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Title: Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World
Author: Rachel Swaby
Genre: Biography, Science, History, Essays
Audience: Adult
Format: E-book
Content Warning: Sexism
My Review:
I love that Ms. Swaby has taken the time to write mini biographies of women in the sciences whose accomplishments are so often overlooked. They made significant discoveries. I’d heard of some; others were completely new to me. I’m glad to have some gaps in my knowledge filled in. I was often outraged by the men who took credit for the women’s work. This was perhaps not the best choice for my bedtime reading!
A book like this is best suited to reading about one woman every day or week or whatever. I struggle to read like that so I sped through it. If you’re a reader who is happy taking your time, you’ll get more out of it than I did. I have to admit that the women’s stories were starting to run together for me by the end.
But this is an important book. We need to remember past generations of women scientists so that we can inspire those who will build our future.
Synopsis from GoodReads:
In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children.” It wasn’t until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites in orbit, and had recently been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Among the questions the obituary—and consequent outcry—prompted were, Who are the role models for today’s female scientists, and where can we find the stories that cast them in their true light?
Headstrong delivers a powerful, global, and engaging response. Covering Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists who influence our every day, Rachel Swaby’s vibrant profiles span centuries of courageous thinkers and illustrate how each one’s ideas developed, from their first moment of scientific engagement through the research and discovery for which they’re best known. This fascinating tour reveals 52 women at their best—while encouraging and inspiring a new generation of girls to put on their lab coats.
Similar Books:
If you liked Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World, you might also like my reviews of
- Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kemmerer
- A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter, translated by Jane Degras
Reading Challenge:
