Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut

Photo of Jose M. Hernàndez

Product Description: Born into a family of migrant workers, toiling in the fields by the age of six, Jose M. Hernàndez dreamed of traveling through the night skies on a rocket ship. Hernández didn't speak English till he was 12, and his peers often joined gangs, or skipped school. And yet, by his twenties he was part of an elite team helping develop technology for the early detection of breast cancer. He was turned down by NASA eleven times on his long journey to donning that famous orange space suit. Hernández message of hard work, education, perseverance, of "reaching for the stars," makes this a classic American autobiography.