Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Wonder Women is very informative not just about historical figures, but also about those currently making their mark. The women profiled within its pages come from many countries and many economic strata while their contributions vary from scientific to literary to social among others. The common note is how each helps to dispel the myth of female inability.

Sam Maggs is upfront about the motivation for writing this book. She wants modern day women and girls to feel able to tackle whatever they might aspire to regardless of societal discouragements. This motive is noticeable in the somewhat snarky tone as Maggs uncovers information that has been ignored or deliberately obscured by coworkers and show more others, but the tone also conveys her own delight at what she uncovers, making the book a fun read.

The author speaks of all the ways these women have been discouraged, blocked, and stolen from, including how some of the top awards for science went to the wrong person. She backs these claims with historical documents that have been neglected in the official record. Sometimes, the woman profiled had to make the harsh but necessary decision to mask her involvement in order to earn a living while other times her work is claimed by men or ignored in favor of a later paper on the same subject written by a man in a blatant attempt to maintain the myth of male superiority. Greater access to information from a wider variety of sources than the dominant historical accounts allows a book like this to set the record straight using primary sources closer to the actual period.

But don’t think that is all Wonder Women has to offer. Each biography tells of an interesting woman and spends as much, if not more, time on what she was accomplishing as on the obstacles each faced. Though history obscures their contributions, in many cases, we are benefiting from the results even now. The profiles range from limited information about a woman called Agnodice in 4th Century BCE to interviews with living women including the founder of the STEM program, which encourages young women to pursue a career in science. Whether recording the steps that changed the study of insects from still pictures and assumptions to full life-cycle observations, how a female spy allayed Nazi suspicions by taking them to task for the inconvenience they caused her, or the true origins of the game Monopoly, each profile offers fascinating, and detailed, information about a woman contributing with her curiosity, intelligence, and/or ingenuity.

This is not a subtle book. It is a cry for truth and justified recognition for women who have performed important services in medicine, engineering, spy craft and more. It’s an attempt to give representation and exposure so those women and girls deciding what to do with their lives now know they have more options than is apparent. It also could serve as a starting point for inspiring curiosity. The descriptions are not simple summaries either. They include details about the women’s work, what documentation was available, and how everything came about, easily enough to encourage further research into any of the profiled women.

The book is egalitarian as far as location is concerned, bringing to our attention women from across the world and of many skin colors. Maggs trash talks to society at large, but is careful to avoid anything but mild swears. She’s also quick to recognize those men who, as supervisors, colleagues, family, and friends, worked to help women get the recognition they deserved.

Wonder Women is far from a dry textbook, especially with the neat illustrations, but rather is a manifesto against the exclusion of women from a broad variety of careers, showing by examples how neither gender nor skin color determines what you can become. A powerful and entertaining read that serves to open eyes minds and possibilities while encouraging a deeper exploration of these fascinating lives.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. show less

Back in August, Quirk Books reached out to ask if I'd be interested in reviewing a nonfiction book about extraordinary women from history. Of course I said yes. (Who wouldn't have their interest piqued by that pitch?) So they sent over an advanced reader's copy (ARC) for me to check out. XD

Wonder Women by Sam Maggs includes stories about 25 women who looked convention in the face and laughed at it. When one looks at STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers, it is easy to believe that women have had little to no impact. (The historical record has a few flaws.) Maggs completely turns this notion onto its head by showcasing women who not only braved these disciplines but completely rocked them (many times before men show more even had a clue). She doesn't just discuss women scientists and inventors but also women adventurers. Those that dared to dream big and push themselves forward to attain those dreams despite all the odds being stacked against them. It's the same struggle that women the world over are still fighting against except for these women lived in times that were even more daunting (I'm talking B.C.E. through the 1940s, ya'll.). These women were not given equal opportunities for education much less employment. Their families, spouses, and society were dead set that they would stay exactly as they always had...in the shadow of men. The biographies are broken up into subsections and at the end of each section are bite size bios and a Q&A with a woman who is currently working in that discipline. Oh and did I mention the art at the start of each biography? An artist's rendering of each of the ladies in the ARC are depicted in black and white but I believe in the on-sale version color has been added. They make a great addition to the book as well as the informal jargon (if you've been on Tumblr and enjoyed it then you'll feel right at home). It was a fun, quick read that showcased some truly kick butt ladies doing some really kick butt things. 9/10

You can pre-order Wonder Women today (it comes out on October 4, 2016!) and as an added bonus receive downloadable wallpapers by Jen Bartel and Paulina Ganucheau. O_O show less

Periodically I find myself wondering if the non-fiction genre will survive the assault of the millennials. This book is no exception; it is rather superficial, which is okay, since the author wants to cover a lot of women, and isn't writing full biographies of any (though they could have fleshed out more. This isn't a terribly long book). The author's continual parenthetical comments begin to grate quickly, especially since they appear to be what she perceives as wit, and some of them actually are witty. Most, however, are just repetitions of things that weren't particularly amusing or enlightening the first time she said them. The main complaint with this book is that every entry reads more like a blog post than a part of a book. So show more this book essentially was written for people who don't read books (especially non-fiction) and so would never pick up the book to begin with. That said, I did find the collection interesting, and while I was familiar with many of these women, there were others I had not heard of, and it was interesting to hear about these women. The interviews with current "wonder women" were not particularly interesting or enlightening, and either should have been left out (which would have allowed more room to cover the various women that got shortchanged or left out), or they should have been conducted by a more skilled interviewer. Overall, a mixed bag, but still recommended, especially if you like millennial type humor and prefer reading blogs to books. show less

I’m a sucker for nonfiction compendiums that chronicle the lives of interesting people in short digestible vignettes, which is not only evident here with Wonder Women, but with the forthcoming review for Rejected Princesses.

In March of my sophomore year of high school, my stepfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was given months to live, but through a cutting edge surgery that summer, we were able to have another four years with him before he passed away in the spring of my sophomore year of college. His diagnosis led me to consider a future in biomedical engineering – specifically the artificial organ project, being pioneered at Boston University. I made it my life goal to become a medical researcher and was a founding show more member of my high school’s STEM Savvy group. Lady researchers and mathematicians have always held a special place in my heart, and while I did not fully pursue a career in STEM, I will always look at ladies like Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, and Ada Lovelace as role models and inspiration.

Sam Maggs obviously cares for and respects not only the 25 women she profiles, but also the women whom she interviews regarding contemporary issues with women’s roles in the STEM world. She handles the discussion of feminism and sexism in primarily male roles of engineering, science, technology and mathematics with an understanding of someone who has experienced some of the issues her foremothers did. show less

As a woman in STEM, I always like to read more about other women in STEM. This book introduced me to a lot of interesting women, but the language in this book was just way to trying-too-hard-to-be-trendy-and-cool. I understand that I'm probably not the target age group to have read the book, but it made me roll my eyes multiple times. Even if younger kids enjoyed reading this, I imagine it would go out of date pretty rapidly considering the speed at which language changes these days.

In Wonder Women, readers (presumably in the tween-teenage age range) are introduced to twenty-five female scientists, engineers, adventurers, and inventors in chapters divided into five parts: Women of Science, Women of Medicine, Women of Espionage, Women of Innovation and Women of Adventure.

This book has some great information in it, but I was kind of turned off by the “hipster” tone of it. The author kept referring to “dudes” instead of males or men, and “butt-kicking chicks” or “bad-as-heck babes.” Then there was the “Valley Speak,” as in “Zhenyi . .. would totally be hosting Cosmos were she alive today,” (although, admittedly, I doubt any Valley Speaker would be familiar with the subjunctive mood), and show more interjections like “What even?”

I did like the choice of women to highlight, and I thought the author did a good job at winnowing down the biographical information to present the most interesting or relevant pieces of these women's lives. Maybe the tone is geared toward winning over “reluctant readers,” but I would like to think that we can expect kids to learn to communicate by using all the breadth and beauty of the English language instead of what sounds “cool.”

The book also includes illustrations by Google doodler Sophia Foster-Dimino, a bibliography, and interviews with present-day woman working in STEM fields.

Evaluation: While this book is not without some merit, I think there are better choices for kids to learn about women in science, such as Women In Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky. show less

Any book devoted to shining the spotlight on the untold women who have made a difference in the world is going to catch my eye. Narrow down the focus to women who played a significant role in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and my interest only increases. Add a title that contains a nod to a kick-ass female superhero, one of my favorites when I was a little girl, and you have the makings of a book that practically demands to be read.

Wonder Women is not meant to be an inclusive biography of twenty-five women. Rather, each of their stories are brief. No longer than three to four pages in total, Ms. Maggs introduces the particular wonder woman, provides a simplified background as well as a short show more synopsis of her accomplishments, and mentions how each woman’s life ends. There is minimal scientific explanation and a general air of celebration about the entire collection, which makes it the perfect stepping-off point for further research of these remarkable women.

While the accomplishments are indeed amazing and practically unknown thanks to men’s penchant for writing all of the history books, it is difficult to take Wonder Womenseriously. The cover is whimsical and cute. The fonts used in the section headers are round and “girlish”. Then there is the language. Each story is more like a gossip column than an educational tool, complete with many sarcastic asides by the author. She is flippant and familiar in her storytelling, while her asides become a major distraction. Given the brevity of each woman’s story, one wishes fewer words were spent on the author’s sarcastic opinions or attempt to be culturally savvy and more words were spent on the actual woman in the spotlight.

The message that men often take credit for women’s work may be a bit heavy-handed throughout Wonder Women, but the stories of the twenty-five women are still impressive. Moreover, Ms. Maggs takes great care in providing modern examples of wonder women, those who are currently working in the STEM fields, as well as websites an interested reader can visit to learn more about the field or the person. Regardless of the inexplicable use of 1970’s and 1980’s cultural references, this would make a great selection for preteens or teenagers, any young women who may be interested in STEM fields but afraid of expressing that interest, as the examples of women scientists, inventors, adventurers, and the like are truly inspirational. In fact, these wonder women are inspirational for women of all ages. show less