MAYA AND THE ROBOT
by Eve L. Ewing
Illustrated by Christine Almeda
Diversity (or rather lack thereof) has long been a Big Issue in technology and science. For example, Google and other Silicon Valley giants, disclosure that their workforce is run by white men. And companies are pointing to a “pipeline” problem – there aren’t enough Black and Latino kids getting into tech and science in the first place they can then hire. Now comes a book that directly addresses this “pipeline” problem.
“Maya and the Robot”, a delightful story Eve L. Ewingadvocates young people’s interest in technology and science fairs. The protagonist is Maya, a shy brain patient who is black and a fifth grader. The novel takes us through Maya’s first day of school bustle and sets up a storyline where Maya finds, corrects and surprises everyone with an artificial intelligence robot named Ralph.
Meanwhile, Maya explores popular tech gadgets and trends. Emailing a famous robotics professor at Stanford? Check. Learning about different battery types? Check. Learning a flavor of artificial intelligence known as “natural language processing”? Check. The book even weaves a glossary of robotics terms – actuators, anyone? – into the story. Enlivened by Christine Almeda’s compelling illustrations, it all makes technology and science cool, fun and accessible. And for me at least, the message is clear: Young readers, don’t be discouraged by technology and science. Anyone can get into these issues.
This message makes sense given Ewing’s background. As an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, she focused on how social inequality and racism affect public schools and youth. Ewing the black one also wrote “Iron Heart” For Marvel Comics featuring a superhero with a black girl genius.
The beating heart of “Maya and the Robot” is Ralph. A once neglected project hidden in a dusty store cupboard, the robot comes to life with a smile from its LED screen and an impeccable personality that even knows how to hug people. We learn that Ralph is part of its creator’s mission to “heal the world, use technology to make the world a better place”.
Ralph leads Maya to a sub-incident grappling with the sad consequences of gun violence. It deepens his understanding of human relations by helping him see some of his classmates in a new light and form stronger bonds with his neighbors, friends and teachers.
I couldn’t help wondering what the kids might think of this novel, as they were its target audience. That’s why I asked my 13- and 17-year-olds to read “Maya and the Robot” as well. My 17-year-old daughter, who said she was too mature to read the book but still reads it, quickly came to the conclusion I did about how the portrayal of the intelligent and brave Maya would strengthen girls’ interest in STEM.
My 13-year-old son had a different approach, perhaps because he didn’t find it surprising that kids were immersed in tech projects and science fairs. increasingly infiltrated school curricula. Referring to Maya’s interactions with Ralph, she said the book is about friendship and how friends support each other. This is a much more universal message after all.