." Additionally, she did not explain much about how she made most of her major life decisions; I think that could be valuable information for young readers. Ms Jemison is an outstanding role model, but not necessarily one you hear mentioned a lot. I hope that a better organized biography for young readers exists, or that someone will soon write one, so that young people can become familiar with her life and achievements
January 4, 2017
An amazing life story that desperately, desperately needed an editor/ghostwriter.
February 25, 2021
This book describes a pretty historical and amazing life story. But I am not going to lie this book is kind of boring to read, other than that a pretty great story about how Mae Jemison grew up and how she was being treated differently but how she rose and did something incredible despite being treated poorly.
February 17, 2018
Dr. Jemison is a truly incredible person with a lot of accomplishments. Yet the writing here really left something to be desired. This was a quick read and may be more suited for a teenage audience, but I would have liked to see more depth to her many experiences and relationships with others.
February 12, 2017
Dr. Mae Jemison is the first women of color to ever go in to space, a medical doctor, accomplished dancer, international activist, and founder of her own tech and environmental causes company. She is a remarkable Renaissance woman and here recounts stories of her remarkable life. She writes with humor, confidence, boldness, directness, and unapologetically. This book is geared towards youth readers, and will be purchased by me (I borrowed it from the library for this reading) to keep on a bookshelf for my future kids.
That being said, her wisdom and life lessons were insightful, inspiring, and engaging for this adult reader. What a gift she is!
That being said, her wisdom and life lessons were insightful, inspiring, and engaging for this adult reader. What a gift she is!
February 14, 2017
Let me start off by saying that I have a lot of respect for Dr. Jemison. She has certainly accomplished more than most in her lifetime. Her book; however, did not resonate with me. I found it void of emotion and from the beginning of it, I did not connect with her. It begins to feel like a list of her accomplishments over life. Even when she talks about something negative that was a learning experience, you could feel nothing behind it. I stopped reading about halfway through because I have way too many books to read on my shelf!
July 20, 2018
For what it was - an autobiography from someone with a lifetime of achievement but someone who also *isn't* a writer, a book published by Scholastic and targeted toward young women (especially young woc), a story about beating the odds through self-determination - I enjoyed the hell out of it.
April 29, 2014
I loved how her personality shined through. She really is amazing. I just would have liked it to have had a bit more structure. Still, I'm glad I was able to learn about her life.
April 6, 2025
I really enjoyed reading about Dr. Mae Jemison! She is certainly leading an interesting and THRILLING life! My favorite parts were the chapters telling of her higher education and career experiences. She had said she was writing the book with Young Adults/teens in mind, but that part was very adult oriented and fascinating. I could not give a higher rating because it seemed she was indecisive in what kind of "voice" to use in telling different phases of her life story. It starts out very Sesame Street/Mr. Rogers sounding like she was talking to pre-schoolers. (That would have immediately turned off the teens she was trying to reach.) Then she would abruptly shift gears in the next chapter and be all adult, using vocabulary way in advance of her first stories. Then it would shift to a Judy Blume voice in telling about shenanigans with her siblings (which I thought added nothing to the message of her book.) She was in her element when talking about higher education and career. Any adult interested in space or Mae's trajectory in life would enjoy that part!
I would still recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about her, but with the preface "The book gets better! Even skip some of the first half if needed!"
I would still recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about her, but with the preface "The book gets better! Even skip some of the first half if needed!"
May 24, 2019
The first woman of color in space didn't even need that on her resume to be amazing. Reading about Jemison's childhood and academic accomplishments, he hobbies and interests...this is a person impressive on so many levels. I loved reading about her relationship with her siblings and how they protected each other from outsiders but were merciless to each other when together. Jemison is the type of person who takes advantage of every opportunity, she was involved in tons of activities in school at every level. When attending Stanford working on her Chemical Engineering degree, she managed to keep up with several of her favorite hobbies and earn enough credits for a second major. Truly a lovely person who, I noted, was one of seven women voted most likely to become President of the U. S. I would love to see her interests move to that position!
March 25, 2023
This is hopepunk. I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes. This book is beautiful. Full of love and hope and... everything good and nice. This woman is amazing. I wish I had this book when I was 10. Everyone should read this when they are small. And then again and again, every time they feel discouraged and lost. This is among the best books I've ever read. I recommend it to everyone. (It's just 181 pages. It won't take much of your time, even if it doesn't give you anything. But I believe it will give you something. I don't think reading it will be waste of time.)
