Synopsis
Provides concise biographical profiles of more than 150 women from throughout history who have made significant contributions in the fields of science and mathematics
Reviews
YA-Yount provides excellent biographical material on 150 women who have contributed to these fields. With an informative but not overly scholarly writing style, this is a top-notch choice for high school libraries. The author hopes to motivate young women to pursue these careers even though there will be prejudices to overcome. Although most of the women are scientists, the inclusion of some mathematicians may help bridge a gap in collections. The charts increase the reference value, as the women are arranged by field, nationality and country of work, year of birth, and a chronology. Yount includes fewer women than Martha J. Bailey's American Women in Science (ABC-CLIO, 1994), but the articles are longer.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
This is the second entry in the Facts on File "Encyclopedia of Women" series, joining A to Z of Native American Women (LJ 8/98). Like the first volume, it profiles over 150 women, in this case women who have made contributions in a wide range of fieldsAmedicine, genetics, ecology, archaeology, astronomy, botany, mathematics, physics, computer science, zoology, chemistry, and related scientific fields. The selections cover women from antiquity to the present, ranging from fourth-century Greek physician Agnodice to astronaut/physician Mae Carol Jemison. Essays on each woman are generally 300 to 1000 words, recounting essential biographical information: education, career, contributions to the field, and, perhaps most interestingly, obstacles they faced in male-dominated careers. Most essays include a photograph, and all include suggestions for further reading. The biographical sketches are arranged alphabetically, and the volume concludes with indexes by field of endeavor, country of birth, country of major scientific activity, and year of birth. This very readable collection of essays and sketches is a useful quick reference point to begin research on one of these women scientists. It will be a good companion to American Women in Science (LJ 2/15/99) and Greenwood's Notable Women in Mathematics (LJ 7/98). Known mainly for her juvenile books, Yount has authored several other Facts on File titles, including Black Scientists (1991), Contemporary Women Scientists (1994), and Twentieth-Century Women Scientists (1995). Recommended for general audiences.AKathy Breeden, Lupton Lib., Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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