Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
106th out of 259 books
—
212 voters
Breaking Through the Spiral Ceiling
In Breaking Through the Spiral Ceiling, Hoopes traces her development as a woman biologist, how she fell in love with DNA but encountered discouraging signals from men in science, how she married and balanced both family and career, and why she's glad not to be a Harvard professor.
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
January 21st 2011
by Lulu.com
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
41)
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book with the expectation that I would provide an honest review.
Worth reading for the Preface alone. Author Laura L. Mays Hoopes describes her writing process:
But then she...more
Worth reading for the Preface alone. Author Laura L. Mays Hoopes describes her writing process:
When I embarked, the wind in my sails was long-suppressed anger. The anger came from a secret conviction that I never achieved what I had envisioned. I thought I could have been one of the missing female science professors at Harvard, if not for the roadblocks I'd encountered.
But then she...more
I wrote this book partly to understand my own life, but partly to give my students what they kept asking for: a life of a woman in science who had married and had children. She had to struggle, as I did many times, to create that balance between career and family, and thus could give readers a sense of how it would be to live with these twin goals, to "have it all" as we used to say in graduate school. Was it worth it? Yes, in my view it was. I think any reader could enjoy experiencing my memoir...more
So let me admit my bias up front - Laura Hoopes is my aunt. But I've also been a librarian for almost ten years, and I've read A LOT of memoirs. And I have to say that I really loved reading Breaking Through the Spiral Ceiling. I was instantly drawn in by the story of Laura's journey through academia. The details of her scientific inquiries were clear and accessible even to a non-scientist such as myself. This memoir offers a fascinating look at the scientific process - through the workings of L...more
The first edition was still rough - several typos and the book as a whole was not integrated well. It read more like a series of articles mashed together. But it did give a great personal account and insight into what life was like for a female scientist in the 60-70's. I enjoyed following her journey into a teacher and researcher especially since I aspire to be in a similar position in my career.
Laura Hoopes is a very strong woman who overcame many obstacles to achieve where she is today. Not only having to deal with a scientific field that didn't value women, she also had to deal with the loss of her first husband and raising her son, until she remarried. This second marriage produced a daughter but was not without its own challenges. Interesting and informative read.
I found myself mumbling "oh my god" again and again as I read this book. I simply couldn't believe what this woman went through to procure a higher education in the field of science. Her strength and resolve were amazing and inspirational. This book is a stand-out memoir, but also a treatise for women who would seek to break through any androcentric barriers.
Laura L. Mays Hoopes has written a memoir that gives a personal face to the struggles of women in the world of science. Hoopes is a pathfinder for all those young women who choose science as their professional career. This absorbing, honest memoir chronicles a balanced, successful life.
Mar 11, 2013
Erica
marked it as to-read
Feb 08, 2013
Barry
marked it as to-read
Dec 01, 2012
AWIS GCH
marked it as to-read
Aug 28, 2012
Rhiannon
is currently reading it
Aug 24, 2012
Cole
marked it as to-read
Aug 18, 2012
Tiffany
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Stacy Robinson
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Julius
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Chris
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Jennifer Metz
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Samantha
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Donna
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Lauren
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Gail
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Jul 15, 2012
Sussie
marked it as to-read
Jul 14, 2012
Karen Arrowood
marked it as to-read
Jul 14, 2012
Marylynn
marked it as give-away
Jul 14, 2012
Jennise Conley
added it
Jul 14, 2012
Pebbles Good
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Laura L Mays Hoopes is a first year student in the MFA Fiction program and Professor of Biology and Molecular Biology at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. She received the AB from Goucher College and the PhD from Yale University in biological sciences, and a Certificate in Creative Writing from UCLA. Laura has published articles and short stories in Christian Science Monitor, The Chaffin Journal, N...more
More about Laura L. Mays Hoopes...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
