Jun 13

Jun 13 The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred - Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Alright, now that I've had time to think about this book, I will do my best to get all my thoughts down in a coherent way. Here goes. Also, I am adding a TW for the book because Dr. Prescod-Weinstein talks about rape and sexual assault in one of the chapters.

Plain and simple, this is an excellent book. If you are a physics nerd or just want to know more about physics, this is the book for you. But if you also want to know what it's like to be a non-cis white straight male working in the field of physics, this is also the book for you. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein does no pull any punches and goes deep into how physics and science in general are both incredibly important to the world and also very far from eradicating racism, misogyny and sexual assault/harassment from within. She talks of her love for physics, especially quarks, her time in college at different levels and the constant obstacles she faced, and how science has stood on the backs of, and done great harm to, Black and Indigenous people throughout history.

I loved physics when I was in high school but lost that love after having a teacher who spent more time with the white kids than the rest of us. His inattention soured me on the subject. But reading this book reawakened my curiosity and desire to learn more. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein did extensive research for her book and cited to many books that I plan to add to my very long TBR. Books I wish I had read as a teen, which probably would have kept me interested in physics. But she also laid bare her own experiences in becoming a theoretical cosmologist, experiences of constant racism, misogyny, rape and sexual harassment. She is honest about whether physics is still something she loves, especially with everything that she has seen and had done to her. The fact that she is still teaching, still learning and still in her field is nothing short of a miracle.

It is a shame that racism and misogyny are still so rampant in pretty much every field because they cause those fields to lose out on fresh new talent. Instead, we're stuck with the same old white men who continue to shape the world for their benefit alone, with the same dry ideas that keep us from moving forward. Black and other POC, women and queer/trans people who just want to do what they love deserve to have the same opportunities that have been handed to, and stolen by, white men. Innovation remains stunted when the same people keep the rest of us out of the creation process. I'm glad that Dr. Prescod-Weinstein opened our eyes to what the rest of us have to face in the science world and I hope that more and more people like her become part of it.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Amazon