Take a photo of a barcode or cover
212 reviews for:
Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History
Sophia Foster-Dimino, Sam Maggs
4.04 AVERAGE
212 reviews for:
Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History
Sophia Foster-Dimino, Sam Maggs
4.04 AVERAGE
3.50 stars.
I believe that most book-writing related issues can be traced back to two main points- idea and execution. Idea is the content of the novel- the themes, the plot and world-building, the purpose of the novel; Execution is how it is written- development, writer's craft, diction, and the like. Sometimes both are strong, sometimes one is strong and one is weak, and sometimes, on a rare occasion, both are weak. In the case of this novel, idea is strong-ish but execution is mediocre.
I was really excited to see Sam Maggs come out with this novel, I really enjoyed The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy.I love a good anthology of great women from history. This one made it about two-thirds of the way. The women chosen were diverse; of all different fields, financial backgrounds, sexual orientations and dispositions, which I greatly appreciated. At the end of each chapter, however, was a sort of runner-up section, and to be honest, I wish the novel focused on some of the "runners-up". As well, there was a bit of a disparity between the number of white women and the number of women of colour that were focused on- 11 women of colour in total, composed of two Chinese women, one Japanese woman, two Indian women, four Black women, and one Hispanic woman and one Latina woman; many other WOC were mentioned in the runner-up section, but it was a bit of a snub. WOC relegated to second-best again, It is the author's prerogative to choose whomever they want, but it was disappointing to see so few WOC in comparison to so many white women. At least the white women were interesting. I do really like the illustrations, colour palette, and visuals of this book; they are perfectly minimalist, and a striking and unique balance between modern and vintage. The art did great justice to the women. The writing was a little young at times, almost giving off adult-mocking-teenage-children-by-using-slang-poorly vibes, which did make it a bit grating to read. I know the author's intent was not to mock, which I did try to take into account, but I can definitely see this rubbing younger readers the wrong way. All in all, it was not horrible, but it was not the best either. Comfortably middle-of-the-road.
I believe that most book-writing related issues can be traced back to two main points- idea and execution. Idea is the content of the novel- the themes, the plot and world-building, the purpose of the novel; Execution is how it is written- development, writer's craft, diction, and the like. Sometimes both are strong, sometimes one is strong and one is weak, and sometimes, on a rare occasion, both are weak. In the case of this novel, idea is strong-ish but execution is mediocre.
I was really excited to see Sam Maggs come out with this novel, I really enjoyed The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy.I love a good anthology of great women from history. This one made it about two-thirds of the way. The women chosen were diverse; of all different fields, financial backgrounds, sexual orientations and dispositions, which I greatly appreciated. At the end of each chapter, however, was a sort of runner-up section, and to be honest, I wish the novel focused on some of the "runners-up". As well, there was a bit of a disparity between the number of white women and the number of women of colour that were focused on- 11 women of colour in total, composed of two Chinese women, one Japanese woman, two Indian women, four Black women, and one Hispanic woman and one Latina woman; many other WOC were mentioned in the runner-up section, but it was a bit of a snub. WOC relegated to second-best again, It is the author's prerogative to choose whomever they want, but it was disappointing to see so few WOC in comparison to so many white women. At least the white women were interesting. I do really like the illustrations, colour palette, and visuals of this book; they are perfectly minimalist, and a striking and unique balance between modern and vintage. The art did great justice to the women. The writing was a little young at times, almost giving off adult-mocking-teenage-children-by-using-slang-poorly vibes, which did make it a bit grating to read. I know the author's intent was not to mock, which I did try to take into account, but I can definitely see this rubbing younger readers the wrong way. All in all, it was not horrible, but it was not the best either. Comfortably middle-of-the-road.
The trying-to-be cool tone is kind of a turn off, but there is a lot of good information here.
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/wonder-women-last-call-nightshade-lounge/
I so wanted to love this book! You know I like reading about smart, strong women, so I was super excited to pick up this book (written by author Sam Maggs, whose previous book I really enjoyed). And it does have interesting stories of amazing women, but it is written in such a flippant way that I couldn’t take it seriously. This could have been so much better. Disappointing.
I so wanted to love this book! You know I like reading about smart, strong women, so I was super excited to pick up this book (written by author Sam Maggs, whose previous book I really enjoyed). And it does have interesting stories of amazing women, but it is written in such a flippant way that I couldn’t take it seriously. This could have been so much better. Disappointing.
Really great. Informative, fun, super interesting. The conversational (sort of internetty) style took me a little bit to get used to, but ultimately I really liked it. It felt like a friend telling you awesome facts about historical ladies. Kind of want to buy this book so I can ~memorize all of these facts and tell them to people.
While I'm not sure I was the intended audience for this compilation of information, I think it is definitely a much-needed overview of some of history's most talented, gutsy women. A true celebration of female heroes and genius. All of these women, and countless more, need to be brought into the public sphere. Maggs did a great job of listing their accomplishments in a relatable way. I think this would be a fantastic text for ALL youth. Not just girls.
I knew women had made serious contributions to history and the sciences, but it was so great to actually know the specifics. It made me notice how even though I am a feminist and a science enthusiast, I actually have a hard time seeing scientists, especially significant ones, as women.
Turns out a whole lot of things were discovered or created by women.
The tone was great and appropriate to the audience.
I love the art.
Turns out a whole lot of things were discovered or created by women.
The tone was great and appropriate to the audience.
I love the art.
I loved the book concept and the stories told, especially since the author put forward many women who are unfortunately not very well known.
However, it was challenging to move past the language used throughout the book. It felt like the "I'm still young and cool aunt" and even a bit condescending. Please keep this with a grain of salt, since I might be out of the target audience.
However, it was challenging to move past the language used throughout the book. It felt like the "I'm still young and cool aunt" and even a bit condescending. Please keep this with a grain of salt, since I might be out of the target audience.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Great concept, terrible execution.
Abandoned at about 15% because I just couldn't stand any more of the writing style, which is trying so hard to be cool that it's embarrassing. What a pity.
Abandoned at about 15% because I just couldn't stand any more of the writing style, which is trying so hard to be cool that it's embarrassing. What a pity.