Despite the fact that Forces of Nature: The Women Who Changed Science looks like a school textbook, it doesn't read like one. Instead, its glossy pages are filled with the stories of dozens of women who made an impact on the study of science. These are stories that traditional school textbooks don't cover.
The book is divided into time periods, showing how societal changes helped women make small strides in the field of science. Still, women were not treated as equals, no matter their education, and many women saw the credit for their achievements given to (or taken by) the men who worked with them.
There were several women in the book who I did know about (Elizabeth Blackwell, Marie Curie, Rachel Carson, Mamie Phipps Clark, to name a few), but so many more (white, African American, Indian, Asian, etc.) who I had never heard of. There's a lot to learn from this book. And between chapters, you can read more specific biographies of some of the women mentioned and even see what they looked like through pictures and paintings.
The only things that bothered me about the book were the typos. Seriously, if a publisher is in need of a good copyeditor, I'm available!
Forces of Nature is published by Frances Lincoln and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free review copy.
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