When I was offered a copy of this book, I really didn’t look that closely. I saw the picture of a female in what looked like an astronaut suit holding a helmet and the subtitle about astrophysics (assumed she was an astronaut), and that she was Egyptian-American and immediately thought, I want to read about a successful female in science who fights both misogyny and racism. Yes. And I did and yet this was so much more than that and at the same time, not that at all.

This is an inspiring story about a girl who loves the stars and enters the science field, but also suffers from crippling anxiety in the face of a stressful, fractured homelife; misogynistic educational experiences; abusive relationships and the prospect of a most-assured future cancer diagnosis.

The story is divided in 3 parts, covering her elementary school years, high school and college years, split between an abusive domestic relationship and tackling the cancer question. Her experiences are beautifully set to prose incorporating her knowledge of astrophysics and interpolating that information into her ruminations over her life so far.

She has a complicated relationship with both of her parents though the mother/daughter relationship appears to be the most strained and anxiety-inducing. She often measures her self-worth based on accomplishments and failures which leads to her feelings of inadequacy that are validated when others, like educators and possible mentors or partners, tell her that as a girl she is not predisposed to be good at math, she cannot be an astrophysicist and it is all her fault or what she deserves. Some of these people were even females. At times I was a little frustrated by the repetition of these ideas throughout the book, but I also understand that this is a manifestation of her anxiety and understandable in retrospect.

Don’t worry about the science if you think it will be too much for you. There’s not much here and I was disappointed. The epilogue describes her experiences with a Mars astronaut simulation in Hawaii and oh how I wish that had taken up a large majority of the book. She could have set her struggles against a more detailed account of that experience, and I probably would have loved it. I also had difficulty looking past the educational opportunities and privileges that she had access to during her journey that were not available to me living in rural Texas with little to no science offered in the curriculum, which consisted of the religion-washed basic biology of Texas public schools taught by a coach more preoccupied with sports.

I found her explanation of her experience with genetic testing, breast cancer scares and her decisions given her high anxiety to be very informative. I’m a breast cancer survivor having been diagnosed in my early to mid-thirties with (so far) non-genetic breast cancer. Her revelations over this experience were very enlightening given I have been resentful in the past about BRCA receiving disproportional media attention compared to more prevalent breast cancers. If it makes just 1 woman advocate for herself, it’s worth it.

I’d recommend this book to those who love reading books about successful women in any field who’ve overcome adversity and especially those that relate to stories about extreme anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. Hopefully, I’ll get to read a follow-up to this one recounting her experiences as an astronaut.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

STARSTRUCK by Sarafina El-Badry Nance is a stunning debut. Beginning with her childhood in Austin, Texas, Nance takes you on an adventure through her life, with poignant insight into her experience as a woman of color, how she felt the need to disguise herself, and ultimately how she stepped into herself and took control of her health and her career. It's an inspiring story that is both intimate and expansive, and it was an absolute delight to read.

El-Badry Nance is an excellent role model for anyone looking to get into astrophysics! This is a fantastic read for anyone fascinated by space and what it takes to get there. Memoir elements are mixed with astrophysics to share the experiences of El-Badry Nance as she grew up as a seeming outsider. The book is well-written and enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

The Difficulties Faced by a Woman Entering a STEM field

As a child, Serafina loved watching the stars with her father and learning about the universe. Those nights gave her an intense desire to know more and eventually to become an astrophysicist. However, it wasn’t an easy road. Women are more accepted today in fields where science and math are important, but many girls are still told that science and math are too difficult for girls. Serafina persisted and her story is an inspiration for any young girl with a burning interest in science.

The book covers not only Serafina’s early struggles, but the problems encountered in adult life from a cancer diagnoses to abuse by a partner. Through it all her desire to be herself is apparent. It’s an example of how to deal successfully with the many problems life throws at us.

Serafina starts each chapter with an exploration of the universe. These sections are written for a general audience and are appropriate for young readers although some of the later parts of the memoir are on topics that may be difficult for younger children to understand. I enjoyed this memoir and recommend it, particularly if you’re a woman planning a career in a STEM field.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

This book is so inspiring and a must read for any woman in STEM. Sarafina's journey of self-actualization was so relatable and the interludes of the creation of the universe/our solar system really set the tone well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
This was so beautifully written. The astronomy explanations were lovely, but I had to fight the temptation to rush through them because the author's personal story was so compelling. But I loved the back-and-forth in the end, and what an amazing story! I identified with the author just a little bit when people kept assuming that math and science were too hard for her--I'm older by a fair bit (the author is the age of my oldest child) and in the 70s, when people told me I just couldn't expect to be very good at math or science, I sadly believed them. Which just made me that much more delighted to see the author conquer difficulties, tragedies and setbacks. I hope teen and young adult women get ahold of this book! Note that there is description of domestic violence.

Where to start. I’ve been following Sarafina as a science communicator and advocate for women’s health since before I started down my own path of pursuing the field, and followed along online as she worked towards her greatest astrophysics ambitions and opted for a preventative double mastectomy in light of a BRCA-2 mutation confirmation. Reading her memoir was in short, a privilege.
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Lyrical yet brazen, expansive yet intimate, earnest and deeply felt, this book was a memoir in its finest form.
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The vivid and visceral personal pieces interspersed with connections to the magnitude of space and in depth explanations astronomical phenomena, while ambitious in scope, were cohesive and compelling.
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In the latter portions of the book, the author copes with the various shades of grief, detachment from understanding, and determination to choose her own outcomes during genetic and cancer-focuses diagnostic and treatment processes. As a science communicator and a woman living with chronic illness, these pieces were particularly moving, and I was so grateful for those moments of connection.
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Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for access to an e-ARC of this book. And to the author, thank you for writing it.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

“Starstruck” by Sarafina El-Badry Nance documents the author’s amazing journey of survival and success starting as a studious elementary school student in Austin, Texas and concluding as a respected astrophysicist working on her PhD at UC Berkeley engaged in exciting activities such as participating in Mars crew habitat simulations on Mauna Loa. The author’s memoir will offer hope and guidance to others facing discrimination, sexism, destructive relationships, cancer, and other hardships. I hope that other people in destructive harmful relationships (of any kind!) will have the author’s strength to survive by walking away. I have been fortunate to have not encountered the level of opposition that the author has, yet, this was an excellent opportunity for me to reevaluate my roles in society such as parent, spouse, sibling, classmate, coworker, friend, etc. Although I am confident that I am not the kind of antagonist that the author frequently dealt with, reading this book reaffirms my desire to be remembered as a one of the good guys.

I really enjoyed the details about life in Austin, as it fondly reminded me of the decade my family and I spent there going about many of the same activities that the author described. I also appreciated astronomy interludes that skillfully illustrated the awe that one feels contemplating the vast cosmos.

I thank the author and publisher for graciously providing a temporary electronic review copy of this work.

A wonderful memoir by the young Egyptian-American astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance. Each chapter begins with fascinating information about some aspect of the universe -- black holes, the motion of celestial bodies, the Big Bang Theory, for example. That is paired with Nance's story of her journey of a little girl interested in the stars, to her education in physics and astrophysics. She shares her many challenges -- crippling anxiety as a child and young adult, domestic violence at the hands of a college boyfriend, misogynistic physics professors, and her ambivalence about her Arab-American heritage in a post 9-11 world. When genetic testing reveals she has the BRCA-2 mutation, she chooses to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. Nance is an inspirational advocate for young people interested in science, as well as for cancer prevention and treatment.