Books That Changed My Life.
During an appearance on Books That Changed My Life, Bill Nye reflects on the Newbery Medal-winning novel that steered his life in a new direction: "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch."
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, September 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — What turned Bill Nye into the Science Guy? In a recent episode of Books That Changed My Life, Nye traces it back to fifth grade and a book about an indentured servant who taught himself Latin just to read Newton. Nye sits down with host Chris Collins to explore Jean Lee Latham’s "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch," the 1956 Newbery Medal winner that Nye says he has read "fifteen, I don’t know how many times," and still can’t finish without tearing up.
Latham’s narrative follows Nathaniel Bowditch, born in 1773 and apprenticed as a young boy to a Salem ship chandlery—what Nye describes as a “hardware store for your ship.” While keeping ledgers, Bowditch taught himself Latin, then French, and eventually the celestial navigation that guided him across the vast ocean, leading to his masterwork, The American Practical Navigator. Nye notes that ships still carry it today. For a fifth grader, Bowditch’s self-made journey provided a blueprint. "It’s empowering, man," Nye says. "This guy learned mathematics and pulled himself up by his bootstraps. There’s an expression in there: he sailed by an ash breeze." That phrase refers to sailors rowing a stalled ship with oars, and Nye took it to heart. "I just thought, that’s what I want to do. I want to be successful, and I want to understand astronomy well enough to sail on the trackless ocean." He went on to study mechanical engineering and, by his own count, took six semesters of calculus. Careful not to draw too close a parallel between himself and the Salem polymath, Nye notes, "I do not play in his league, but he certainly inspired me in every way."
Collins observes that Bowditch was likewise a science educator, and Nye picks up the thread. In Latham’s account, Bowditch maintained order among rough, fighting crews by teaching them navigation. These were men who had spent their lives at sea, tying knots and climbing rigging "like crazy," Nye says, but they couldn’t figure out their precise location. Give them the numbers and, as a result, the capacity to think like a scientist, and they’d become a solid crew. "There’s a lot to that," Nye says. It’s a philosophy he acknowledges, and he gives credit to another hero for phrasing it. "There’s an old saying, and I heard it many times from Carl Sagan: ‘When you’re in love, you want to tell the world.’ I think that’s part of what makes people want to be teachers. You’re just so excited about algebra." Nye brought that passion to his signature show, Bill Nye the Science Guy, handing every staff member a one-page document he called the “Rules of the Road.” On air, Nye shares the goal from that 1993 document: "Produce a TV show that gets kids and adults excited about science, so that the United States will again be the world leader in technology, innovation and sound management of the environment." Guests were to be treated "as though all the guests are scientists. They just chose to be actors." When asked what makes a good teacher, Nye highlights patience and empathy, quoting a line from aerospace designer and colleague Jack Moro: "Everyone you’ll ever meet knows something you don’t." What sustains a science teacher? "You watch the eyebrows go up,” Nye says. “It’s the best."
For years, Nye has wanted to adapt Bowditch’s story for the screen. He has pitched it to several studios and, in true Los Angeles fashion, has a screenplay ready. "I live in Studio City. I live totally in the Valley, and where I live, you have to have a screenplay, or they give you a ticket," he jokes. "Act one’s not bad, act three is good, but act two, same old problem." So why hasn’t the film been made? Nye offers a response familiar to anyone in the movie business: "because it’s hard." Collins asks if Nye would consider narrating a new audiobook version. Nye protests that he’d get emotional, but Collins counters with Bowditch’s refrain, repeated throughout Latham’s book: “Why not?” Nye gives in: "Chris, you had me on the podcast, and you’re getting it out of me."
Carry on, Mr. Nye.
Watch the full conversation HERE.
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