Trailblazers: 33 Women in Science Who Changed the World

by Rachel Swaby

Florence Nightingale. Sally Ride. Ada Lovelace. These names and others are etched in history and included here as part of an awe-inspiring collection of profiles of thirty-three of the most influential women in science—women whose vision, creativity, passion, and dedication have changed the world.

Aspiring scientists, young history enthusiasts, and children who enjoy learning about the world will be fascinated by these riveting snapshots—and parents who enjoyed the film Hidden Figures will find this to be the perfect extension.
 
Covering important advancements made by women in fields such as biology, medicine, astronomy, and technology, author Rachel Swaby explains that people aren’t born brilliant scientists. They observe and experiment as kids and as adults, testing ideas again and again, each time learning something new.
 
Kids are sure to come away with a renewed curiosity about the world and the realization that the road to discovery can be positively thrilling.

 
“This collective biography is most timely. An interesting, engaging collection . . . that will encourage readers to explore further and perhaps pursue their own scientific curiosities.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The descriptions of the women’s lives often have a quiet poetry. Readers . . . will find much to admire in these accomplished and unconventional women .” — Publishers Weekly

“Swaby’s powerful book serves as an indispensable reminder that women have always been essential to science and innovation. Certain to inspire the next generation of scientists. ” —Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Biography, Middle Grade, Stem, Childrens, Feminism

208 pages, Library Binding

Published September 13, 2016

About the author

Rachel Swaby is a producer of the podcast Runner's World, and the author of Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science--and the World as well as its young readers adaptation, Trailblazers: 33 Women in Science Who Changed the World. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There were a few names of female scientists that I recognized, but more often than not, I didn't know who the person was at ALL. So bully for bringing important female scientists to my attention. I also liked that the notes and bibliography were divided up by scientist, which makes it easier to focus on one scientist at a time.

Did you know that a woman invented windshield wipers (I did), Kevlar (I did NOT) and that an African America woman created a treatment for leprosy (she died tragically in a science experiment gone sideways) and another African America woman was a pioneer in cancer treatment (along with her father, but she picked up the reins after he passed) and that a movie star who was bored with making movies created what has become the backbone of GPS and Wifi, around WWII?

You seriously need to read this book. I knew about the windshield wipers and the GPS/Wifi (thank you Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast!), but I was ignorant of everything else, including the stuff I didn't mention, so I wouldn't spoil the whole book for you. I also left out the names of the women who did the things I mentioned, to entice you to read the book for yourself to find out who did what. MWAH HA HA HA HA!!!

I whole-heartedly recommend reading this book. It is written for young readers, so the information is given in an easy to understand manner and I didn't feel talked down to in the slightest. It's also sad that this is for young readers and I didn't know half of the material the book was presenting, but that's sad for me and the gaping holes in my knowledge and the fact that I would never make it past the first round on Jeopardy.

Five stars. The snippets sometimes made me want more information, but the clear and concise notes and bibliography in the back gave me a nice, happy rabbit hole to scurry down to get the information that I didn't get from this book. It is a good book that both teaches you something and makes you want to learn more. This book did both!

[Katie Steffins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of profiles that include women in science who changed the world. These may be women that you have heard of, but not many children (or adults) will recognize the majority of these names. Different areas of science that this book includes are the following: technology and invention, the Earth and stars, health and medicine, and biology.

I chose this book because it has the potential of being an absolute staple in the classroom setting. Time and time again, I hear female students, and female colleagues say that they never hear about women in specific career paths. We all know that they exist, so why aren't their stories being told? These stories teach students about the biggest names (or the names that SHOULD be among the greatest!) in science history. I would include this in my classroom library, and introduce it at the beginning of the year, or at any book exchange. I think it would be beneficial to have a "book exchange" in the middle school level because it allows students to talk about books that they love. I would introduce extremely meaningful books that would inspire my students to achieve great things, and to find someone to look up to that they can relate to! I think this book would fit in perfectly as an inspiring text. This book is a Nonfiction science book.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book! Each chapter was a brief description of the particular woman’s interest and accomplishments in science. It’s a great stepping off point to do more research on however many of these scientists a person would like to learn more about.
Miss Swaby writes in a very engaging manner and is perfect for the young people for which this book was published.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to pique your interest in some amazing scientific-minded women in history. The women featured get about 3-6 pages each in the broader groupings of "Technology and Invention", "The Earth and Stars", "Health and Medicine", and "Biology". Each entry has a short introduction and the entries themselves jump around in ways that make them decently enjoyable reads but they often lack much detail due to their brevity and rambling flow.

