Last year I made an effort to read more nonfiction titles. That’s carried over into this year as well. There are just so many that I want to read!
Radioactive: How Irène Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World
The fascinating, little-known story of how two brilliant female physicists’ groundbreaking discoveries led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
In 1934, Irène Curie, working with her husband and fellow scientist, Frederic Joliot, made a discovery that would change the world: artificial radioactivity. This breakthrough allowed scientists to modify elements and create new ones by altering the structure of atoms. Curie shared a Nobel Prize with her husband for their work. But when she was nominated to the French Academy of Sciences, the academy denied her admission and voted to disqualify all women from membership. Four years later, Curie’s breakthrough led physicist Lise Meitner to a brilliant leap of understanding that unlocked the secret of nuclear fission. Meitner’s unique insight was critical to the revolution in science that led to nuclear energy and the race to build the atom bomb, yet her achievement was left unrecognized by the Nobel committee in favor of that of her male colleague.
Radioactive! presents the story of two women breaking ground in a male-dominated field, scientists still largely unknown despite their crucial contributions to cutting-edge research, in a nonfiction narrative that reads with the suspense of a thriller. Photographs and sidebars illuminate and clarify the science in the book.
I got an ARC of this book at the ALAN conference. I hadn’t heard anything about it previously and I was immediately interested. Of course I had heard of Marie Curie and I had a very general idea about radioactivity. I was so interested in learning more about the women featured in this book. The science aspect was fascinating, however looking at what it was like for these brilliant women was what really got me. Once I was done I wanted to read more. It totally made me move Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin up on my TBR!
Charles & Emma
Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, his revolutionary tract on evolution and the fundamental ideas involved, in 1859. Nearly 150 years later, the theory of evolution continues to create tension between the scientific and religious communities. Challenges about teaching the theory of evolution in schools occur annually all over the country. This same debate raged within Darwin himself, and played an important part in his marriage: his wife, Emma, was quite religious, and her faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on a theory that continues to spark intense debates.
Deborah Heiligman’s new biography of Charles Darwin is a thought-provoking account of the man behind evolutionary theory: how his personal life affected his work and vice versa. The end result is an engaging exploration of history, science, and religion for young readers.
Charles and Emma is a 2009 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature.
This was one of those books I kept hearing about and knew I should probably read. However, I just never seemed to get around to it. When I decided to read more nonfiction, Quinn from Quinn’s Book Nook highly recommended Charles and Emma. I trust her recommendations so that was just the push I needed! And, stars! Did I love this one. I was just so totally captivated by the Darwins’ story. Of course I knew who Charles Darwin was and a bit about his scientific relevance. Still, this book is about so, so, so much more. I highly recommend it.
Bylines: A Photobiography of Nellie Bly
Bylines is the latest title from award-winning biographer Sue Macy. Nellie Bly was a pioneering American journalist who lived by the belief that “Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything.” This credo took her from humble origins in Cochran’s Mill, Pennsylvania, a town named after her father, to the most exotic cities around the globe by the time she was 25.
Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, in an age when many women led unassuming lives. Her life would make people sit up and take notice: When she wasn’t making history herself, she was writing about others who did. Rarely has anyone left a more detailed record of her place in the world than Nellie Bly. In a very public life, she shared her feelings and opinions through her writing and embraced the struggles of all classes of Americans who were fighting for their rights.
The story of the two decades before and after the turn of the 20th century was her story, and she wrote with a powerful pen. Her “stunt journalism” included getting herself committed to an insane asylum for women and circling the globe in a mere 72 days. She profiled leaders from Susan B. Anthony to Eugene V. Debs, exposed corruption, and offered her readers a travelogue that expanded their horizons, even as it made the world a little smaller.
Her words live on even now, and Sue Macy’s masterful biography invites young readers into Nellie Bly’s America, a country at a time of great growth and social change.
This was a really quick read (64 pages, mostly photographs) that had me begging for more. Nellie Bly was a name I had heard but didn’t really know why. This photobiography was an excellent introduction to who she was. And what a fascinating life she led! I cannot wait to dive in to Ten Days a Madwoman by Deborah Noyes, a lengthier look at Nellie Bly’s life.
The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights
“A voice like yours,” celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini told contralto Marian Anderson, “is heard once in a hundred years.” This insightful account of the great African American vocalist considers her life and musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in this country. Drawing on Anderson’s own writings and other contemporary accounts, Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s. Though not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, Marian Anderson came to stand for all black artists — and for all Americans of color — when, with the help of such prominent figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave her landmark 1939 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which signaled the end of segregation in the arts.Carefully researched, expertly told, and profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, this Newbery Honor and Sibert Medal-winning book is a moving account of the life of a talented and determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history. Through her story, Newbery Medal-winning author Russell Freedman, one of today’s leading authors of nonfiction for young readers, illuminates the social and political climate of the day and an important chapter in American history.
Another fairly quick but totally fascinating story. It’s incredible to me that Marian Anderson would be so celebrated around the world yet face such discrimination in the US. I was 100% invested in learning more about her, her life, and her career. What an amazing talent. I got chills just reading about her.
Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook
I’m doing a little happy dance since you loved Charles and Emma!