Anousheh Ansari

What a wonderfully inspiring story! Anousheh Ansari was born and grew up in Iran. She loved the sight of the stars as far back as she can remember. Life in Iran was difficult, particularly after her father left, and during the Iran-Iraq war. She came to the U.S. in the eighties and finished high school here. She had some thoughts of becoming an astrophysicist, but ultimately decided on electrical engineering. She found the love of her life, Hamid Ansari, and they went into business together, building it from nothing to an important company. When they sold the business they became sponsors of the X Prize, for the first commercial launch of two trips into space within two weeks. Doing so she made the contacts that enabled her to be a space entrepreneur, train with the Russian space program and make a week long trip to the International Space Station.

Ansari is quite a woman. She combines vision with practicality and persistance, which allowed her to get degrees in a field not always friendly to women, develop the skills to manage a successful business, yet never give up on her dream. I really like that though she had the self-confidence to do all these things, she was always mindful of those people in her life who helped her and shaped her, and she gives them credit.

Give this book to every adolescent. It may help them find and realize their own dreams.… (meer)