Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World

This book was provided by the publisher, in return for this fair and honest review

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World by Rachel Swaby

This book is a light but interesting read. Organized by the main branches of science, it dedicates a few pages to each of 52 scientists who were women. Yes, that is an awkward phrase but I feel I need to highlight that they are being judged as scientists, first and foremost. Not one of them felt out of place, picked simply to round off the list. Each one made major contributions to their fields. Some won Nobel prizes while others were passed over for their colleagues. All of them worked hard and produced amazing results.

Often, science seems to have been made by men, with the occasional token woman thrown in. Women are usually the assistants, the secretaries, the support staff, the ladies doing grunt work while the real thinkers arrive at the brilliant results. This collection shows that this isn't the whole truth. Many women fought to break barriers, overcome stereotypes and often were unpaid, unrecognized and unwanted.

XKCD nails it, as usual
https://xkcd.com/896/

However, this isn't a feminist book. Most of all, it is a celebration of good science despite everything that got in the way. The clear language will help any reader to learn more about medicine, genetics, bugs, physics, chemistry and the life in the lab.