When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes

K-Gr 3–In this illustrated biography, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (also known as Chandra), a brilliant Indian-born astrophysicist, mathematically predicts the existence of black holes at a young age, meets with struggles during his professional career, but ultimately, triumphs by winning the Nobel prize. The story itself lacks details of his brilliance as a child, his struggles scientifically in England, and how he came to be an academic in the United States. There is a link between the science of the atomic bomb (the splitting of atoms or fission) and Chandra’s mathematical theory on black holes that is not made clear within the story. With gorgeous dark blue space artwork throughout the book, the illustrator dramatizes Chandra’s seemingly meteoric rise as a child, his struggle as an adult, and his perseverance in achieving ultimate success. Even though the accurate representation of the Chandra’s life would show a majority of the scientists are white men, there is diversity represented during his childhood and early adulthood in India, within the crowds of students, and a lone woman in a group researching the atomic bomb. The book includes a deeper biography, information about the science behind black holes, a timeline, and trivia in the appendix.