The Boy Who Reached for the Stars: A Memoir

by Elio Morillo

The scientist known as the "space mechanic" administers to both our future and past in this breathless memoir of his journey from Ecuador to NASA and beyond.

Elio Morillo's life is abruptly spun out of orbit when economic collapse forces his family to flee Ecuador for the United States. His itinerant childhood sets into motion a migration whose momentum will ultimately carry Elio to the farthest expanse of human endeavor: space.

Overcoming a history of systemic adversity and inequality in public education, Elio forged ahead on a journey as indebted to his galactic dreams as to a loving mother whose sacrifices provided the ground beneath his feet. Today, Elio is helping man NASA's mission to explore Mars and promoting the future of human innovation--from AI and robotics to space infrastructure and equitable access.

The Boy Who Reached the Stars is both a cosmic and intimate memoir spun from a constellation of memory and intrepid curiosity, as thoroughly luminous as the stars above.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Science, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Biography, Space

208 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[James Wingerter · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most books, your perception of the book is all about expectations. Don’t expect this book to be heavy on technical content; it’s not.

This expectation you should have is this: it is an excellent book for inspiring young minorities to challenge themselves and pursue a higher education in STEM. The book is well written, easy to understand, and easy to read. Setting aside my personal bias and experience in the aerospace industry, I can appreciate that Elio had to overcome certain challenges (particularly poverty and social pressures) to get where he’s at today.

This book is best suited for middle and high school students, particularly those who come from poverty, immigrant, or minority families. However, the book is relatable enough that I believe anyone can enjoy it and walk away with a fresh perspective.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspiring book that sheds light on some of the struggles of being an immigrant and child of a single parent. The determination and perseverance of one young man to do well in school and make it as an engineer for NASA's Mars Rover is a really uplifting story. I hope my son will read it and find inspiration one day. Also, thank you to the author for shedding light on the lack Latines in STEM and the lack of diversity in space-related fields.
It's a quick and uplifting read.

[Ricky Gao · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was okay. I liked how it touched on the struggles of not being grounded in one place in a turbulent period of one's adolescence. However, the rest of the story follows a not particularly interesting college life. And even extending past it, there was an overemphasis on a professional career and not enough examination of one's personal experience within it.

[Fernando Soto-Dupuy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buena historia de un inmigrante ecuatoriano.

[Preston Pendergraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reads pretty fast. About the first half is about Emilo’s childhood up to undergrad. The next 25% is him in college and the last portion working on the Mars 2020 mission

Overall this book is for inspiring non white males into STEM and it is a good book for that. I really am glad that the author called out the non diverse workforces at SpaceX and Boeing. That is important to be said. Also he talks a good bit how hard on the health working at aerospace companies is. JPL is long hours as is Space X. Again kudos to the author.

I wish the book had pictures of his family. Luckily there aren’t too many people to keep straight, but I do think pictures would made those people more identifiable

In the end a good needed book. So sad to see so many giving it 3 stars. They must have really missed the message this book was conveying.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many times would you apply to a program that kept turning you down, before giving up? Elio Morillo was turned down 11 times by NASA. On his 12th try, he was finally accepted. Son of a mother and father with differing perspectives of life in Ecuador, his mother took Elio and fled to the U.S. when the political and economic situation in Ecuador worsened and the toxic relationship between his parents became unbearable for his mother. In New York, his mother worked 3 jobs. Luckily, some family and grandparents were around to assist the family which Elio has never forgotten. Elio’s work with NASA JPL, on Perseverance and it’s landing on the surface of Mars, was a highlight of his career but was also a powerful moment of realization. The world could now see the diverse group of people who created the moment and that if they had not all come together, this would not have happened. A touching life story which you will want to find out how it all ends.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is obvious in reading this book that it is geared toward inspiring young Hispanic students to push for an education and life that will reward them with their dreams.
Elio Morillo's life began in Ecuador. His family left the country in the 1990's when the economy completely crashed. His mother pushed for a strong education for her son, and he is now an engineer with NASA and head of the teams who put the latest Mars rover on that planet in 2020.
He is very involved with outreach programs to high school students, and informational programs to let underprivileged students know about aid programs for their education.

