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heidilreads's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting content, but not really a book... More of a series that should run in a magazine or newspaper.
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
2.0
"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.
marie_adina's review against another edition
4.0
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.
librarydancer's review against another edition
5.0
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.
snailslowreader's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
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.
tpatti's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Quite interesting, conversational tone kept you from being bogged down by dry nonfiction.
plotsandpotions's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, easy to read, and full of wonderful information I can't wait to use in the class room!!