Review of "Carbon Queen: The Remarkable Life of Nanoscience Pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus" by Maia Weinstock

Maia Weinstock, an American science writer and the deputy editor at MIT news, tells the remarkable story of the 'Queen of Carbon' Mildred (Millie) Dresselhaus.


Young Millie Dresselhaus


Millie Dresselhaus holding a LEGO figure of herself

During Millie's long career, she uncovered some of carbon's basic properties, paved the way for a future of carbon-based technologies, was a pioneer in research on nanostructures called fullerenes (buckyballs), and predicted the existence of carbon nanotubes - sheets of carbon atoms rolled up into tiny cylinders that can conduct electricity. (Nanotubes are 10,000 times thinner than a human hair.)


Nanotubes are 10,000 times thinner than a human hair.


Buckyballs are similar in diameter to nanotubes

Weinstock writes, "In all, Millie authored or co-authored an astounding 1,700 research articles and 8 books, largely relating to carbon and it's fundamental properties. But she was far more than a brilliant researcher. Millie was also a tireless educator and role model.....whom countless women in science and engineering looked up to." Among myriad other accolades, Millie was the first female MIT Institute Professor, the first woman to win a National Medal of Science in the category of engineering, and the first solo recipient of the prestigious Kavli Prize, given biennially in the disciplines of astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. Millie also received the National Medal of Science from President George H.W. Bush, served as director of the Department of Energy's Office of Science under President Bill Clinton, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.


Millie Dresselhaus receiving the Kavli Prize from King Harald of Norway

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Millie Dresselhaus receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama

Moreover, Millie rose to eminence from a childhood that started in extreme poverty, and she had to battle male chauvinists and society's resistance to women scientists along the way.

Millie Spiewak was born in 1930 in Brooklyn and grew up in the Bronx, where her immigrant Jewish parents struggled to make ends meet. Little Millie's first calling was music, and she won a scholarship for violin lessons at the Greenwich House Music School in Manhattan.


Greenwich House Music School

In addition to attending grade school and music school, Millie also had to work, and her first paying job began at the age of eight, when she tutored a special needs student for fifty cents a week for 15 to 20 hours of lessons. Later, Millie became an administrative helper in her junior high school and assisted with manufacturing assembly work her mother brought home to augment the family income. Millie was also employed as a child laborer in a zipper factory during her summers off from school and observed that "she used to hide when inspectors came around because she was under the legal minimum age for workers in New York City."

A perk of attending Greenwich House Music School was free tickets to concerts and theatrical performances, and Millie attended as many as she could. On top of that, young Millie became a film critic for the Greenwich House Music School newsletter, which gave her free access to big-name movies. Weinstock notes, "A bright young Millie blossomed into a veritable sponge, soaking up every experience and opportunity that crossed her path."

Millie's interest in science was stoked by books like Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif - which extolled fourteen men of science, and a biography of the two-time Nobel-prize winning physicist and chemist Marie Curie. Millie also saved up her tiny allowance to purchase old copies of National Geographic magazine, which "further immersed her young mind in scientific and humanistic thinking."


Physicist and Chemist Marie Curie

Only one New York magnet school accepted girls in the 1940s, and Millie managed to earn a place at the highly competitive Hunter College High School.



Millie supplemented her formal education by exploring the city's art and history museums and sneaking into astronomy shows at the Hayden Planetarium (which charged an entrance fee Millie couldn't afford). In high school, Millie became a REAL entrepreneur by developing a well-paying tutoring operation, for which she was paid $5 per hour ($67 an hour in 2021 dollars). Weinstock observes, "By the time she got to college, Millie had earned enough to not only help her parents with bills but also to become financially independent."

After graduating high school, Millie went on to attend Hunter College, and - at first - had only moderate aspirations. Teachers had told Millie there were only three possible careers for women, teaching, nursing, and secretarial work, and Millie was thinking of a job in secondary education.



Then Millie took an introductory physics course from Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (who later won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine), and the die was cast. Yalow saw whip-smart Millie's potential, and pushed her to pursue science research. Millie later said, "Yalow was the one who was most influential in leading me to attend graduate school and to go to the best schools and to study with the best scholars."


Rosalyn Sussman Yalow

After Hunter College, Millie got a Fulbright Scholarship to England's University of Cambridge, studied at Radcliffe College/Harvard University, and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago - where she studied under Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi. Weinstock writes, "Throughout her career, Millie credited Fermi, whose genius allowed him to excel in both theory and experimentation, with teaching her to think like a physicist."


Enrico Fermi

Fermi and his wife Laura often hosted dinners for students, and this later inspired Millie to "provide her own students with a familial atmosphere at the lab, at group luncheons, and at events at the Dresselhauses' home....where kindred spirits enjoyed one another's company."

Enrico Fermi was a sharp contrast to Millie's Ph.D. advisor at the University of Chicago, Professor Andrew Lawson, who held a deep-seated bias against women in science. Lawson gave Millie no assistance with her research and was unhappy every time Millie got a fellowship or any kind of recognition because he thought it was a waste of resources. Millie later said, "When I sought him out, he essentially told me to get lost." Decades later, when Millie was famous in her field, Lawson "sincerely apologized." (Yeah.....maybe. 😕)


Professor Andrew Lawson

One man at the University of Chicago who was completely different from Lawson was Ph.D. student Gene Dresselhaus, a rising star in theoretical physics. When Gene and Millie met it was kismet, and - besides falling in love with Millie - Gene "provided a flood of encouragement in the absence of a proper advisor." Millie and Gene married and had four children, all while continuing with their stellar careers.


Millie and Gene Dresselhaus


Millie Dresselhaus' parents visit Millie, Gene, and the children


Millie Dresselhaus and her children

Gene was the most supportive helpful husband imaginable, and Weinstock provides an in depth look at the Dresselhauses' family life as well as their employment, research, collaborators, publications, accomplishments, awards, etc. - all of which you can read in the book.


Millie Dresselhaus teaching a class


Millie and Gene Dresselhaus with their long-time collaborator Morinobu Endo

In a nutshell, the Dresselhauses did most of their work at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they settled into a two-story, four-bedroom house that would be their home for 55-plus years. Millie and Gene's individual and joint work in carbon science set the stage for technologies that have already changed the world - such as rechargeable lithium ion batteries for your cell phone, and carbon fiber composites that have transformed industries from aviation to athletics. Millie and Gene also laid the groundwork for new science and engineering that are just now revolutionizing technologies of the future, from flexible digital displays to quantum computers.


Millie and Gene Dresselhaus worked together for their entire lives

In addition to Millie's research and teaching, she spent time with young women of MIT, to provide encouragement, advice, and a sounding board for their frustrations, which arose from discrimination in a male chauvinist environment. Weinstock observes, "Millie was destined to support women and other underrepresented students in critical ways for the rest of her career - at MIT and elsewhere." Weinstock provides many examples of Millie's assistance to students who didn't traditionally enter science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

On a personal note, Millie had several signature marks: a braided updo, inspired by an Austrian hairstyle, that insured Millie's hair was always neat and out of the way in the lab; Scandinavian style knit sweaters, one of Millie's favorites being a cardinal red with wine and black accents and silver buckles; and Millie's nickname, Queen of Carbon.


Millie Dresselhaus liked Scandinavian-style sweaters

As a creative outlet beyond her academic and service work, Millie enjoyed music, hiking, cooking and entertaining. Millie and Gene regularly opened their home to their associates, and "in addition to music nights, they often invited students, colleagues, and others to fill their abode with laughter, food, and conversation."


Millie Dressehaus enjoyed playing her violin

Millie passed away on February 20, 2017, surrounded by her loved ones. A marker at Millie's grave featuring carbon hexagons now reads: "Cherished Wife, Mother, Grandmother; Physicist & MIT Professor; Queen of Carbon - An improbable life, well shared."


Tribute to Millie Dresselhaus from her collaborator and friend Morinobu Endo

Weinstock's book is a well-researched and well-written overview of the life of a remarkable woman. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review of "Unprotected: A Memoir" by Billy Porter

 

Billy Porter

Billy Porter (b. 1969) is a multitalented American entertainer whose work includes Broadway shows, movies, television programs, nightclub performances, benefits, and more. In the course of his career, Porter won Star Search, received a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy Award; and was awarded many other honors.

I became aware of Billy Porter when he played the character 'Pray Tell' on the TV series 'Pose' (2018 - 2021). In the show, Pray Tell is an emcee in New York City's underground ballroom culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s, where gay and trans individuals dressed up in elaborate costumes and competed in different categories on a runway.

Billy Porter as 'Pray Tell' in the television series 'Pose'






Scenes from the television series 'Pose'

In an interview, Porter noted that his life is similar to that of the Pray Tell character in some ways, since they're both HIV+ and were equally ostracized by their church for being gay. This is more or less where Porter begins his memoir, noting that, as a child in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was a 'sissy boy' who liked to jump rope, play hopscotch, play jacks, try on his aunt's pretty shoes, and so on.

Young Billy Porter

Sissy boy Billy was bullied at school, and also had troubles at home. Billy's father deserted the family early on, and Billy lived with his mother, grandmother, and several aunts. Billy's mother Cloerinda was very religious, and - concerned about her son's feminine tendencies - sent Billy to a doctor to be 'fixed.' The doctor suggested Billy needed a man around, to teach him to be more masculine, and Cloerinda soon married her second husband, Mr. Bernie Ford - who turned out to be a decidedly mixed blessing.


Billy Porter and his mother Cloerinda

Bernie taught Billy how to hammer nails, mow the grass, change a tire, rake leaves, shovel snow, use tools, defend himself against bullies, and more. Young Billy saw this as 'man lessons', so when Bernie began climbing into 7-year-old Billy's bed and molesting him, Billy thought these were more 'man lessons.' The abuse went on until Billy was 12, when his Pentecostal preacher's constant exhortations against homosexuality made Billy fear he would burn in hell. Billy put a stop to the hanky panky, but like all abused children, he was already scarred for life. Later, fearing for his half-sister Mary Martha, Billy outed Bernie to Cloerinda.


Billy Porter with his half-sister Mary Martha

Dual imperatives influenced Billy's life after his. Billy wanted to avoid being at home, and by the seventh grade, was deeply involved with performing arts at school. Billy was a talented singer and took advantage of every opportunity that came his way. He writes, "I became practiced at the art of charting my own path. I understood very young that, at virtually all times, I needed to be figuring out the next five moves I had to make in order to survive and thrive."

Billy signed up for myriad extracurricular activities and after school programs and got himself admitted to Pittsburgh's 'Creative and Performing Arts High School' (CAPA). Billy observes about CAPA, "It was as if I'd found my tribe. It was a pure joy. CAPA was filled with the misfits and future faggots of America, and it felt I was home." From CAPA, Billy went on to the famed 'Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama' (CMU), where his classmates were some of the most talented people he'd ever met.


Billy Porter at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama

Porter describes the numerous opportunities he found for himself, inside and outside school. Billy went on auditions; performed in shows; took acting, dancing, voice; and writing lessons; and more. Unfortunately, Billy was often stymied by being Black because many productions had limited room for (what Porter calls) "chocolate chips."

Porter was lucky in some ways because, starting as a schoolboy, Billy met many 'angels' who helped him in his life and career. Porter mentions Mr. Lutz - his music teacher; Mr. Highland - his gym teacher; Joe Franze - artistic director of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera; Judy Nowe - artistic director of the Center for Theater Arts; Billy Hartung, a friend whose parents drove Billy home from evening dance classes for two years; Billy Wilson - a director/choreographer; Suzi Dietz - a theater producer; etc. Porter pays it forward by taking part in benefits, donating to a vast range of causes, and reaching out to as many fans as possible, "especially the little sissy Black boys and trans kids all over the world.


Billy Porter

While Billy was making strides towards his future career, he was being trammeled by pastors and parishioners who sensed Billy was 'different.' The preacher at Billy's church used his bully pulpit to curse homosexuals as an abomination, and churchgoers harangued Cloerinda with criticisms of her son, and exhortations to abandon him. Porter notes, "I felt like I had a scarlet S on my chest that screamed sissy sinner. I would become so enraged every time I had to sit quietly in the pews while every single pastor, preacher, minister, missionary, evangelist, and prophetess condemned "the homosexuals" as an abomination to be cast into the pits of hell for all eternity, and said that AIDS was God's punishment for choosing that sinful lifestyle."


An AIDS victim

This was especially hurtful because many of Porter's friends and colleagues were AIDS victims. Porter recalls, "Folks would silently just dissipate, dissolve, disappear - and soon fade from the memory of those of us left behind. It ws too much to hold, too traumatizing to internalize."

