Ainissa Ramirez is the author of the new children's picture book biography Spark: Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone. Her other books include The Alchemy of Us. She is a scientist, and has worked at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey.
Q: What inspired you to write Spark, which looks at the life of scientist Jim West (b. 1931)?
A: Many years ago, I was a freshly-minted scientist working at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey. This was a place of legends. The transistor was created there, early work on the laser was pioneered there, and one of the first fax machines was created there in the 1920s.
Given all of this history, I decided it was a good idea to meet as many prominent scientists as possible. One of them was Jim West, who revolutionized the microphone. Jim was kind enough to meet me for lunch in the Bell Labs cafeteria. I don’t remember what we chatted about, but I knew I was in the presence of a great scientist.
Many years after that, the blockbuster movie Hidden Figures came out. I realized that there were many other Black innovators out there and that I had met one. With that, I reached out to Jim and asked to interview him.
What is so compelling about his story is that all of us use his microphone. Jim West’s work has been part of our daily lives. I wanted more children to know this.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “warm salute to an undersung Black scientist.” What do you think of that description?
A: I think this description perfectly summarizes what I was trying to achieve. Jim West began his work on improving the microphone in the 1960s. Today, over two billion of his microphones are manufactured every year. I wanted more readers to know about his impact.
I also wanted children to know that his voracious curiosity led him to his invention. Understanding this aspect of his personality was central to this book.
In my experience I have found that Kirkus Reviews has a masterful knack for uncovering the heart of the book, which is why I am so pleased with their review.
Q: How did you research Jim West’s life, and what did you learn that particularly surprised you?
A: I interviewed Jim West a number of times over the course of several years. I also spoke with his Bell Labs collaborator Gerhard Sessler and acquired numerous archival materials from Bell Labs and other sources.
However, it was my interviews with Jim West that led to surprises. Each time I spoke to him I learned something new.
I learned that Granville T. Woods, a prolific Black inventor, had also invented an early microphone, which Alexander Graham Bell purchased. I learned that Jim West had met George Washington Carver. I also learned that Jim West’s mother, Matilda West, was a Hidden Figure. (She worked on the math behind space orbitals.)
Speaking with Jim was like experiencing history firsthand. Those gems did not make it into the book, but they gave me a deeper appreciation for Jim West’s work and the historical context in which it took place.
Q: Can you say more about what you hope readers take away from the book?
A: In the world of STEM, the names Edison and Tesla usually float around. But there are hundreds of other folks who are toiling away on interesting problems, making things that we will use. I didn’t want their work to be eclipsed by these more famous scientists.
I also wanted readers to know that inventors come in all shapes, sizes, and hues.
My other hope is that children will see that curiosity is a superpower and with it, they might create something that will be world-changing, too.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: This book is the first in the series on Black innovators. The second book is about a mathematician involved in creating GPS (North, South, East and Gladys West, 2026).
In addition to that series, there is a forthcoming book about the secret life of friction (There’s the Rub, 2026) and a fun book about chemical bonding (How Atoms Make Friends, 2027). I have a number of other science picture books in the works, too.
Additionally, I am conducting research on a book for older readers about little-known scientists that shaped our society.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: When I was young, I wanted to become a scientist. I got the idea from a television show called 3-2-1 Contact. On it, there was a repeating segment called the Bloodhound Gang, which showcased teenagers solving problems. One of them was an African American girl. When I saw her asking questions like I did, I saw my reflection.
I went on to become a scientist and eventually worked at Bell Labs, where I met Jim West. I write science books today so that other kids will see their reflections, too.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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