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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Rachel Swaby has done her job well with this book of thumbnail sketches. She provides brief portraits of 52 different women from around the world, detailing their research, their struggles, the recognition they did or didn't receive, and the impact of their work. My only complaint is simply that the constraints of this book's format precludes learning about these women in greater depth. But as a short introduction, it is fantastic. Hopefully anyone interested in science will find this book and use it as a gateway to learning more about these remarkable women.
I needed this book so much! I am so happy this exists and focuses strictly on the scientific accomplishments.
informative
medium-paced
I understand this might be my worst take, but science continues to be trash, and I continue to not care about it. I could get behind a whole biography for a number of these women, but just short blurbs about all of them makes it hard to get very invested in any one of them, while giving the feel of reading a middle school science book in the worst way.
Interesting content, but not really a book... More of a series that should run in a magazine or newspaper.
"Headstrong" was okay. There were interesting facts, but I think the book covered too many people for me to really feel informed at the end. I've read about many of these scientists in other resources, so I would say it's better for someone just starting to delve into science history.
This was a great women's month read. I enjoyed learning about these 52 women, and how many of them struggled just 100 years ago to continue their education.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Great book!
I was sold after reading the Introduction. It's a wonderful entry into the sexism that was (and sometimes still is) prevalent in the sciences.
The book spends about 5 pages or so on each of the 52 women featured. It is not really a book meant to be read cover-to-cover, as there are just too many women mentioned.
This is a great book to get & keep especially for teenage girls who are in the sciences. It covers a wide range of topics, and these profiles cover a wide range of topics including leprosy, water contamination, and programming.
I was sold after reading the Introduction. It's a wonderful entry into the sexism that was (and sometimes still is) prevalent in the sciences.
The book spends about 5 pages or so on each of the 52 women featured. It is not really a book meant to be read cover-to-cover, as there are just too many women mentioned.
This is a great book to get & keep especially for teenage girls who are in the sciences. It covers a wide range of topics, and these profiles cover a wide range of topics including leprosy, water contamination, and programming.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Book 3 of 2024
I've had this book for many years and finally decided to read it, and it's exactly what it bills itself as: short profiles on 52 women in STEM fields. For that reason, I don't have many complaints. The book was well-organized and I appreciate that Swaby tried to balance out the number of women in each field, and that she made a conscious effort to avoid some of the most famous ones (ex: Marie Curie). I think it might've been a more enjoyable reading experience had I read one profile a week—which probably would've also helped my long-term memory. Swaby did her best to incorporate some style in the 2-3 pages that each scientist got, and she usually writes in short, pithy sentences well-suited for a popular science book. For obvious reasons, she wasn't able to incorporate too much depth about her subjects, and I realized that I don't feel super engaged with this style of nonfiction since it was difficult for me to feel any connection to the subjects. However, I did really like the quotes included in the profiles that were usually from the women themselves, whether they were spoken aloud or written in letters and reports.
I've had this book for many years and finally decided to read it, and it's exactly what it bills itself as: short profiles on 52 women in STEM fields. For that reason, I don't have many complaints. The book was well-organized and I appreciate that Swaby tried to balance out the number of women in each field, and that she made a conscious effort to avoid some of the most famous ones (ex: Marie Curie). I think it might've been a more enjoyable reading experience had I read one profile a week—which probably would've also helped my long-term memory. Swaby did her best to incorporate some style in the 2-3 pages that each scientist got, and she usually writes in short, pithy sentences well-suited for a popular science book. For obvious reasons, she wasn't able to incorporate too much depth about her subjects, and I realized that I don't feel super engaged with this style of nonfiction since it was difficult for me to feel any connection to the subjects. However, I did really like the quotes included in the profiles that were usually from the women themselves, whether they were spoken aloud or written in letters and reports.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced