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There are currently 42 member reviews
for The Smallest Lights in the Universe
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Dan W. (Fort Myers, FL)
The Smallest Lights In The Universe
What an enjoyable and insightful memoir. I'm normally not an enthusiast reader of memoirs, but this book captured my attention from the very beginning! The book title in itself is a drawing card to read this book. I do have to mentioned that someone with my limited knowledge about our universe and even less about astrophysics, I found the book gripping and a good read. After reading the book, I did go to one of author's TED Talks, which helped me immensely to visually grasp an understanding of what the title of this book is referencing. A suggestion would be to include so type of charts and graphs referencing the subject matter. The non-scientific parts of the book are extremely captivating. Some book clubs might welcome such an enlightening subject matter, but others book clubs might not want to engage in this type of adventure. A target audience should those in the scientific research community that could relate to the demands of balancing work and family life.
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Louise E. (Ocean View, DE)
Fascinating and Balances
I enjoyed reading The Smallest Lights in the Universe by Sara Seager. Intertwining her personal life with her professional life in this memoir, she is a wonderful writer who builds suspense with space exploration and what is happening in her personal life. Her fascinating job has given her lots of great opportunities to travel. She takes such good care of her husband and sons and talks about managing her work/life balance. Everybody should have a support group like the Widows of Concord.
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Cheryl M. (Le Claire, IA)
Overhead and underfoot
I enjoyed reading The Smallest Lights in the Universe by Sara Seager. I usually don't read memoirs as they can be poorly written and drag on, but this one is engaging and interesting. Ms. Seager has amazing talent and dedication to her profession (astrophysics). She throws in just enough personal information that you feel like a friend who can empathize with her as she works on learning domestic skills. She deals with gender discrimination, the death of her husband, and raising two kids while widely travelling for her profession with grace and intellect. We all may deal with one or two of those issues, but not all! The book is well worth the read.
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Ora J. (Anacortes, WA)
The Smallest Lights in the Universe
Captivated by Sara Seager's skill and courage as she guides the reader through the challenges of her life, I felt the excitement of entering a new adventure. From the ten-year old girl who fell in love with the stars to the world-renowned astrophysicist in search of life supporting planets beyond earth, Sara maintained a commitment to her quest.
In addition to sharing the challenges of gaining knowledge and respect in her chosen scientific field, Sara also shares the parallel venture of becoming a woman, wife and mother. Love of nature drew her into remote regions. Love of husband and children added the stress of time demands. Companionship with women sustained her through tragedy. Her voice is open and strong, revealing the pain as well as the joy, as she turns the pages of her story.
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Peggy A. (Morton Grove, IL)
Inner and Outer Space Probes
Sara Seager's memoir makes challenging reading because after all, it's about astrophysics, but it is about so much more!
The author openly and bravely probes her own inner vulnerabilities and losses as she mourns the death of her young husband from cancer. Meanwhile she must guide her two young sons who are pushed beyond their own orbits while striving to keep herself relevant in an extremely competitive career in astronomy.
As a psychologist, I must admit to be more interested in her inner conflicts and dilemmas but found myself trying to expand my limited understanding of her chosen pursuit of finding exoplanets and other earth like worlds.
For a scientist who later discovers she's on the autistic spectrum, she displays an atypical poetic lyricism in her writing. She also reveals an acerbic wit which left me laughing out loud many times.
A good book should encourage a reader to discover new worlds— and she definitely pushed me beyond my limited knowledge of space. I now am downloading the NASA website. Thanks Sara!
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Melissa S. (Rowland, NC)
"Orbit" of Grief and Loss
"I would choose for my heart to be broken rather than never feel a change in its beat." Sara Seager, award-winning astrophysicist and mom of two boys reaches the above conclusion after years of wandering in her own orbit of grief. While Seager is busy advancing in her career and building a full family, she loses the love of her life – the man she calls her lifeline in her world – her husband.
In Seager's poignant and most heartfelt memoir, The Smallest Lights In The Universe, the reader is swept away into Seager's raw grief and humbling honesty. From fits of despondency, to a sorority of widows and their children, to multiple awards for the advancement of exoplanet studies and discoveries, and learning to navigate everyday life (like how to call a plumber) through a little book her late husband so lovingly left her, Seager learns little by little how to thrive again.
I found myself lost in Seager's language and how she so eloquently expresses what her heart feels. At one point, midway through her raw grief, she states, "But when you lose someone, you don't lose them all at once, and their dying doesn't stop with their death. You lose them a thousand times in a thousand ways. You say a thousand goodbyes. You hold a thousand funerals." How many of us have felt that same feeling in our loss? Seager's ability to verbalize the grief she feels inside in such an honest and raw way left me feeling like I was reading poetry. Her expressions can only come from truth and her talent with word expression kept me reading late into the night many times.
Seager gives the reader lots of information about her passion for space exploration and exoplanet studies. Even though we differ greatly in our beliefs about space and how it was formed, I found her career fascinating. She writes about that part of her life with the same stylistic prose as her personal journey in the world of grief and loss.
I highly recommend Seager's memoir. I definitely feel I gained something from walking through her emotional journey of healing and her book was time well spent.
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Elise B. (Macedonia, OH)
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
I would highly recommend this book to people with an interest in space exploration and anybody who has suffered the loss of a loved one (primarily a spouse). I have not lost my spouse, thankfully, but I really found the space exploration portion of the book to be fascinating. As a woman who has worked as a Chemist for the past 30 years, I could strongly relate to her struggles to be treated equally to her male counterparts. This has, unfortunately, changed very little since I started my career. Sara has had to overcome a lot of difficulties in her life and has conquered challenges both physical and emotional, which makes this memoir interesting and inspiring. I was happy to see Sara so successful in her career, and I am now watching her TED talk and YouTube videos to follow her groundbreaking work.
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