Amazon.com (ISBN 0439131960, Paperback)

From majoring in chemical engineering at Stanford University (at the age of 16) to giggling with hairdressers in Nairobi (in Swahili) to orbiting the Earth as the first woman of color to travel in space (conducting experiments in life and material sciences and bone cell research as the mission's science specialist), Mae Jemison has never been one to sit and watch life pass her by. From childhood, Jemison knew she would be an astronaut--the fact that space travelers tended to be white men only meant one more obstacle she would gladly face. Her autobiography, sassy, confident, and witty, is full of anecdotes designed to empower young readers, even as they chuckle at her foibles and cheer her victories. Whether working as a Peace Corps medical officer, fiercely upholding her feminist stance in a sexist college class, or dancing her "fanny off," Jemison is an inspiration to every child who dreams big. (Ages 10 and older) --Emilie Coulter