Out of the Box: Building Robots, Transforming Lives

Out of the Box: Building Robots, Transforming Lives by Dr. Andrew Williams is a very good book. It is a call for all students, parents, teachers to understand and grasp that, as his favorite quote says "Success is never final. Failure is seldom fatal. But it's Courage that counts." - Winston Churchill. Dr. Williams takes you through the journey of his life and shows how no matter your pedigree, race, sex, or your past that with God and hard work amazing things can happen. You also get to learn about and follow the beginnings and the growth of the first All Female Robocup team - the Spelbots of Spellman College as the travel to Japan to compete. Do they win? Yes and no... you will just have to read to find out. I had first heard about this book on Moody Radio and thought it might be interesting to read. I am glad I did. And I recommend to anyone else kids, adults, and whoever else might be looking at this book.

Andrew Williams is one of the nation's leading advocates for African American participation in robotics research. The ARTSI Alliance, which he founded, has grown into a consortium of a dozen historically black colleges and seven major research universities that provide mentoring and role models to encourage African American students to pursue careers in computer science. The Alliance supports an active community of robotics researchers, and by making their work more visible, is changing the public's perception of who does robotics. Out of the Box is a very personal account of Williams' maturation, professional growth, and deep religious faith. It reminds us that technologists are, first of all, human beings -- at least for now. Readers of this book will be inspired by his success, and encouraged by his vision.

There are so many different ways in which this book touched me - and I will share just a few. As a woman who chose engineering in an era where that was unusual, I felt a connection to the journey described by Dr. Williams. As I have built my company, I always felt that it was God-led and took great encouragement from his sense that he could be on that path by example while doing technical work. I hope that my life has been a small but similar example. I am involved with many programs for young people - some of whom have a propensity for math, science and technology. What an enormous opportunity to encourage those who need great role models. I represent one face of that possibiilty and Dr. Williams touches another whole group of students. As a Mom of three, I am also thrilled to have the wonderful words of Dr. Williams personal life to share as an inspirational story for them. I am so glad I read this book and even more thrilled that I have it in hand to share with others. It is a blessing.

I LOVED THIS STORY! Not only did it touch my heart, but it's also a powerful example of how God can use anyone He wants to accomplish His purpose. Thank you so much for your transparency and willingness to share your unique personal journey, which is truly inspiring.

I personally found the book hard to put down. I walked with Andrew on his own journey of transformation and I was encouraged by the challenges he faced along the way and how he overcame those challenges. It was also a beautiful picture of how God uses all the pieces of our lives to flow toward a common purpose of His glory while we benefit from the overflow of his goodness. Through this journey I found myself experiencing laughter, tears, joy and when I finished the book a sense of satisfaction as a fellow traveler. Over the past decade I have professionally worked with young men who face the challenging situations of inner city life. I see the application of this book in inspiring these young men to break free from the boundaries of their own boxes to experience their own transformation. I intend to use this book in my work with these young men and am grateful for such a great resource.