What do you think?
Rate this book
Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Stephen Hawking?
Learn more about the renowned British scientist, professor, and author who spent his entire career trying to answer the "Where did the universe come from?"
Stephen Hawking was born exactly three hundred years after the death of the scientist Galileo, so maybe it was written in the stars that he would become a famous scientist in his own right. Although he was diagnosed with a neurological disease at age 21, Stephen did not let the illness define his life. Known for his groundbreaking work in physics, and identified by his wheelchair and computerized voice system, Stephen continued his research until his death in 2018. He is best known for his black hole theories and his best-selling book A Brief History of Time . Stephen Hawking is an example of a person who had a great mind, but an even greater spirit.
Stephen Hawking was born exactly three hundred years after the death of the scientist Galileo, so maybe it was written in the stars that he would become a famous scientist in his own right. Although he was diagnosed with a neurological disease at age 21, Stephen did not let the illness define his life. Known for his groundbreaking work in physics, and identified by his wheelchair and computerized voice system, Stephen continued his research until his death in 2018. He is best known for his black hole theories and his best-selling book A Brief History of Time . Stephen Hawking is an example of a person who had a great mind, but an even greater spirit.
112 pages, Paperback
Published June 4, 2019
83 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Jim Gigliotti
155 books25 followersJim Gigliotti is a freelance writer who lives in Southern California with his wife and two children. A former editor at the National Football League, he has written more than two dozen books, mostly for young readers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 11, 2024
Project Learning English on my own through children's books. I loved this book and Stephen Hawking! "Because each new day could be my last," Stephen once said, "I have developed a desire to make the most of each and every minute." He did that by maintaining an active life despite his disease. (Page 93)
June 3, 2022
Cool book and it was pretty intresting
January 27, 2020
Fascinating man
May 5, 2020
"One has to be grown-up enough to realize that life is not fair. You just have to do the best you can in the situation you are in." - Stephen Hawking
I actually got this book because I thought it would be great to use for the wax museum, not knowing that Stephen Hawking wasn't from the United States! (Since we study American History we only use people born in the US.) His voice simulator always sounded American, so I made an assumption. I learned in the book, that's pretty common. The program was designed in America which is why it sounds American. When the programming improved and he could change the voice, he chose not to because everyone associated the original voice with him.
I didn't know anything about Hawking, except that he was brilliant, so this book was quite interesting to me. As brilliant as he is, I think his ability to succeed and overcome while surviving ALS was even more impressive. He was diagnosed at age 21 and got very depressed about it. He could've gone either way at that point, but a professor convinced him to come back to school, he met his wife, and he found something to live for. I love that story.
I had forgotten that he guest stared on Star Trek: Next Gen. That was what sort of kicked off his guest appearances on other shows. Next Gen is one of my all time favorite shows so that made me super happy.
When I read these books I know what the end is, usually the person dies, and that was the case with Stephen Hawking. Obviously, I remember when he passed away, so I knew it was coming, but it still made me sad. Even just thinking about it now made me tear up a bit.
Very impressive life.
I actually got this book because I thought it would be great to use for the wax museum, not knowing that Stephen Hawking wasn't from the United States! (Since we study American History we only use people born in the US.) His voice simulator always sounded American, so I made an assumption. I learned in the book, that's pretty common. The program was designed in America which is why it sounds American. When the programming improved and he could change the voice, he chose not to because everyone associated the original voice with him.
I didn't know anything about Hawking, except that he was brilliant, so this book was quite interesting to me. As brilliant as he is, I think his ability to succeed and overcome while surviving ALS was even more impressive. He was diagnosed at age 21 and got very depressed about it. He could've gone either way at that point, but a professor convinced him to come back to school, he met his wife, and he found something to live for. I love that story.
I had forgotten that he guest stared on Star Trek: Next Gen. That was what sort of kicked off his guest appearances on other shows. Next Gen is one of my all time favorite shows so that made me super happy.
When I read these books I know what the end is, usually the person dies, and that was the case with Stephen Hawking. Obviously, I remember when he passed away, so I knew it was coming, but it still made me sad. Even just thinking about it now made me tear up a bit.
Very impressive life.
February 27, 2025
Who Was Stephen Hawking? by Jim Gigliotti is a biography about Stephen Hawking's life. He was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford. He was an average student but was very good at physics. He went to college at Oxford University. He was diagnosed with ALS when he went to Cambridge University to get his doctorate degree. He got married to Jane Wilde in July of 1965. He wrote a book on the question and answers about the universe. He was visited by many famous people later in his life. He had to use a wheelchair most of his life. I can connect this to learning something new because I learned lots of new information about Stephen Hawking. I also learned a little bit about Issac Newton. I rated this five stars because it provided lots of information about Stephen Hawking that might be useful in the future. I would recommend this book to people who what a short factual read that they can read easily and fast.
Read
November 2, 2021I've been reading the "Who Was" series because my writing is usually for this age group. I've read the books on Hawking, Einstein and Frank Lloyd Wright. I have a science degree, so often my topic is science. I've also written biographies for high school readers. I enjoy both types of writing. These books are great. I like that they start with a scene from the person's childhood and then go into their life and lifework. The books do a good job of describing the scientific discoveries that each person made.
June 24, 2021
Interesting, but not my favorite. It was three out of five stars for me. I liked that it's an easy read and an accessible way for students to learn about Stephen Hawking. I came away with considerably more knowledge than I began with. The author did a good job of conveying the important information in an interesting way. I would have preferred to see some photos, but there were many line drawings throughout the book that supported people, events, and places in the text.
January 20, 2024
Another great addition to this series. What a fascinating life Stephen Hawking had! You might know that he was a famous physicist who died of ALS, but did you know that he defied the odds with his illness and pursued an extensive education and career to make great strides for science? In a short dose, this book helps you understand the great mind that he had and why his friends used to call him “Einstein” as a young boy.
who-hq
May 17, 2020Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, one of the most prestigious academic positions. Isaac Newton formerly held the professorship.
Discovered that black holes only absorbed negative energy, meaning it shrinks and eventually would die and release everything that it held before.
Starred as himself in episode of Star Trek.
Discovered that black holes only absorbed negative energy, meaning it shrinks and eventually would die and release everything that it held before.
Starred as himself in episode of Star Trek.
December 5, 2020
For emerging readers who want to know more about the people who were so influential in creating the world of science that we know and love, Who Was Stephen Hawking helps students dip their toes into his life and story, as well as the remarkable discoveries made along the way. The illustrations are captivating and the language is perfectly suited for those just starting out.
April 16, 2021
The "Who Was..." book series profiles dozens of notable figures for younger readers. This one examined the life of scientist Stephen Hawking.
I enjoyed not just learning of his scientific achievements, but also about what he was like as a boy, a college student, and his struggles with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Stephen was only twenty-one years old when he learned of his condition and the book explored the disease's progression and its impact on him personally and professionally. Fortunately, he had people in his life that inspired and supported him as well as the use of various functional technologies along the way. Near the end of his life, Hawking had lost the use of nearly all of his body; it was a single cheek muscle that allowed him to still communicate through the use of sophisticated software technology.
The book also included short sidebar sections that connected to Hawking's life but also widened the circle of learning. For example, there were sections that briefly discussed the scientific theories of big bang vs steady-state, the discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton, and the evolution of Hawking's wheelchairs. In addition, the end of the book included helpful timelines and a bibliography for further reading.
The book was only a little over a hundred pages long, but it did an impressive job with its coverage of key points in Hawking's life while also humanizing him. It was not just a book of facts, accomplishments, and obstacles. It also tried to include elements of his humor, family/marriages, and determination.
I enjoyed not just learning of his scientific achievements, but also about what he was like as a boy, a college student, and his struggles with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Stephen was only twenty-one years old when he learned of his condition and the book explored the disease's progression and its impact on him personally and professionally. Fortunately, he had people in his life that inspired and supported him as well as the use of various functional technologies along the way. Near the end of his life, Hawking had lost the use of nearly all of his body; it was a single cheek muscle that allowed him to still communicate through the use of sophisticated software technology.
The book also included short sidebar sections that connected to Hawking's life but also widened the circle of learning. For example, there were sections that briefly discussed the scientific theories of big bang vs steady-state, the discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton, and the evolution of Hawking's wheelchairs. In addition, the end of the book included helpful timelines and a bibliography for further reading.
The book was only a little over a hundred pages long, but it did an impressive job with its coverage of key points in Hawking's life while also humanizing him. It was not just a book of facts, accomplishments, and obstacles. It also tried to include elements of his humor, family/marriages, and determination.
January 19, 2023
This book was a good book but, not my favorite book. This is a book about Stephen Hawking. Stephan Hawking was an famous Scientist. He got an neurological disease in a age of 21. He was an amazing person even though he got a neurological disease. If you want to know more details read this book to find out.
August 9, 2023
I think this is one of the better "who was" books. I found out a great deal about him that I didn't previously know (average student, e.g.). The book has inspired me to grab the books he wrote with his daughter to share with my kids. I am also now interested to see the movie about him with his first wife. My favorite thing is when you stumble upon a book that makes you want to explore more!
October 29, 2019
I honestly knew little to nothing about Hawking before reading this. Not sure how interesting it would be to younger kids unless they are really into science, but maybe junior high and even high school students could learn some things about him and his ideas in a way that's easy to understand.
May 22, 2020
A pretty good narrative of a determined man. Diagnosed with SLS at 23 years of age and given 2 years to live, Mr. Hawking defied the naysayers and led an extremely productive life. His discoveries involving space and Black Holes will be the crux of studies for decades to come.
November 21, 2020
Read this book to Thatcher before bed. We both learned a lot. The book went into a good bit of depth with his life. Thatcher went to school the next day and told his teacher he wanted to be an astrophysicist. So sweet.
November 25, 2020
Well written for children. A great book for children with disabilities to realize they too can do things. As it quotes Hawking, "However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.
November 27, 2021
He always as a boy wanted a train but hi s father only got him wood trains and stuff and you see it was war time so only time to make guns and no toy but when he was 10 he got a electric train plus he was not interested in just seeing go around he wanted to see what made the train go around.
February 1, 2022
My least favorite part of the book was when Stephen Hawking tripped and fell and hurt his head because he didn't tie his shoes very well. My favorite part was when he was in the Simpsons. He was in one episode called "They saved Lisa's brain."
July 22, 2019
Average overview of the life of one of the greatest minds of our time and an amazing man.
March 10, 2020
It was good
June 17, 2020
I hate giving this 2 stars. But I think it paints hawking as this great guy. But many report differently. I know they are meant for kids but it still bothers me how he’s portrayed.
February 24, 2021
Very interesting. Perfect amount of information as always
August 7, 2021
I recommend this interesting biography! It helps you to understand the life of a brilliant man, plus how a very-disabled person can get along well with technological help!
Read
September 15, 2021it was about Stephen Hawking and he wanted a toy train when he was a kid.
October 8, 2021
Stephen Hawking was a brilliant man who tried his best to explain complicated science to the average man.
June 3, 2022
Very brief and concise. If you're looking for something very in depth, this is not it. It's something a bit more warm and friendly, but equally as informative as an extended wiki article.
February 23, 2024
If you feel you are in a black hole, don't give up. There's a way out.
August 5, 2019
I wrote an essay about him for school so I know pretty much all of the info but I still thought it was a good book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews