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My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer
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In her heartwarming and empowering memoir, space pioneer Anousheh Ansari tells the story of her childhood in Iran and her family's exodus to America after the Islamic Revolution. After settling down in Texas, Anousheh built a computer technology firm from the ground up, which eventually realized a net worth of $750 million and ultimately allowed her to achieve her
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
March 2nd 2010
by St. Martin's Press
(first published January 1st 2010)
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Start your review of My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer
My Dream of Stars, Anousheh Ansari, Homer Hickam
Anousheh Ansari (born September 12, 1966, in Mashhad, Iran) is an Iranian-American engineer and co-founder and chairwoman of Prodea Systems.
Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. (TTI). The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize. On September 18, 2006, a few days after her 40th birthday, she became the first Iranian woman in space. Ansari was the fourth overa ...more
Anousheh Ansari (born September 12, 1966, in Mashhad, Iran) is an Iranian-American engineer and co-founder and chairwoman of Prodea Systems.
Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. (TTI). The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize. On September 18, 2006, a few days after her 40th birthday, she became the first Iranian woman in space. Ansari was the fourth overa ...more
Who says money can't buy... anything? Yes, even a trip into space. Ansari left a turbulent Iran as a teenager and came to the United States and made a name and a fortune for herself. She took that fortune and went to Russia where she participated in Space Adventures and went into space. The press branded her a "space tourist" and the people of Iran have criticized her for having spent 20 million dollars on her dream. It wasn't just her 20 million dollars that got her into space tho, but also her
...more
"In her heartwarming and empowering memoir, space pioneer Anousheh Ansari tells the story of her childhood in Iran and her family's exodus to America after the Islamic Revolution. After settling down in Texas, Anousheh built a computer technology firm from the ground up, which eventually realized a net worth of $750 million and ultimately allowed her to achieve her childhood dream of spaceflight. In her groundbreaking role as the first-ever female commercial spaceflight participant, her story be
...more
How do you put a price on your Dream? Is it worth one month's salary? Is it worth one year's salary?...What is the right price for a dream?
I don't have an answer for it. But I believe it is different for every person. For me, I was ready, and still am, to give my life for my dream...
Born in Iran, leaving to US when Khomeini comes to power, Anousheh Ansari has always dreamed of visiting the stars. She ends up studying electrical engineering and goes on to start a very successful tech company with ...more
I don't have an answer for it. But I believe it is different for every person. For me, I was ready, and still am, to give my life for my dream...
Born in Iran, leaving to US when Khomeini comes to power, Anousheh Ansari has always dreamed of visiting the stars. She ends up studying electrical engineering and goes on to start a very successful tech company with ...more
Oct 18, 2010
Leilani
rated it
liked it
Recommended to Leilani by:
KERA's Think with Kris Boyd
Shelves:
memoir
Anousheh Ansari made more money than I can really comprehend in the telecom industry in the 90s (literally just down the street from where I was going to college at the time), and used it to fund the X Prize for commercial spaceflight, and then to pursue her lifelong dream of going into space.
This memoir is a quick read - she doesn't go into great depth on any difficult issues, but her stories of childhood in Iran and learning to live in the United States are interesting. As a fan myself, it ma ...more
This memoir is a quick read - she doesn't go into great depth on any difficult issues, but her stories of childhood in Iran and learning to live in the United States are interesting. As a fan myself, it ma ...more
Anousheh Ansari has led a fascinating life. Unfortunately this book skips over many of the parts I'd have found most interesting (her childhood in Iran, the difficulties of moving to America, how she started her own company and made it so successful etc). Instead it concentrates on her week as a space tourist. This has been covered in a far more interesting/comprehensive way by books such as An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. Overall it was OK, but I wouldn't rush to recomm
...more
پشتکار و اراده انوشه انصاری ستودنی است.
This is the common read for UVU this coming fall. I was not overly impressed with the book. It was written okay, but it's hard for me to get excited about someone achieving their dream of flying to space because they can pay their own way. A lot of it is good, but in my opinion, this is nowhere near as good as "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" that was last year's common read. Maybe I'm a bit harsh on this one because last year's was so inspiring.
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I am usually a fiction person. I generally only read memoirs written by celebrities I am familiar with, I found this book to be an excellent read. Iranian girl comes to America with her family. They strike it rich in the telecom industry. She sponsors a "space race" and pays money to go to the international space station as a participant in a joint Soviet/U.S. business deal. Well told inspiring story.