[Dorine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Als mede-immigrant maar dan uit een welvarender hoek ben ik altijd heel betrokken bij hen met een lastiger start. Ik besef heel goed welke voordelen die toevallig bij de geboorte verkregen blanke huid oplevert.
Het eerste deel van dit boek was daarmee ook genieten. Maar daarna ging het snel bergafwaarts. Meer diversity willen kwam uit op meer Spaanstalig.. verhuizen naar een ander land houdt in dat je met die cultuur verder gaat en niet dat je je eigen cultuur erin wilt pushen. 2 op de 1000 moet geen 50/50 worden. In al het klagen vergeet hij hoe makkelijk deze groep een beurs krijgt in vergelijking tot andere immigranten.
Er zat teveel ik ik ik in dit boek en dat was jammer.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read the excerpt before borrowing and starting this book, so I was a bit shocked that the author was only maybe 30, but it was still worth a listen/read. Except for a little language, it definitely felt like a young reader's edition, not that that's necessarily a negative; it's just not how it's categorized. The intent to inspire other young people is apparent from the start, but I appreciated the author's vulnerability in sharing about getting sucked into work mode and neglecting his own needs and how his family experienced similar struggles. I could relate to a lot of the economic struggles he experienced, even though my family did not emigrate to the US recently.

[Leah Good · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focused mostly on the immigrant experience, mental health, and advocating for more STEM opportunities for minorities. The "space engineering" was mostly the hook (what people are curious about) and the authority (why this person is talking about this topic).

I especially appreciated the representation of Elio's upper middle class existence in Ecuador before his mom decided to immigrate. This isn't something I've seen depicted often, and it's useful to contextualize the fact that many immigrants working jobs that don't require educations are held back, not by a lack of education, but by language barrier and lack of network.

[Elsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I met Elio at the 2023 Texas Book Festival when he joined my daughter and I for lunch at our table near the food trucks. He was personable and interesting and because my library is focusing on STEM/STEAM and we have a large Hispanic population, we went to his session.

After reading this, I am going to use his card to contact him about doing a program for our Hispanic tweens on STEAM careers and what they can do to help them achieve their goals. It ties in wonderfully well with our ALA STAR Net STEAM Equity grant and will let us wind up our last grant year with a bang.

[Chris Mercado · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the author has an interesting story to tell and I appreciate seeing his life from his perspective, the writing ability and style left something to be desired. A lot of it was very disjointed, especially when describing his childhood and upbringing. He would bounce around a lot between topics when there was clearly a more streamlined way of telling it.

I feel like his story could have been told better by a better author or better editor who could have helped him get to a better story-telling place.

[JPS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the capsule Elio worked on, the “Perseverance Rover,” that’s exactly what his story is about.

As a Hispanic, I’m proud of what he has been able to accomplish. Like the statistics for the Mars 2020 launch, he, like the mission itself, defied the odds.

I enjoyed his work, hearing his story, and learning more about the lead up to-and-after the Mars 2020 launch. Highly recommended. Especially for Hispanic’s that are trying to find their footing and future engineering prospects.

[Beverly Hallfrisch · Rating 2 out of 5]

On paper, I should have loved this book. It is the intersection of two of my main interests: Memoir plus space industry perspective wove throughout.
The book was just basic. If my library had labeled it as "young adult" it would have felt more appropriate. One section started off with the sentence: "Mars is the fourth planet from the sun". I know people are dumb, but didn't we all learn the order of our solar system in elementary school?

[Maureen Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the places where Elio changes up and talks about work life too - it fits in nicely with what goes on in the home-work life balance ... or the parts where he loves his job so much that ... Well, you can read to find out. Interesting story of a young foreign man who kept his dreams alive and went for his goals.

[Kimberly (spacetoread)]

a wonderful memoir! Morillo sets up telling his life story seamlessly interwoven with spaceflight lessons learned and space history vignettes. This makes for an easy and satisfying reading experience. His stories of immigration and resilience hold themes of giving back to family and the community at large, as well as learning from his own struggles with mental health. Highly recommend!!

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo que me mas gustó fue las descripciones del trabajo en el Laboratorio de Propulsión de Chorro (JPL) y por eso clasifiqué como ciéncia, pero el libro tiene tantas temas: la vida familiar en tiempos deficiles; inmigración de Ecuador (y Puerto Rico); STEM educación; historias de la ayuda de los desconocidos; y mentorizaje. ¡Que hallas alguna que te gusta!

[Nancy Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an inspiring story! I work for A STEM education company and often hear teachers tell these types of inspiring stories. To hear it from a professional who applies STEM concepts on a daily basis, and who is engaged in encouraging inclusion of a diverse workforce is very exciting.

[Palmtreeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very inspiring memoir, especially to young people who are looking into the possibility of pursuing an engineering career, or simply wondering what an engineering career may look like.

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very glad I read this book! Well done!!!! It is good to read of someone that sees the world as bigger than himself.

[Lori French · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected but decently written YA memoir encouraging minorities to persue higher education in the STEM fields.

[Adriana G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morillo is such an inspiration, and I hope to meet him at the SHPE conference next year!!