Anything you didn’t like about it? The information is not much more than you'd find in a verbose blog post and would not be good if you wanted to write a paper on any of these folks though the resources at the end in both the Notes and Bibliography sections would be very useful. The book is also exclusively American (with one Canadian) and European (Russia, Germany, Britain, Italy, France)-centric so while there's a small representation of diversity with some Jewish women and a couple African American scientists, the overall list is very Caucasian and leaves out any mention of notables in other countries.

To whom would you recommend this book? This is good if you're interested in a starting point for a research topic on a woman in science or looking for fun trivia.

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Ria F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, short essays, many of these women I had never heard of , and their invaluable contributions to modern science and math - and a glimpse at their personalities as well.

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/tr...

Trailblazers: 33 Women in Science Who Changed the World
Author: Rachel Swaby
ISBN: 0399554165 (ISBN13: 9780399554162)
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt

Synopsis:

Virginia Apgar. Sally Ride. Rachel Carson. These names are etched in history and included here as part of this awe-inspiring collection of profiles of some of the world’s most influential women in science. Author Rachel Swaby delves into the minds of thirty-three such women, whose vision, creativity, passion and dedication have helped make important strides in the world of science—who have in fact changed the world.

Middle grade kids will be fascinated by these snapshot profiles of some of history’s most important female scientists. These women have made strides in fields including biology, medicine, astronomy, and technology. In addition, Swaby emphasizes the fact that people aren’t born brilliant scientists. They observe and experiment as kids and as adults, testing ideas again and again, each time learning something new. Kids are sure to come away with a renewed curiosity of the world and the realization that the road to discovery can be positively thrilling.

Review:

Middle aged girls and boys too will learn about 33 amazing women that changed the world through science. Some at a time when women did not even have the right to vote or become professionals. These women such as Heddy LeMar – actress who helped us in her future by laying the foundation for wi-fi and GPS, to Mary Kies who got the first patent awarded to a woman in 1809 and Rachel Carson whose book paved the way for the EPA, these are astonishing accomplishments that will bring hope and pride to anyone reading Trailblazers: 33 Women in Science Who Changed the World.

Through discrimination, desperation, determination and despair, these women triumphed and became leaders in their fields. Then I was growing up girls were not taught that would could excel in the areas of math and science. I did not learn about these wonderfully talented women, lots who came before me and some doing these awesome things at the time I was enjoying science class myself. This book is a wonderful and informative read that should be a great inspiration for young girls everywhere right now. Author Rachel Swaby has done a fantastic job bringing this information to the masses.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*

[Lee McKerracher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may not be a book that you will see on the best seller lists, but I wish it was. There are so many important discoveries, advances, innovations that have been developed by women yet the contributions by those women have been either hidden, ignored or downplayed. Things might be improving today, but women still need to fight for recognition.

This book focuses on the achievements of women working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and what an incredible group it is. There are women from across centuries whose work still impacts our lives today and yet, their names are hardly known outside of their own fields.

I can't pick a favourite as I thought all of the women featured in the book were outstanding. This book only highlights 33 of these amazing women. There are many more out there and hopefully one day, volume two (and three, four, five, six etc.) may be on the shelves.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is what it is! a collection of small 'chapters' highlighting individual women and their contributions to science. I found I didn't know about many of these women, and may have been misled about particular women and their efforts, so this was enlightening on that front. The most interesting theme, and not surprising when you think about it, is how many (if not all) the women here were recognized/acknowledge very late in their lives for what they'd achieved, all the credit previously having gone to male counterparts or colleagues. If getting mad at the universe for inequality riles you up then this is a perfect read.

One thing I wish this collection had was more mention, and diversity, of race. While it was significant to highlight the achievement of woman first, there is also a lot more to say about women who were at a further disadvantage due to their race. Race was mentioned halfheartedly, where towards the end of the chapter you found out a woman was African American.

Last but not least, this is a book for young readers. I neglected to notice that, and the cover didn't click as a dead giveaway. The more you know though!

[Jessica Dion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audio book, and it was great. It would be perfect for a homeschool situation, or for general interest. I thought there was a reasonable amount of information, presented in a very palatable story format, rather than a spreadsheet-like list of disembodied facts. Although many of these women had very painful, maddeningly frustrating aspects to their biographies, it was handled in an even tone, letting the reader decide for themselves, what to make of the facts, rather than pushing an author's opinion.

[La Haynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

#science
#history
#womeninscience

[Pujaa]

Abandoned b/c content overlapped with Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World, a book I’d already read by the same author.

[Mariam Awadh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am lucky to read this great book about science , scientists, strength, passion and women
I am so proud to be a woman

[Permittivité du Vide · Rating 2 out of 5]

45% basic facts about the women themselves, 55% name-dropping the famous men they've encountered, and how the women helped them.

[Marilyn]

Dewey 509

[Brooklyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Virginia Apgar. Sally Ride. Rachel Carson. These names are etched in history and included here as part of this awe-inspiring collection of profiles of some of the world’s most influential women in science. Author Rachel Swaby delves into the minds of thirty-three such women, whose vision, creativity, passion and dedication have helped make important strides in the world of science—who have in fact changed the world.

Middle grade kids will be fascinated by these snapshot profiles of some of history’s most important female scientists. These women have made strides in fields including biology, medicine, astronomy, and technology. In addition, Swaby emphasizes the fact that people aren’t born brilliant scientists. They observe and experiment as kids and as adults, testing ideas again and again, each time learning something new. Kids are sure to come away with a renewed curiosity of the world and the realization that the road to discovery can be positively thrilling."

The cover was pretty simple. It was yellow and orange with scientific symbols on the cover. It looked like it was created for younger children.

The most compelling aspect was any of the parts that involved earth sciences, since that is what I love the most. Although other sections were interesting, the best parts were the ones about astronomy and biology and such.

I was only disappointed with the fact that it didn't explain what the women discovered or created until like, the very last paragraph of the book. It was frustrating to have to wait so long for an answer. I didn't read through all of the stories because there was too much build-up.

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I enjoyed this book. Being not terribly into science I only knew a handful of the women described here. At times Swaby relies a little too much on the reader having prior knowledge so the women's accomplishments seem glossed over. In addition what few facts I did know seemed to not have been deemed important enough to include.

I was also surprised by the fact, at the very least, Marie Curie wasn't included. I'm not sure what criteria Swaby used to choose the women however so I'm sure there was a reason. Also, as another reviewer mentioned, this was heavily Caucasian centric. Again, I'm not into science so maybe the field is heavily skewed towards white women, but it seemed...odd.

Regardless this would make for a good recommendation to a young girl interested in science. There's a good accounting for all the kinds of sciences to act as a jumping off point for further discussion or research.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, young adult/youth adaptation of the longer, adult-oriented Headstrong: 52 Women who Changed the World, Trailblazers is a solid non-fiction book about 33 women from scientific history. The women covered contributed much to science and the world as we know it, and Swaby, following a strong, necessary, feminist agenda, pushes this fact repeatedly. It's too bad there aren't more non-white/western women represented, and too bad she didn't put all 52 women in with simpler and/or leveled text.

All kids and teens should learn more about women of science, and hopefully doing so will lead to more female engineers, physicists, mathematicians, etc.

3.4 Stars

[Melh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read 3-5 page profiles describing the women's passion, dedication and awe-inspiring achievements as well as their difficulties in accessing education and promotions. Many were overlooked for recognition - thanks patriarchy.

Many paved the way and encouraged other women into science - trailblazers indeed. In future, I hope we don't need a separate books to highlight women's achievements.

Always so difficult to pick just 33, but I do wonder about the international representation of the book over half are American women

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked learning about these 33 women's contribution to science, but I wanted more to their personal stories. I feel like there is enough information to give a broad overview, and a simplified scientific explanation of what they discovered, but I needed a little more human interest aspect. I'm curious if the non-young adult version has more about their personal lives.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for professional publication.

[Kayt18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book filled with wonderful information about ladies in science and math that will be a fabulous inspiration to middle school girls everywhere.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swaby spotlights thirty-three women across the fields of STEM, classifying them into the following categories of technology and invention, "earth and stars", health and medicine, and biology. Each women gets a 5-7 page mini bio that describes an important invention or discovery accomplishment made by that woman, while mentioning each's specific field and nationality. A few interesting examples included within Hedy Lamar, actress and inventor of the technology that would someday be used to create "Wi-fi", Stephanie Kwolek Kevlar (for her self-titled bulletproof material invention), Mary Anning and the fossils she found, and Virginia Apgar, inventor of the test that helped to check newborns' health and saved lives. Written in a way that is hard to put down and makes each of the women come alive, this book will also inspire girls and young women to recognize their potential in inventing and in stem fields.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings about this book. The topic is fascinating, and I liked the way the book was divided up and the chapters on each woman was nice and short. However, by about half way through I was having to force myself to read it. It took me SO MUCH LONGER than I wanted to finish this book and I have no idea why. I think eventually it just got dry and had trouble holding my attention. I don't know if that's because I've been reading a lot of non-fiction about women in STEM fields or if it was the book itself that was the issue. Either way, I think if you, or a reader you know, is interested in scientists this is a book they should read.