It seems I've recently read enough books on strong women for two posts!

Women have long been overlooked, excluded, or their work dismissed as being the ravings of a women in the throes of 'that time of the month'. This was especially true in the fields of math and science. Fortunately that is changing. Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science -- and the World, by Rachel Swaby is a collection of mini-biographies of many of these women. (52, to be exact ;-)) Maria Mitchell was a professor of astronomy at Vasser, ... the women's college .... where there was a curfew ... so the classes had to be taught in the daytime. Hedy Lamarr was more than just a pretty face (be sure to read her description of a trophy wife). The result of her studies is the basis for wireless technology. (I will soon be reading a bio on her). All in all a very nice collection.

She was disturbed by the sinking of ships transporting children (and others) in WWII. It inspired her to design a better torpedo, or at least a better delivery system, something that could be delivered by remote control but with a randomly changing frequency so it would be hard for the enemy to jam. Ideas came from an early version of the remote control and player piano rolls! While not used in war time, it was the foundation for such things as satellite communications, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. Hedy's Folly: the Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, by Richard Rhodes made for interesting reading about someone I knew only as a name.

I've read several books on midwives now and a common them is that they all love what they do. This is not true in The Reluctant Midwife: a Hope River Novel, by Patricia Harman, author of The Midwife of Hope River from the November 18, 2014 post. While Becky Myers loves her work as a nurse, her first time at a delivery was a terrible experience and she has been skittish of them ever since. Fortunately her work in a doctor's office means she doesn't have to deal with actual births. Until an accident, which changes everything. As before, the author has created wonderful characters who are dealing with the hard times during the Depression years.

Reading Hermit With Dog