karimorton33's review against another edition
4.0
I've read a few of these kinds of books now, and there were many new women in this one! The writing style was quite casual and I could tell the author was trying to be current and cool, but I did mostly enjoy the humour and sarcasm. I also liked how each section had a short interview with a woman currently in that field.
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/10/12/wonder-women-by-sam-maggs/
Wonder Women by Sam Maggs is a collection of vignettes of inspirational women in science, technology, engineering, and math (or STEM). The book is divided into 5 main sections: Women of Science, Women of Medicine, Women of Espionage, Women of Invention, Women of Innovation, and Women of Adventure. These sections are interspersed with interviews from current female scientists, providing advice and perspectives for those interested in following in their footsteps.
This book is so important, because in the modern-day US, our STEM workforce doesn't look like our population, and people tend to think of scientists as cantankerous old white dudes in lab coats, and many people couldn't name a famous female scientist who isn't Marie Curie. But throughout history there have been tons of pioneering women whose contributions to science have been ignored. They've got some super interesting stories, and Sam Maggs is here to tell them.
Some you may have heard of in passing, like Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer. Others were new to me, and were totally badass. Take Marie Equi, for example--when someone tried to cheat her lover out of wages she was owed, Marie chased him around town with a horsewhip and made him pay up. And I was doubly impressed that Wonder Women made sure to include plenty of queer women and women of color. My one disappointment is that so many cool people died young, but that's not the fault of the book, but rather of history.
Sam Maggs approaches history with a casual tone, talking to readers about her subjects as if discussing them at a bar, which means that Wonder Women is sure to be inviting even for folks who don't read a lot of nonfiction. And because each chapter is about someone different, it reads a lot like a collection of short stories.
This book was a particularly interesting read for me, because it represents a place where my personal/blogging life overlaps with my professional life, where I manage a collection of digital resources for people applying for/receiving grants to create STEM learning opportunities outside of the classroom. After spending my work days reading about how important role models are for shaping whether or not people identify themselves as being science-y people, it was cool to read a book about the kinds of kickass women who we all should look up to.
I also got to meet Sam Maggs last night! She was on a panel at my local-ish comic book store, and I was totally psyched. (Aside: I am a dedicated book addict, because I stayed in the comic book shop even after someone brought in a dog which triggered an asthma attack. #noregrets)
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/10/12/wonder-women-by-sam-maggs/
Wonder Women by Sam Maggs is a collection of vignettes of inspirational women in science, technology, engineering, and math (or STEM). The book is divided into 5 main sections: Women of Science, Women of Medicine, Women of Espionage, Women of Invention, Women of Innovation, and Women of Adventure. These sections are interspersed with interviews from current female scientists, providing advice and perspectives for those interested in following in their footsteps.
This book is so important, because in the modern-day US, our STEM workforce doesn't look like our population, and people tend to think of scientists as cantankerous old white dudes in lab coats, and many people couldn't name a famous female scientist who isn't Marie Curie. But throughout history there have been tons of pioneering women whose contributions to science have been ignored. They've got some super interesting stories, and Sam Maggs is here to tell them.
Some you may have heard of in passing, like Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer. Others were new to me, and were totally badass. Take Marie Equi, for example--when someone tried to cheat her lover out of wages she was owed, Marie chased him around town with a horsewhip and made him pay up. And I was doubly impressed that Wonder Women made sure to include plenty of queer women and women of color. My one disappointment is that so many cool people died young, but that's not the fault of the book, but rather of history.
Sam Maggs approaches history with a casual tone, talking to readers about her subjects as if discussing them at a bar, which means that Wonder Women is sure to be inviting even for folks who don't read a lot of nonfiction. And because each chapter is about someone different, it reads a lot like a collection of short stories.
This book was a particularly interesting read for me, because it represents a place where my personal/blogging life overlaps with my professional life, where I manage a collection of digital resources for people applying for/receiving grants to create STEM learning opportunities outside of the classroom. After spending my work days reading about how important role models are for shaping whether or not people identify themselves as being science-y people, it was cool to read a book about the kinds of kickass women who we all should look up to.
I also got to meet Sam Maggs last night! She was on a panel at my local-ish comic book store, and I was totally psyched. (Aside: I am a dedicated book addict, because I stayed in the comic book shop even after someone brought in a dog which triggered an asthma attack. #noregrets)
joelafond's review against another edition
4.0
I think the only downside for me with this book was the informal—rather, trying-too-hard to be informal—writing and tone. At times it almost came off as flippant, as if these talented and pioneering women aren’t worth a real historical synopsis. That said though, I’m going to say that the author probably had a certain audience in mind (let’s say pre-teen, tween, teenage girls) in this book. With that in mind, I think the tone and informality makes it accessible to those readers, who (let’s be real) are just looking for a little lighthearted girl power, not a dry, fact-based historical review. If you aren’t a part of that audience, chances are that the writing made you roll your eyes a couple times. At the end of the day, though, does something need be so serious to learn from it. In spite of not being I that target audience, I learned a ton from this book and am really glad that I picked it up.
nosinne's review against another edition
4.0
This March, I had the pleasure of attending a panel with Sam Maggs at Dutch Comic Con. Even though I follow her on Twitter, I knew too little about her books so this was a great opportunity to learn more. Maggs spoke about her first book, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy and about her latest book: Wonder Women. Wonder Women tells about 25 innovators, inventors and trailblazers who changed history. Thanks to this great panel (also a big shout out to organiser ABC and their panel moderator), I just had to pick up that book.
First of all: why Sam Maggs is awesome
Sam Maggs Wonder Women signed stay radSam Maggs is someone to look up to as a nerdgirl. She’s an assistent writer at BioWare, which is the company that gave me my videogame crushes Alistair, Anders and Iron Bull. Anyone working there is automatically Cool As Shit. She wrote The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy, a handbook for girl geeks:
Fandom, feminism, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more—it’s never been a better time to be a girl geek. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes
Now, I haven’t yet read that book but it’s definitely on my wishlist. Maggs is a comic con moderator and was named ‘Awesome Geek Feminist of the Year’ by Women Write About Comics. Just go to her Twitter or her website to read more and see how funny and amazing she is. Also, she signed my copy of Wonder Women and now I will have to stay rad forever. OK, so far for my fangirling, back to Wonder Women.
Wonder Women: 25 women who changed history
The book features 25 (well, technically some more since there are shorter pieces on more women at the end of each chapter) wonder women. Women of all races and backgrounds who left their mark on history. For instance, there is Lise Meitner, an Austrian nuclear physicist:
Lise was relegated to the status of ‘guest’ and denied salary because her boss didn’t want women in the lab for fear that their “rather exotic hairstyle” might catch fire from a Bunsen burner (unlike a man’s bushy beard?).
Lise Meitner made the discovery of nuclear fission and should have won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. That sadly went, ofcourse, to a white dude who stole all the credit. Wonder Women makes clear just how many times women weren’t taken seriously, just because they were women. Take for instance the intro to the chapter ‘women of innovation’:
Of the more than 5 million U.S. patents that have been granted since 1790, only about 5 percent have a women’s name on them. Men often took credit for women’s inventions, sometimes at the behest of women of color who feared that white consumers wouldn’t want to purchase their items.
Of the 25 main wonder women, I knew NONE, so yeah, shame on me. But now I have read about them and know their amazing stories. Each story is incredible and these women should get more credit and more attention. Seriously, people of Hollywood, pick up this book and go make 25 films (or tv-series) about these women! Do it now, we need these movies asap.
This review is continued here: http://www.thesassologist.com/books/book-review-wonder-women-sam-maggs/
First of all: why Sam Maggs is awesome
Sam Maggs Wonder Women signed stay radSam Maggs is someone to look up to as a nerdgirl. She’s an assistent writer at BioWare, which is the company that gave me my videogame crushes Alistair, Anders and Iron Bull. Anyone working there is automatically Cool As Shit. She wrote The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy, a handbook for girl geeks:
Fandom, feminism, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more—it’s never been a better time to be a girl geek. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes
Now, I haven’t yet read that book but it’s definitely on my wishlist. Maggs is a comic con moderator and was named ‘Awesome Geek Feminist of the Year’ by Women Write About Comics. Just go to her Twitter or her website to read more and see how funny and amazing she is. Also, she signed my copy of Wonder Women and now I will have to stay rad forever. OK, so far for my fangirling, back to Wonder Women.
Wonder Women: 25 women who changed history
The book features 25 (well, technically some more since there are shorter pieces on more women at the end of each chapter) wonder women. Women of all races and backgrounds who left their mark on history. For instance, there is Lise Meitner, an Austrian nuclear physicist:
Lise was relegated to the status of ‘guest’ and denied salary because her boss didn’t want women in the lab for fear that their “rather exotic hairstyle” might catch fire from a Bunsen burner (unlike a man’s bushy beard?).
Lise Meitner made the discovery of nuclear fission and should have won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. That sadly went, ofcourse, to a white dude who stole all the credit. Wonder Women makes clear just how many times women weren’t taken seriously, just because they were women. Take for instance the intro to the chapter ‘women of innovation’:
Of the more than 5 million U.S. patents that have been granted since 1790, only about 5 percent have a women’s name on them. Men often took credit for women’s inventions, sometimes at the behest of women of color who feared that white consumers wouldn’t want to purchase their items.
Of the 25 main wonder women, I knew NONE, so yeah, shame on me. But now I have read about them and know their amazing stories. Each story is incredible and these women should get more credit and more attention. Seriously, people of Hollywood, pick up this book and go make 25 films (or tv-series) about these women! Do it now, we need these movies asap.
This review is continued here: http://www.thesassologist.com/books/book-review-wonder-women-sam-maggs/
girlreading's review against another edition
5.0
4.5* A book sharing the stories and lives of a diverse group of amazing, badass and ridiculously smart women, what’s not to love? This put a smile on my face on numerous occasions, whether that be because of the amazing things these women conquered or because of the kickass things they did and said to conquer them. The structure of the book made for a quick and easy read I could dip in and out of with I really enjoyed. I adored reading about each and everyone of these awesome women and have already pushed this into the hands of my mum who’s already started reading it!
shalot's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to love this book. I love biographies, STEM, and badass women in history. Unfortunately, the voice of the author got in the way of my enjoyment of the book.
There were lots of asides and snide remarks (in parentheses) that I found so annoying that my brain started skipping anything in brackets. It reads like it will be out of date within five years from the casual language and terms used. It would be really fascinating and fun to talk to the author in-person about the badass women at a party this way, but way less fun to read.
There were lots of asides and snide remarks (in parentheses) that I found so annoying that my brain started skipping anything in brackets. It reads like it will be out of date within five years from the casual language and terms used. It would be really fascinating and fun to talk to the author in-person about the badass women at a party this way, but way less fun to read.
francisopal's review against another edition
5.0
Inspiring! Informing! Fantastic! Coffee Table Book!
mckennie2's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75