Spark: Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone

A warm salute to an undersung Black scientist… . [Ramirez’s] explanations of the science are in-depth and sure to appeal to STEM-minded kids like West… .In her biographical afterword, the author also points to West’s continuing efforts to draw more people of color into scientific fields—a theme the illustrator underscores by adding colleagues and students with darker skin tones to group scenes.—Kirkus Reviews

Ainissa Ramirez dreamed of becoming a scientist since she was a little girl. She got the idea after seeing an African American girl solve problems on a television show called 3-2-1 Contact. In that moment, Ainissa saw her reflection. She later earned her doctorate in materials science from Stanford and worked at Bell Labs, where she met Jim West. She wrote this book—the first of a planned trilogy about Black innovators—so that others can see their reflections in science, too.

Setor Fiadzigbey is an illustrator, artist, art director, and concept artist. Originally from Ghana, he studied science and engineering before realizing he wanted to be an artist. Since then, he has illustrated Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas, Bunheads by Misty Copeland, and Epic Athletes: LeBron James by Dan Wetzel.