Published in 2007 (first published 1999)
368 pages
Lisa Yount is a (now retired) writer of nonfiction books, primarily about science and scientists, for older children and young adults. She holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Stanford University (1966). For the first 25 years of her career, she wrote parts of elementary and high school textbooks on almost every subject imaginable, working as a free-lance writer for publishers such as Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Macmillan, and Houghton Mifflin. For 20 more years, she wrote standalone biographies of scientists such as Rosalind Franklin and Nikola Tesla, encyclopedias of scientists such as A-Z of Women in Science and Math (most recently revised in 2015), books on the history of science such as Disease Detectives, and books outlining different opinions on controversial science-related issues such as Library in a Book: Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering.
What is this book about?
From ancient times onwards, scientifically inclined women in many cultures have had to battle against the traditional belief that men are more cognitively adept than women. This revised edition profiles 195 women who fought against these stereotypes throughout history.
This newest addition to the A to Z of Women series is a revision of a 1999 publication. It continues the tradition of profiling notable women and their accomplishments, offering both factual information and inspirational messages to high-school researchers. More than 195 alphabetically arranged articles detail the lives of women from antiquity through modern day, including well-known scientists and mathematicians and less well-documented individuals. The author acknowledges the difficulty of choosing representative examples from the many possibilities and followed three criteria for inclusion. First and foremost was the importance of their contributions, followed by fame or social impact, and then diversity in nationality, ethnic group, time period, and field of work. The articles range from a couple paragraphs to a few pages, and each includes a list of further-reading suggestions, both print and online. A comprehensive bibliography directs readers to general-overview books, articles, and Web sites on women in science and math. New to this edition are entries for Temple Grandin and Sherry Turkle, among others.
The usefulness of this resource lies not only in the balanced group of profiles that have been assembled, providing a valuable tool for teachers and curriculum developers, but also in the readable and engaging entries themselves, which offer insights into the struggles these women faced by working in traditionally male-dominated fields. Useful for women’s studies, science, and math, this well-researched and appealing resource is recommended for high-school and public library reference collections. –Kathleen McBroom