November 15, 2023
I really enjoyed it. Dr. Jemison gives you an inside view of what it was like to, not only be a woman going through the NASA astronaut program, but also a woman of African American descent. She shares her experiences like she is personally guiding you through them with her.
Lana Sauro, Customer Service Assistant, South Branch Library
Lana Sauro, Customer Service Assistant, South Branch Library
July 25, 2019
I knew that this book was for a younger audience. I read a lot of YA so I thought it would be fine, but this book was really disappointing. She didn't go into enough detail and as soon as it got to the interesting part, it was over. There is almost nothing in here about her time at NASA.
September 22, 2024
I started this and then forgot about it. It’s good but written for a young reader, so it really doesn’t go too deep. Her life and work is still fascinating and I am forever a fan-girl of Dr. Mae Jemison.
December 27, 2018
After reading the picture book Mae Among the Stars I wanted to know a bit more of her story. It’s a pretty good autobiography and found her life to be pretty interesting.
January 7, 2020
I enjoyed reading this. I just wish she had talked about her time in space more!
October 16, 2020
A very nice memoir by person exceptional in so many ways.
November 14, 2020
This was a great book, I have learn a lot from her about her life from child hood onwards. It was very positive and inspiring. Highly recommended.
Read
January 29, 2021I WANNA READ THE BOOK
March 28, 2025
Quand j’ai besoin de m’inspirer
July 12, 2025
a great book for tweens/teens or anyone who wants to learn more and be inspired by her story.
August 1, 2019
2019 Reading Challenge - POC in Space.
This book could have been on par with Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming. The concept of changing winds is solid, but the narrative is episodic, does not flow well, and doesn't really address her jump from being a medical doctor to becoming an astronaut. I wanted to know more about her motivation, career, and relationships.
This book could have been on par with Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming. The concept of changing winds is solid, but the narrative is episodic, does not flow well, and doesn't really address her jump from being a medical doctor to becoming an astronaut. I wanted to know more about her motivation, career, and relationships.
September 24, 2021
Really, it’s probably only 2.5 stars. But I read it because my 8 year old wants to read it and I thought I should read first to make sure it’s not above her reading level. It’s not. Besides, Dr. Jamison says multiple times that “if you don’t know what that is look it up!” However, the editing mishaps (there are MANY punctuation, wording, and grammatical mistakes) and use of unnatural “big” words may make some things difficult for kids. I strongly suggest having a dictionary and medical dictionary nearby.
Dr. Jamison is an amazing person who has accomplished so much. But her writing is not exciting. This is simply her life, not quite in list form and inconsistently written - sometimes just a collection of events, sometimes an attempt to be conversational (“y’all”), and sometimes overwhelmed with excitement. She covers her whole life. Good for some child readers I guess since I know the point is to display her achievements. I can see how her experiences and accomplishments can and should be inspiring and informative for all young adults, including but not limited to children of color.
My daughter can read this if she’d like (she’ll be disappointed that it takes 200 pages, out of 231, to get to space though) but I’ll be close by to answer questions she’s bound to have (not due to any political/social issues discussed but due to basic writing issues).
Dr. Jamison is an amazing person who has accomplished so much. But her writing is not exciting. This is simply her life, not quite in list form and inconsistently written - sometimes just a collection of events, sometimes an attempt to be conversational (“y’all”), and sometimes overwhelmed with excitement. She covers her whole life. Good for some child readers I guess since I know the point is to display her achievements. I can see how her experiences and accomplishments can and should be inspiring and informative for all young adults, including but not limited to children of color.
My daughter can read this if she’d like (she’ll be disappointed that it takes 200 pages, out of 231, to get to space though) but I’ll be close by to answer questions she’s bound to have (not due to any political/social issues discussed but due to basic writing issues).
September 9, 2025
This book chronicles Mae Jemison's early life and what inspired her to become an astronaut. I would have liked more information about her work with NASA, but with this being a memoir written for teens, it makes sense that it would focus more on her youth. I found the book to be a little disjointed at times and it didn't always flow in a linear progression, but such is the case with many memoirs. Still enjoyed more about Jemison and her life.
January 30, 2013
Not what you'd call a work of art, but it's still a very interesting autobiography. Mae Jemison is without a doubt one of the coolest people ever. She's very inspiring, too, and has a great sense of humor that makes this book fun to read.
August 22, 2021
I agree with others. This needed a good editor to help with organization and too be less casual, dialogue style.
Good inspiration for those interested in STEM jobs.
Good inspiration for those interested in STEM jobs.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews