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michellechien930's review against another edition
4.0
Found this little gem at the used bookstore and it was great! So many facts about great women in history that we don't hear of that often but are really badass and have done a lot of awesome things. The cover also is super adorable, a really quick but informational and inspiring read.
megantee's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
Ladies need real inspiration for the next time we find ourselves doubting our ability to invent something, the next time we fear learning how to code, the next time we feel like we just don't belong.
I know I'm in trouble writing a review when my bookmarks get into the third page.
I reviewed Sam Maggs' first book, The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy, and fell pretty hardcore for her. She's snarky and funny, and while I understand other reviewer's complaints about her writing style, I don't mind it at all. I find her amusing, and punny. You can always win me over with a good pun.
So, going into this, I was prepared to love it. And she didn't let me down at all. The women in this book are so freaking amazing. And I can guarantee there's way too many whose names you've never heard before.
The chapters are divided by individual specialty, whether it's women in science, women in medicine, women explorers, women inventors. There's so much to read, so much to take in. These are women who fought for themselves, fought for their fellow woman. These women not only overcame their own adversity, they helped others in enormous ways.
The chapters are short, but crammed with so much information. Some of which will make you REALLY ANGRY. The number of times these women were told no, nope, not happening. Get back in the kitchen, go make babies, you're too old to be unmarried and you're definitely too stupid to know how to be a doctor. You want to travel the world, well, your husband won't like that. Riding a bicycle? You wanton strumpet.
Nevertheless, they persisted.
Get thee to Amazon or your local bookstore or library, check out this book, and fall in love with 25+ amazing historical women. It's marvelous. And you will learn so much that you've never, ever heard before.
I know I'm in trouble writing a review when my bookmarks get into the third page.
I reviewed Sam Maggs' first book, The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy, and fell pretty hardcore for her. She's snarky and funny, and while I understand other reviewer's complaints about her writing style, I don't mind it at all. I find her amusing, and punny. You can always win me over with a good pun.
So, going into this, I was prepared to love it. And she didn't let me down at all. The women in this book are so freaking amazing. And I can guarantee there's way too many whose names you've never heard before.
The chapters are divided by individual specialty, whether it's women in science, women in medicine, women explorers, women inventors. There's so much to read, so much to take in. These are women who fought for themselves, fought for their fellow woman. These women not only overcame their own adversity, they helped others in enormous ways.
The chapters are short, but crammed with so much information. Some of which will make you REALLY ANGRY. The number of times these women were told no, nope, not happening. Get back in the kitchen, go make babies, you're too old to be unmarried and you're definitely too stupid to know how to be a doctor. You want to travel the world, well, your husband won't like that. Riding a bicycle? You wanton strumpet.
Nevertheless, they persisted.
Get thee to Amazon or your local bookstore or library, check out this book, and fall in love with 25+ amazing historical women. It's marvelous. And you will learn so much that you've never, ever heard before.
rgag86's review against another edition
4.0
I learned a lot from this book! Sam Maggs makes history fun and easy to digest by making these women's stories relatable to life today. AND at the end of each section she interviews a woman who works in that field today! Also Maggs' parenthetical commentary is on fire!
carolineinthelibrary's review against another edition
2.0
This took me so long to get through and I'm disappointed to say it's because I really didn't enjoy it. I absolutely loved learning about so many women I had never heard of or been exposed to; however, the author's endless interjections were annoying and I felt detracted from the important stories she was trying to tell. The humor felt very "hello fellow youths" and I just didn't think most of the little asides were funny or really added anything to the book. That ultimately made it difficult to get through. I think in the future, focusing on the important women history usually left behind and kicking the "humor" to the curb would be beneficial.
aislinnoc's review against another edition
2.0
Packed with interesting information, but written in an infuriating and at times nauseating style that tries too hard to be accessible and 'cool'. Disappointing that the brilliant research in this book is obscured by a stylistic choice that dates it and limits its appeal.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This book focused on women in the STEM field, as well as the adventuring and espionage field. In total, 55 women were discussed in this book. 25 were the main topics, 35 were 'honorable mentions,' and 5 were interviewed. Out of these 55 ladies, I knew 5. Yikes. Granted, I know of a lot of other great ladies that weren't mentioned in this book, but still.
That being said, I think this is a wonderful book! I learned so much from it, and I was actually very impressed by the effort that went into the research. When I bought it, I must confess that I expected this compilation to be very United States-based, and also very white, hetero, cis, and what have you. The first lady? Wang Zhenyi, who was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and poet from the 1700s. This book was incredible at identifying women from different countries and time periods, and Maggs brought to our attention the 'gal pal-ification' of many bi or lesbian women (or who we can only assume to be bi or lesbian). In addition to this, she also interviews a trans woman and who she thinks would have identified as trans had the language existed at that time.
One thing that I really liked about the book, which I know some didn't like as much, was the language. It was very conversational, as though Maggs wrote how we talked. I appreciated this because I feel like I can get much more out of a conversation than an academic paper, simply because the words and tone of voice are ones are can better relate to. And while she has some pretty dang good jokes in there, it can get a little grating. Hey, nobody's perfect.
In addition to all that, I absolutely loved the drawings. Foster-Dimino did a great job of making the illustrations look fun and lively while not toning down the seriousness of their studies or the importance of their accomplishment.
Ultimately, I can't wait to own a coffee table solely so I can have this book rest upon it so people can say, "Oh, what's that book about?" and then I can be like, "Well let me tell you all about it!" This book is nothing short of interesting, exciting, and inspiring.
Get the full review here!
That being said, I think this is a wonderful book! I learned so much from it, and I was actually very impressed by the effort that went into the research. When I bought it, I must confess that I expected this compilation to be very United States-based, and also very white, hetero, cis, and what have you. The first lady? Wang Zhenyi, who was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and poet from the 1700s. This book was incredible at identifying women from different countries and time periods, and Maggs brought to our attention the 'gal pal-ification' of many bi or lesbian women (or who we can only assume to be bi or lesbian). In addition to this, she also interviews a trans woman and who she thinks would have identified as trans had the language existed at that time.
One thing that I really liked about the book, which I know some didn't like as much, was the language. It was very conversational, as though Maggs wrote how we talked. I appreciated this because I feel like I can get much more out of a conversation than an academic paper, simply because the words and tone of voice are ones are can better relate to. And while she has some pretty dang good jokes in there, it can get a little grating. Hey, nobody's perfect.
In addition to all that, I absolutely loved the drawings. Foster-Dimino did a great job of making the illustrations look fun and lively while not toning down the seriousness of their studies or the importance of their accomplishment.
Ultimately, I can't wait to own a coffee table solely so I can have this book rest upon it so people can say, "Oh, what's that book about?" and then I can be like, "Well let me tell you all about it!" This book is nothing short of interesting, exciting, and inspiring.
Get the full review here!
lgmaxwell722's review against another edition
2.0
This book had great potential. I was excited to learn about powerful, brave women. I was unsure who the intended audience of this book was. The author continually made side comments which appeared snarky and inappropriate for the message she was trying to portray. I feel the writing would have been stronger if the author kept her comments to herself. A quick read about inspirational women of STEM.
hc21's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book for high schoolers or middle schoolers. As an adult, I wanted just a little more detail in these short (think 5-ish pages) biographies. It was still fun, sort of like nonfiction beach reading. And true to their word, I'd heard of almost none of these women. Definitely worth a read!