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A review by marilynw
The Woman With the Cure by Lynn Cullen
4.0
The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen
Although I'd heard of Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, brilliant scientists racing each other to find a cure for polio, I'd not heard of Dorothy Horstmann until I read the synopsis of this book. I think the cover of this book is so fitting, showing a woman whose face is cut off by the top of the book. Dorothy worked alongside all the men searching for a cure, sometimes arriving at answers before they did, but she remained mostly invisible, her name left off articles when her name should have come ahead of the men's names. Another reason the cover is fitting is that Dorothy was 6'1", towering over most men, always hearing comments on her height, as if she should be as surprised as everyone else that she could be that tall. So tall that even the cover of a book couldn't fit all of her on it.
The thing is, while the men of her profession were in a race to beat each other in developing a vaccine for polio, Dorothy wanted a cure to save lives, to rid the world of this devastating disease that took lives, paralyzed it's living victims, and paralyzed parents with the fear that their children could be stricken. This story is fiction, based on the work of Horstmann, Salk, Sabin, and so many others, including successful women who never were allowed the credit they deserved. The story shows very well what it was like to live in the 40s and 50s, so many little things in the story are almost shocking when placed against what we know and do today. I felt like I was watching one of those old 50s comedies except this wasn't a comedy, it was life and death, with polio winning the fight for way too long.
Dorothy was the daughter of immigrants, with a father robbed of his ability to provide for his family after he suffered a devastating illness. Her mother worked hard to take care of Dorothy, her disabled brother, and her sister and I think that self sacrificing, work oneself to the bone, frame of mind was taken up by Dorothy even though she felt like she didn't know here mother very well. After all, Dorothy's mother was always working, a trait that Dorothy takes on and one that is a blockade to other areas of her life. It's mentioned more than once that the men scientists could have wives to take care of the home, deal with social responsibilities, have and raise the kids but unless Dorothy gave up her profession kids would not be in her future, whether she wanted them or not. But really, Dorothy was married to her mission and that was to wipe out polio.
Dorothy is presented with great compassion and empathy and I really liked her as she is portrayed in this story. She was living and working in a man's world, those things can't be taken away from her even if the accolades went to those willing to grab them out of her hands. The story made me want to know more about Dorothy and the other real people we meet in this book. So many egos are driven by the desire for fame and notoriety as opposed to making life better for humans (and animals). The race to cure polio is not a pretty one, often it's the loudest voice with the most monetary backing that gets the attention but I thought it was so very interesting as we follow Dorothy on this journey.
Pub: February 21, 2023
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
Although I'd heard of Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, brilliant scientists racing each other to find a cure for polio, I'd not heard of Dorothy Horstmann until I read the synopsis of this book. I think the cover of this book is so fitting, showing a woman whose face is cut off by the top of the book. Dorothy worked alongside all the men searching for a cure, sometimes arriving at answers before they did, but she remained mostly invisible, her name left off articles when her name should have come ahead of the men's names. Another reason the cover is fitting is that Dorothy was 6'1", towering over most men, always hearing comments on her height, as if she should be as surprised as everyone else that she could be that tall. So tall that even the cover of a book couldn't fit all of her on it.
The thing is, while the men of her profession were in a race to beat each other in developing a vaccine for polio, Dorothy wanted a cure to save lives, to rid the world of this devastating disease that took lives, paralyzed it's living victims, and paralyzed parents with the fear that their children could be stricken. This story is fiction, based on the work of Horstmann, Salk, Sabin, and so many others, including successful women who never were allowed the credit they deserved. The story shows very well what it was like to live in the 40s and 50s, so many little things in the story are almost shocking when placed against what we know and do today. I felt like I was watching one of those old 50s comedies except this wasn't a comedy, it was life and death, with polio winning the fight for way too long.
Dorothy was the daughter of immigrants, with a father robbed of his ability to provide for his family after he suffered a devastating illness. Her mother worked hard to take care of Dorothy, her disabled brother, and her sister and I think that self sacrificing, work oneself to the bone, frame of mind was taken up by Dorothy even though she felt like she didn't know here mother very well. After all, Dorothy's mother was always working, a trait that Dorothy takes on and one that is a blockade to other areas of her life. It's mentioned more than once that the men scientists could have wives to take care of the home, deal with social responsibilities, have and raise the kids but unless Dorothy gave up her profession kids would not be in her future, whether she wanted them or not. But really, Dorothy was married to her mission and that was to wipe out polio.
Dorothy is presented with great compassion and empathy and I really liked her as she is portrayed in this story. She was living and working in a man's world, those things can't be taken away from her even if the accolades went to those willing to grab them out of her hands. The story made me want to know more about Dorothy and the other real people we meet in this book. So many egos are driven by the desire for fame and notoriety as opposed to making life better for humans (and animals). The race to cure polio is not a pretty one, often it's the loudest voice with the most monetary backing that gets the attention but I thought it was so very interesting as we follow Dorothy on this journey.
Pub: February 21, 2023
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.