Eventually, all this led to Porter abandoning the church and cutting off his Pittsburgh community, who preached hatred rather than love. Like Bernie's molestation, the church's cruelty did long-lasting harm. In time, Porter had to have serious therapy, to enable him to have real relationships, especially with Black men. Porter says, "Black men were a danger to me. It was a Black man who abused me. Black men hated the sissy...Black rap artists made money off their hatred of gay people...and Black comedians were worse."

Porter's many auditions netted some jobs and a good many nos, but he was persistent. Finally, in 1990, when Porter was 21, he was cast in the Broadway company of 'Miss Saigon', and he was on his way. Porter writes, "I did it. I survived my childhood. I got out!....I moved to New York with every intention of being a star....I just knew my little faggoty ass was poised for stardom."



Porter got his next big job in 1992, in a Broadway show called 'Five Guys Named Moe.' Porter was the understudy for three roles, and he describes the understudy's job as follows: We're the artists who wait in the wings, literally eight shows a week, prepared and on call to step into any of our assigned roles at a moment's notice.....My training and my craft had prepared me for the moment."



Porter writes a good bit about his acting/singing roles, records, television appearances, and other work, but his ascent to the top was anything but smooth.


Billy Porter in 'The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy' (2000)

Billy Porter on 'Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit' (2013)

Billy Porter in Taylor Swifts 'You Need to Calm Down' music video (2016)

Billy Porter and Emma Roberts in 'American Horror Story' (2018)

Billy Porter in Cinderella (2021)


Billy Porter performing at the State Theatre in Minneapolis (2023)

Porter describes confrontations with producers, agents, managers, directors, actors, homophobes, etc. Porter didn't hesitate to stand up for himself, argue his point, fire people, etc., and one has to admire his grit....and humor! For example, when Porter's manager calls him out for casually mentioning a vacation in the Hamptons (a gay-friendly venue), Billy is infuriated. He writes, "And now, judging from this conversation with my soon-to-be former manager, my every move was under some sort of out-the-faggot surveillance.....So when Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy Pouffy, or whatever he's calling himself these days spends time in the Hamptons, he's an entrepreneur, but when I go I'm just a faggot!?"

Despite Porter's obvious talent and drive, there were times when he couldn't get work, and his career languished. Porter describes the 'worst year of his life', 2007, when he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (hereditary), filed for bankruptcy, and learned he was HIV+. Luckily, anti-viral drugs were available by this time, and Porter chose to keep his diagnosis secret for 14 years.

Porter's biggest break may have been landing the role of the Black drag queen, Lola, in the 2012 Broadway musical 'Kinky Boots' - about a shoe-factory owner who has to start making shoes for drag queens to stay afloat. (I saw the 2005 movie version, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, which is great.)
Porter won a Tony Award for his performance, and went on to additional successes.


Billy Porter in 'Kinky Boots'

Towards the end of the book, Porter writes a little about his husband Adam Smith (they subsequently divorced).


Billy Porter and his husband Adam Smith

Porter also lambasts gospel singer/preacher Kim Burrell (a former LGBTQ favorite) for a vicious homophobic rant in 2016. This time there were consequences: Burrell lost her radio show; her appearance on 'Ellen' was cancelled; and many celebrities condemned her hate speech. (Burrell later apologized and tried to build bridges.) Porter also airs his views about the "Orangina" so and so who 'cares nothing for the people; would rather we die than wear a mask during the pandemic; advocates injecting bleach to kill the Corona virus; and refuses to admit defeat.' (You know who he means.)

Billy includes a discussion of the television series 'Pose', for which he won an Emmy Award, and talks about some of the avant garde fashion choices that got him tapped to be the ambassador for the 'Council of American Fashion Designers.'

Billy Porter is a fashion icon

Porter concludes by noting, "My story was not just about overcoming adversity - my life is a testimony to the power that art has to heal trauma."

In penning this memoir, Porter speaks truth to power, and bravely discloses the traumas inflicted on him by a racist and intolerant society. To Porter's credit, his drive and talent overcame the obstacles in his path, and provided his fans with an entertaining body of work.


Billy Porter at the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards

I had the written book and the audiobook, narrated by the author, which was a treat. My major quibble with the narrative is that it jumps around in time, which I found a little disorienting. Still, this is a very good memoir.

Rating: 4.5 stars