The Disordered Cosmos

Starred review from January 25, 2021
Prescod-Weinstein, a particle cosmologist, debuts with an eye-popping and innovative look into the nature of the universe and her “awakening as a Black scientist.” In lucid prose, she takes readers through the “strange, fantastical” world of particle physics, describing quantum mechanics, theories such as string theory and quantum gravity, and and the axion, a hypothetical particle and a subject of her own research. Woven in is an account of Prescod-Weinstein’s evolution as a scientist and a critique of the discipline’s “social environment.” “White empiricism,” she writes, relies on inaccurate language, and she objects to the dark matter analogy in academia, which compares dark matter to Black people when in fact dark matter is invisible. She rebukes “intellectual colonialism” that dismisses Indigenous knowledge and claims to land, and pushes back against a culture she argues is rife with exploitation and sexual assault. As a remedy, she proposes an institutional restructuring (“science needs an anti-colonial code”) that allows children “of every shade, gender identity, sex identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, romantic orientation, (dis)ability, and religion” access to the night sky. In addition to her urgent critique, Prescod-Weinstein’s explanation of physics remains accessible. The result is a resonant paean to the beauties of the cosmos and a persuasive appeal for solutions to injustices in science. Agent: Jessica Papin, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

February 1, 2021

Taking us into the heart of dark matter research and the study of cosmology, Prescod-Weinstein (theoretical physics, Univ. of New Hampshire) delves into her own story to highlight how the practice of science, and the ability to explore the wonders of the universe, are dependent on the conditions present in society. How do gender, race, and sexual identities determine access to science and the ability to participate in scientific research? These are questions that fascinate the author as much as do quarks, axions, dark matter, and other subjects of theoretical astrophysics. She provides an honest, raw look at how she had to overcome the prejudices and abuses of a largely cisgender white male profession as a woman of Afro-Caribbean, Jewish descent who identifies as queer agender in order to explore her passion. VERDICT Part introduction to quantum mechanics and cosmology, part memoir, and part sociological study, this work challenges readers to question the nature of how science is done in contemporary society, as well as what it means when everyone has a seat at the cosmological table. For general science readers, gender and feminist studies students, and those concerned about the role feminist and racial politics plays in STEM professions.--Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2021
Particle physicist Prescod-Weinstein presents a provocative and richly detailed critique of the largely white and male scientific community and her place in it as a Black queer woman. She rejects assumptions that science is "neutral" and apolitical, based on objective empiricism, and more rigorous than social science. Her examples are amusing and tragic, such as when she points out that infrared motion detectors designed by white engineers often don't work on black skin. Prescod-Weinstein urges scientists to apply scientific observation to social phenomena. If we can accept that light is simultaneously a wave and a particle and thus nonbinary, why do we resist the nonbinary possibilities of human sexuality and gender? She questions why white scientists who are adept at observing and recognizing patterns in the natural world are so reluctant to observe and recognize patterns of racism and sexism in their own community, despite ample evidence. Finally, Prescod-Weinstein notes that the push to diversify STEM typically focuses on the benefits to be extracted from Black and Brown talent as opposed to the benefits to communities of color, while the dangers of science, including military technology and climate destruction, are most often borne by Indigenous, Black, and Brown people. A fascinating and disquieting look at a discipline that often holds itself above interrogation.

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Starred review from January 1, 2021
"Black Lives are Star Stuff and Black Lives Matter--all of them." A renowned physicist describes the beauty and wonder of the universe while interrogating the discriminatory sociocultural systems that support scientific practice. In this powerful and compelling book, Prescod-Weinstein lays it out patently: Racist and sexist policies and behaviors are rampant across all scientific disciplines. As a result, minorities are poorly represented, in particular in physics, astronomy, and related fields. Yet the cosmos offers a siren song to all humans, and changing the centuries-old framework dictating how science is constructed, perceived, and taught is imperative not only to make room for diverse scientists, but also to enrich the pursuit of knowledge itself. Prescod-Weinstein, who is the first Black woman to hold a tenure-track faculty position in theoretical cosmology, rightly points out that "creating room for Black children to freely love particle physics and cosmology means radically changing society and the role of physicists within it." In a pleasing combination of passionate and cogent prose, the author demonstrates the entanglement of scientific pursuit and colonial histories and explains how her own exploration of math and physics cannot be separated from the history of racism and oppression. After all, she writes, "physics and math classrooms are not only scenes of cosmology...but also scenes of society, complete with all of the problems that follow society wherever it goes. There is no escape." From the hunt for dark matter (her area of expertise) to the often fraught relationship among Indigenous peoples, their lands, and high-tech experiments, Prescod-Weinstein's deep dives into complex subjects are accessible and exhilarating. But it's her crystal-clear vision of the transformation equality could effect in the world that makes this book a must-read. Her belief in what the future could hold--of "what freedom looks like"--should serve as an inspiration for all readers. A timely, necessary, stellar book--a game-changer.

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