The Boy Who Reached for the Stars, Elio Morillo
The Boy Who Reached for the Stars, Elio Morillo
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The Boy Who Reached for the Stars
A Memoir

Author: Elio Morillo

Narrator: Timothy Andrés Pabon

Unabridged: 6 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 06/06/2023

Synopsis

“Inspiring and joyous.”—People""Heartwarming . . . infectious . . . Morillo's The Boy Who Reached for the Stars is every bit the inspiration he means it to be.""—Kirkus ReviewsThe engineer known as the “space mechanic” speaks 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 and personal circumstances compel his mother to flee Ecuador for the United States in search of a better future for her son. His itinerant childhood sets into motion a migration that 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 safeguarded the ground beneath his feet. Today, Elio is helping drive human expansion into the solar system and promote 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 memories, reflections, and intrepid curiosity, as thoroughly luminous as the stars above.

About Elio Morillo

Elio Morillo is a space systems engineer at Blue Origin. Previously he worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Mars 2020 mission, where he was a system testbed and operations engineer for the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity, the Mars helicopter. Born in Ecuador and raised in Puerto Rico and New York, Elio graduated from the University of Michigan with an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in electrical engineering as well as a master’s in systems engineering and design. In his free time, he enjoys giving talks on space, volunteering, and mentoring. Elio is passionate about exploration, expansion, and equitable access to space.

Reviews

Goodreads review by James on January 27, 2024

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......more

Goodreads review by Ricky on February 24, 2024

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 caree......more

Goodreads review by Preston on November 09, 2023

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 aut......more

Goodreads review by Jodi on February 01, 2024

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......more

Goodreads review by Leah on May 20, 2024

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 rep......more

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