New Children’s Book on the Black Pioneer of Time Travel

A new children's book scheduled to be released this summer will chronicle the life of Dr. Ronald L. Mallett. Ronald Mallett is one of very few tenured, full professors of physics in the country. What makes him even more rare is that he is one of even fewer tenured, full professors of physics who is African American. 

While his credentials are impressive enough, what is truly newsworthy is that Dr. Mallett is one of the world leaders in time travel research. He currently has a patent on a time travel machine. Like many people, Ronald Mallett became fascinated by the idea of time travel as a child. However, his interest was surprisingly practical. Ronald's father died when he was very young. After learning about time travel through fiction, he thought that building a time machine would be a way to travel back in time and save his father's life. His childhood fantasy grew into a reality of sorts. While he is not likely to be traveling back in time to save his father, he has certainly advanced our understanding of time travel and substantially advanced time travel technology. 

The forthcoming children's book, Ronnie's Great Idea, is a biographical fiction that presents key events in Dr. Mallett's life through a fictionalized story. The book begins with Ronald as a young child and ends with him as a university professor. The story describes challenges faced by the main character. In the face of these challenges, it is his drive to create a time machine and the support of his family that help him to persist. 

Stories like that of Dr. Mallett are too little known. It is difficult to see the power and potential we have as a race when our heroes are not shown and their stories are not told. Ronnie's Great Idea is a powerful departure from the norm. It is a valuable resource for Black children and adults alike.

Ronnie's Great Idea is scheduled to be released this summer. Parents and educators who are interested in this and other titles can visit www.BlackKidsRead.com and sign-up to join the Black Kids Read family. Members of the Black Kids Read family can also choose to receive the Blacks in Science Mini-Course on Dr. Ronald L. Mallett. The mini-course is free of charge. It includes: word puzzles, coloring pages, interviews with practicing scientists, and articles that can be used to help children of all ages learn more about Blacks in science.

Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also the author of Ronnie’s Great Idea. To learn more about this or other science-related books and educational material for Black children, visit Black Kids Read at: www.JomoMutegi.com.