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This is one of those memoirs that made me go, "Wow, this is why I love reading people's memoirs!"...especially ones that were written after the author returned to Earth. This is the story of an Iranian woman who spends her whole life wishing she could leave the planet and then she leaves the planet. Like, I often wish that I could leave the planet, but you don't see me doing it, do you? Anousheh Ansari just goes right ahead and does it, and in this book she tells you what happened in her life an
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Anousheh Ansari has lived a spectacular life and in her way paved the way for the future of space. As someone with a keen interest in space this book was really fascinating. The story and the details about her experience were fun to read and I learned a lot about the tourist space program. However, her writing was basic and I never felt connected to her turmoil and difficulty. But I enjoyed the book and think others will too, though it may be a little slow for someone without an interest in the
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Possibly a bit fluffy, or possibly the author is the most positive person in the world. In either case, it made a fast read, and I enjoyed following her along as she got to do what we all really, really want to do. The sections on training in Star City and on cosmonaut culture were especially interesting, and the writing was engaging enough that I was rooting for her to get through and get to space. Fun book, and interesting to read a completely different perspective on the space program.
This is the common read for UVU this coming fall. I was not overly impressed with the book. It was written okay, but it's hard for me to get excited about someone achieving their dream of flying to space because they can pay their own way. A lot of it is good, but in my opinion, this is nowhere near as good as "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" that was last year's common read. Maybe I'm a bit harsh on this one because last year's was so inspiring.
...more
I found this story interesting and want to check out her blog...but in general I don't really like her style of writing. It seemed very me-centric. I wonder what she is up to now that it's been 5 years since her space travels. I wonder if she started a family or has any inclination toward that.
...more
Had to read as a freshman requirement at UVU. I really liked her story, but there were definitely some things that irked me. But it made me love the ISS even more, and although I never want to go into space, I love appreciating it from here on earth.
I had a dream of going to the stars as well when I was little, I no-doubtbly believed that something extrodanary would happen when I grow up ... say by year 2000 ;-) clearly I don't dream that dream anymore and I am happy Anousheh did make it. it is truely a beautiful story
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So, I was almost done with this book, and then it was just annoying me. I don't know what it was, but I didn't really like the tone of it...
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I liked it. I didn't love it. I liked Anousheh, who is obviously a delightful person, but I just wans't riveted by the story.
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1. This book is about a young refugee from Iran who wants to be an astronaut so she does everything she can to achieve her goal. The central idea of this book is to chase your dreams. This is shown throughout the whole book. Throughout the book, Anousheh is talking about her journey to becoming an astronaut for NASA. Anousheh talks about how dreams can come true if we are willing to work for them.
2. The phrase that I chose that I thought fit the book well was “ The only place where success come ...more
2. The phrase that I chose that I thought fit the book well was “ The only place where success come ...more
Sep 15, 2018
Joy
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
poc-authors,
women-authors
It started out cheesy, but got better. It won't win any awards for writing, but it's the very unique perspective of a woman who grew up around the Iranian Revolution, moved to the US, founded a successful company with her family, and went on to be one of the few private citizens to buy their way into space.
I would have liked a bit more about her life before the 10 days in space... It only spends a page or two going from just starting the company, to having hundreds of employees and getting bough ...more
I would have liked a bit more about her life before the 10 days in space... It only spends a page or two going from just starting the company, to having hundreds of employees and getting bough ...more
Personally very nostalgic for teens like me who followed her blogging in 2006 flight. Great book for manned space flights fans from vies of a space tourist (she hates calling her a tourist), could have more details from her preparation and her residency at ISS. Very engaging flow of reading, I was listening to Russian folk music while reading it and that made it even more exciting. Good job Anousheh jan!
Sep 14, 2020
Mobina
added it
I love space and one of my dreams is to become an astronaut and I will do my best to achieve my dream one day and reading this book will increase my hope and motivation.
If you like space travel and how to prepare for space travel, then I recommend this book. If you don't, skip it. The writing is dry, disconnected, and detached.
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This auto/biography of Anousheh Ansari is a lovely tale of her trip to space and the life that motivated it. This is a very personal, affectionate tale, but not without sadness and other upsetting truths along the way. What really comes across is how much of herself and her personality that Ansari puts into everything she does, and how she put her mind to accomplishing things, whether or not they were what she set out to do herself. The tales of the family's time in Iran are very illuminating, a
...more
A nice story, a little trite and simplistic at times, but an enjoyable read.
Jan 22, 2014
Rashed
added it
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Jan 30, 2014
Tina
added it
نشر شادان
A little glossy but interesting story.
What an interesting story!
A lovely memoir of an amazing experience.
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