Sam MaggsWonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History

I bought this book for my eleven and eight-year-old cousins and I'm grateful that I read it before I gave it to them. I will be returning the book instead.First off: this book is NOT for children! The content is appropriate for teenagers and adults. The cover and general design gives the impression that it is a storybook for kids, but it is not. Much of the language is scrubbed, as there is a lot "dang" and "heck" that shows up, however not all the language I would keep from kids was cleaned up. Amalie Emmy Noether is referred to as a "BAMF". The content itself, not only word choice, is not for kids. You can read about Ogino Ginko's gonorrhea, Andandi Joshi's child marriage, Marie Equi providing abortions, Sarah Emma dragging another woman by the wrist while on horseback... etc. There is information about adultery, virginity, and drunken partying that is just not for kids.Secondly, the book feels poorly edited. Much of it reads like a sloppy summary of Wikipedia pages with sarcastic humor awkwardly shoved in. It might work well as a speech, and if the sprawling sentences were untangled, it would probably make for a great series of blog posts. This paragraph is an example of how clunky much of the writing is:"Zhenyi was well-off (a situation that helps just about everyone in every era), but the Wang family was in decline. Her grandfather was a former governor, and the family home near present-day Nanjing, in eastern China, housed his epic library of over seventy-five bookshelves (Hogwarts-size for the Qing dynasty). Growing up, Zhenyi took it upon herself to read her way through her grandfather's entire collection, and somehow she also managed to find time to study equestrian arts and archery with the wife of a Mongolian general (because apparently being a self-taught genius at math and science just wasn't enough). Zhenyi knew she was awesome, too. In one of her well-regarded poems, she writes that her ambition was "to a kind even stronger than a man's" and that she was often "reluctant to ride a horse with make-up" (totally understandable since eyeliner back then was probably not smudge-proof)."The story-telling is not great. Extraneous details show up and yet the narrative jumps around important information. There are few pictures, so nothing redeems this problem.I LOVE the concept. I really wanted to love this book. The basic work is great - there is a wide variety of women from all over the world, and I learned about many of them for the first time. There is lesbian and trans representation. We need this book - I needed this book when I was a little girl. But the execution is awful. Maggs, did you have an editor? Fire them.

I just purchased this yesterday and am just getting into it but I had to stop and write a review. I LOVE this book! Since March is Women's Herstory Month, I thought it would be fun to learn about women I hadn't heard of. The authors commentary as the stories unfold makes me feel like I am having a conversation with a friend and learning something in the process. I had heard of a few of the women featured in the book but not many of them. If you are like me, you might be angry over the way these amazing women were treated; having their research co-opted by others, being allowed to work but in substandard conditions and sometimes without pay! But these are stories about women who matter; who made a difference despite the obstacles placed before them. People need to hear about these women...

The book contained a lot of pieces on women through the ages with a spectrum of talents; but the pieces weren't very meaty. It would do well for a preteen to show her just how many marvelous, intelligent, courageous women there have been throughout history whose talents ranged from poetess to astronomer, mathematician to chemist, writer to artist, barn-stormng pilot to astronaut to deep sea diver. If those snippets of information were meant to whet the appetite of girls to encourage them to research more deeply into the women who interested them, then the book met its goal.

I literally shed tears reading this book. These women are so amazing and inspirational! I was disappointed I hadn't heard of most of them or their accomplishments as history has done a good job of burying their contributions. Luckily, with people sharing such stories, like author Sam Maggs, this information won't stay hidden for long! -Great read!!!

Good book, like the empowering stories but some of the content is questionable and I have to edit a lot of what o am reading to my 9 year old. Not a book I will let her read on her own

Could have been a good read if the author wasn't so flippant in the comments made. Kinda cheapened the subject matter about some extremely smart and talented woman. A little more seriousness would have been appreciated.Al

such a great, inspiring book! My daughter LOVES it!!! So happy to share with her these stories of Amazing Women! I am also reading it and s]discovering s a few women I didn't know about!

heard about the book on NPR...this rating is based on their reviews

I'll start my review as many others have, by admitting my pathetic knowledge of these fine ladies prior to reading this book.Of the 25 women granted extensive profiles, I had heard of exactly zero of them.And of the additional ladies listed within each section, I was only familiar with Marie Curie, Josephine Baker, Hedy Lamarr and Amelia Earhart.Totally unacceptable, especially for a history fan like myself. I am ashamed.As for the book, Sam Maggs has done a wonderful job introducing these Wonder Women to the uninitiated. The writing is breezy and humorous, making this an accessible introduction into the "history books". But don't let the tone fool you, the research has obviously been extensive and the facts detailed.And I can't leave out the beautiful illustrations by Sophia Foster-Dimino that really accentuate the book nicely.The only quibble I have, and it's a minor one, is Maggs' occasional reference to things like "Game of Thrones" that may date the book. Again, minor, and certainly does not detract from the importance of this book. I know I will be purchasing several more copies, for my daughter and nieces, inspiring stuff.This book should be required reading in grade school, for both genders.Highly recommended.

I bought this book as a present for my wife, who is actively engaged in women's career circles. It was really hard to find a book that covers more than just the "usual suspects" (Curie, Eahrhart, etc.) - but this book introduces leagues of inspiring women I had never heard of before!Each woman is covered in a short portrait of just a few pages and I found the writing light and engaging. My wife felt it to be a little too light - borderline shallow, which is why I give it 4 stars (as said, it was a present so I want to reflect her perception).I think it's fair to say that the style of the book directs it more towards a younger audience. It might lack a bit of depth and detail for a more mature audience.Still, I personally found it well researched and a great source of inspiration! There should be more books that showcase stories of brave, smart and visionary real-life women.

I am so pleased with this book. In this time of hate, misogyny, racism and hatred towards women, I needed something to bolster my faith in women and the faith of my 8&4 yr old nieces in the power and greatness of women. This book has been awesome for us to read together. Can't wait to read other ones like it.

Did not enjoy it. Read it in a book club. Interesting topic just not well written

Una edición muy bonita, el papel es muy bueno y los colores muy lindos.