The Boy Who Reached for the Stars
A Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Timothy Andrés Pabon
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By:
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Elio Morillo
About this listen
“Inspiring and joyous.”—People
""Heartwarming . . . infectious . . . Morillo's The Boy Who Reached for the Stars is every bit the inspiration he means it to be.""—Kirkus Reviews
The engineer known as the “space mechanic” speaks to both our future and past in this breathless memoir of his journey from Ecuador to NASA and beyond.
Elio Morillo’s life is abruptly spun out of orbit when economic collapse and personal circumstances compel his mother to flee Ecuador for the United States in search of a better future for her son. His itinerant childhood sets into motion a migration that will ultimately carry Elio to the farthest expanse of human endeavor: space.
Overcoming a history of systemic adversity and inequality in public education, Elio forged ahead on a journey as indebted to his galactic dreams as to a loving mother whose sacrifices safeguarded the ground beneath his feet. Today, Elio is helping drive human expansion into the solar system and promote the future of human innovation—from AI and robotics to space infrastructure and equitable access.
The Boy Who Reached the Stars is both a cosmic and intimate memoir spun from a constellation of memories, reflections, and intrepid curiosity, as thoroughly luminous as the stars above.
©2023 Elio Morillo (P)2023 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Timothy Andrés Pabon speaks softly as he narrates Morillo's first-person account of his childhood.... Pabon puts determination into Morillo's words as the space engineer recalls his drive to learn." (AudioFile)
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An activist calls for better support of young families so they can thrive and reflects on her experiences as a Black mother and college student fighting for opportunities for herself and her child. Pregnant Girl presents the possibility of a different future for young mothers - one of success and stability - in the midst of the dismal statistics that dominate the national conversation.
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Political
- By Amazon Customer on 01-16-23
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High Calling
- The Courageous Life and Faith of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband
- By: Evelyn Husband, Donna VanLiere
- Narrated by: Evelyn Husband
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
February 1, 2003. A light flashed over a Texas sky and twisted metal rained across the countryside. As images of the wreckage from the Space Shuttle Columbia streamed across the nation's television screens, they became forever burned into our memories. But behind those images were stories that remained untold...until now.
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An inspiring story of a life cut short
- By Debby Parker on 11-16-15
By: Evelyn Husband, and others
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Hidden Figures
- The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
- By: Margot Lee Shetterly
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets and astronauts into space. Among these problem solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation.
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Great Story of a History Obscured
- By Cynthia on 09-18-16
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The Power of a Plant
- A Teacher's Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools
- By: Stephen Ritz, Suzie Boss
- Narrated by: Stephen Ritz
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In The Power of a Plant, globally acclaimed teacher and self-proclaimed CEO (Chief Eternal Optimist) Stephen Ritz shows you how, in one of the nation's poorest communities, his students thrive in school and in life by growing, cooking, eating, and sharing the bounty of their green classroom.
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Thanks For The Power Of A Plant
- By Pedalingfree on 05-08-21
By: Stephen Ritz, and others
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Let's Roll!
- By: Lisa Beamer, Ken Abraham - contributor
- Narrated by: Lisa Helm
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On September 11, 2001, Lisa Beamer was thrust into the national spotlight after her husband, Todd, became an American hero by preventing terrorist hijackers from almost certainly flying United Flight 93 into the White House or the United States Capitol. Instead, Todd led a group of passengers to resist the hijackers, forcing the plane to crash into a Pennsylvania field. Todd and the other heroes of Flight 93 gave their lives so that untold others would be spared. Nothing could be more heroic. Lisa is now telling that story, and much more.
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Inspiring book. I couldn't put it down.
- By Sam on 09-13-03
By: Lisa Beamer, and others
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The Warrior Code
- 11 Principles to Unleash the Badass Inside of You
- By: Tee Marie Hanible
- Narrated by: Tee Marie Hanible
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In The Warrior Code, entrepreneur, philanthropist, reality star, and retired gunnery sergeant Tee Marie Hanible serves up 11 principles to awaken your inner badass and thrive in the face of adversity. With insightful honesty and wisdom and set against the backdrop of Tee’s life, The Warrior Code will help you understand that things can beat us back from realizing our true potential...but the key is finding the way to realize one’s own innate strength.
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Your mother wears combat boots
- By Juanita L. Jones on 04-04-20
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Carly's Voice
- Breaking Through Autism
- By: Arthur Fleischmann, Carly Fleischmann
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor, Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At the age of two, Carly Fleischmann was diagnosed with severe autism and an oral motor condition that prevented her from speaking. Doctors predicted that she would never intellectually develop beyond the abilities of a small child. Although she made some progress after years of intensive behavioral and communication therapy, Carly remained largely unreachable. Then, at age 10, Carly had a breakthrough....
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A peek inside...
- By Yolanda on 08-09-13
By: Arthur Fleischmann, and others
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Another Kind of Madness
- A Journey Through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness
- By: Stephen P. Hinshaw
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Families are riddled with untold secrets. But Stephen Hinshaw never imagined that a profound secret was kept under lock and key for 18 years within his family - that his father's mysterious absences, for months at a time, resulted from serious mental illness and involuntary hospitalizations. From the moment his father revealed the truth, during Hinshaw's first spring break from college, he knew his life would change forever.
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Insightful, heartbreaking, and important
- By S. Yates on 10-09-17
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Failing Up
- How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning
- By: Leslie Odom Jr.
- Narrated by: Leslie Odom Jr.
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Leslie Odom Jr. burst on the scene in 2015, originating the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical phenomenon Hamilton. Since then he has performed for sold-out audiences, sung for the Obamas at the White House, and won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. But before he landed the role of a lifetime in one of the biggest musicals of all time, Odom put in years of hard work as a singer and an actor.
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When you take one step, the universe takes two
- By Amy Aguilar on 04-11-18
By: Leslie Odom Jr.
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Life, Animated
- A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism
- By: Ron Suskind
- Narrated by: Ron Suskind
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This is the real-life story of Owen Suskind, the son of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind and his wife, Cornelia. An autistic boy who couldn't speak for years, Owen memorized dozens of Disney movies, turned them into a language to express love and loss, kinship, brotherhood. The family was forced to become animated characters, communicating with him in Disney dialogue and song; until they all emerge, together, revealing how, in darkness, we all literally need stories to survive.
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Life, Animated ... is Love, Animated *****
- By Tom T. Rumble on 04-12-14
By: Ron Suskind
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Proving Ground
- The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World's First Modern Computer
- By: Kathy Kleiman
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After the end of World War II, the race for technological supremacy sped on. Top-secret research into ballistics and computing, begun during the war to aid those on the front lines, continued across the United States as engineers and programmers rushed to complete their confidential assignments. Among them were six pioneering women, tasked with figuring out how to program the world's first general-purpose, programmable, all-electronic computer—better known as the ENIAC. Proving Ground restores these women to their rightful place as technological revolutionaries.
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A Joy to Listen To
- By Sam on 08-07-22
By: Kathy Kleiman
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Rhythms of Renewal
- Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose
- By: Rebekah Lyons
- Narrated by: Rebekah Lyons
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rhythms of Renewal is your guide to daily rescue and a way forward into the peace your soul longs for. As a society, we are in the throes of a collective panic attack. Anxiety and loneliness are on the rise, with 77% of our population experiencing physical symptoms of stress on a regular basis. We feel pressure chasing careers, security, and keeping up. We worry about health, politics, and many other complexities we can't control. Eventually, we find our minds spinning, trying to cope or manage a low hum of anxiety, unlike ever before.
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Great writer but should stick to fiction
- By Jana Leig Fiedler on 11-06-19
By: Rebekah Lyons
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What listeners say about The Boy Who Reached for the Stars
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- Anonymous User
- 11-01-23
Such an inspiring story.
It reminded me of the reason why I’m also an engineer and why I’m pursuing my passion in the industry
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- Victoria Bsquerizo
- 06-15-23
Inspiring
I found myself fill with emotions as I understood the pain and resilience you need to have to make it anywhere. Sacrifices have rewards. Beautiful written
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