Music to Move the Stars: A Life with Stephen Hawking (ISBN 0333746864)

Interesting Look into the Hawkings' Family Life:
This is an interesting book on a multitude of levels. It is not just your regular celebrity expose. It is also a look into the life of an academic family, the family of a severely handicapped person, and a look into British life. Jane Hawking married Stephen Hawking, believing that his life would be a short one. They hoped to jam as much love and fulfillment into what they thought would be short years together. They married fairly young, had children right away and set to keeping house. (Boy, wasn't everyone surprised at his staying power!) Jane (May I call her Jane?) describes the domestic details of a young family as well as the intrigues of her tweedy academic society at the University. Its a delightful look into how academes live, describing the politics, the society and the passion for learning. At various points, they travel to the States and other places in Europe and she enlightens us on the life of the learned in those places, as well. If you contemplate a career in academia, this book can be enlightening. She, for many years, was an astounding caregiver, dealing with Stephen's (May I call him Stephen?) progressive physical decline and heavier demands. She managed to run the household, raise the kids, and literally haul him around for years before a serious respiratory incident forced her to bring professional nurses in full-time. She recounts battles with the British health care system, battles for access with the University, and the domestic friction that one would expect when one member of the family is so handicapped. Jane got a PhD in her own right (you GO, girl!) in Spanish poetry and here is where the book loses a star. The book's a bit more wordy than it needs to be, on a number of fronts. My PhD buddies tend to write non-thesis material like that. I recognize the style. A bit of editing may have been nice. Still, a worthy read for moms, academes, caregivers, stargazers, Spanish poets, Baroque musicians...

Real people, roller coaster experiences:
Jane Hawking tells life as she lived it with her husband of 25 years Stephen Hawking. This is a story of families - those that Stephen and Jane came from and the one they built. The interplay of love given and received from unexpected sources is a major theme of this book. Kind words from colleagues were remembered as she struggled to bring up 3 children and help make a sick husband strong. The energy needed to run concerts, dinner parties, childrens' parties, trips and more comes through in the book, as well as profound emotions. Insights on living with the disabled from a family perspective abound. This book inspires one to make the most out of life. Stephen's pioneering research is clearly explained in simple terms for those who do not have a PhD in the mathematical physics of black holes. If a little lengthy, it reveals vignettes of an academic life that roams from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge across the Atlantic to dreary Seattle and sunny Pasadena. With candid insights into her private spiritual experiences the author draws her own conclusions regarding the role of God in the universe.

Real people, roller coaster experiences:
Jane Hawking tells life as she lived it with her husband of 25 years Stephen Hawking. This is a story of families - those that Stephen and Jane came from and the one they built. The interplay of love given and received from unexpected sources is a major theme of this book. Kind words from colleagues were remembered as she struggled to bring up 3 children and help make a sick husband strong. Insights on living with the disabled from a family perspective abound. The energy needed to run concerts, dinner parties, childrens' parties, trips and more comes through in the book, as well as profound emotions. This book inspires one to make the most out of life. Stephen's pioneering research is clearly explained in simple terms for those who do not have a PhD in the mathematical physics of black holes. If a little lengthy, it reveals vignettes of an academic life that roams from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge across the Atlantic to dreary Seattle and sunny Pasadena. With candid insights into her private spiritual experiences the author draws her own conclusions regarding the role of God in the universe.