Cover Image: Stolen Science

Stolen Science

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is the neatest book and my students and I enjoyed learning. We were able to learn about all kinds of women from different cultures. They over came so many different obstacles to succeed in different areas of science. It is always interesting to learn about people that we didn't know existed.

Was this review helpful?

A short but interesting look at some scientists throughout history who had their inventions or discoveries claimed by others. The book draws attention to contributions made by those in marginalized groups, and left me wanting to learn more.

Was this review helpful?

Stolen Science by Ella Schwartz looks at the lives of thirteen different scientists who didn't receive proper credit for their groundbreaking work as a result of racism, misogyny, or xenophobia, sometimes a combination of the three. It's a great middle grade science history books with fascinating facts about the lives of brilliant scientists, the science behind their work, and a condemnation of the oppression they faced that caused their work to be hidden from history. It's fascinating, it's fun, it's informative. The portraits of each person represented were really good and added to the experience. I think it might have been more effective if it had been a touch longer to spend a little more time on each figure, but it's still an otherwise great book.

I would recommend it for anyone interested in science, history, or social justice, and middle graders interested in any of these things will surely find themselves especially enjoying it.

Was this review helpful?

I love great books that tell the truth about history. In a world where everything is sugarcoated, I believe students need to hear the truth. This is a great addition to my school library. Thank you so much to @netgalley for the reader for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Stolen Science is a non-fiction scientific read about scientists whose inventions were stolen by others or not given credit. This is a must-read book for all kids to understand that the world is not always in favor of some, despite their best efforts.

Was this review helpful?

I thought this was a thoughtfully constructed book if a bit simplistic in its details for its target audience.

While certainly high interest, I think it's worth noting that some of the stories here proclaim to be unknown or relatively unknown while featuring Marie Tharp, Chien-Shiung Wu, and Rosalind Franklin. They are both pretty well known and people have been talking about the Franklin theft for a LONG time. The author also vacillates between what is and isn't theft. The geologist working with Tharp to get the readings is not perceived to be the one who discovered the rift because she drafted the images, but Dr. Reed is a thief for doing an equivalent practice in medicine.

I appreciate that they were trying to highlight people who might not have gotten the attention they deserved in their time or today. Lise Meitner often gets put as a background character because more accomplished, better known German female mathematicians like Emmy Noether get the spotlight (a problem of only paying attention to firsts). It also over promises on its timeline that is focused quite squarely on 1800s-present.

It would have been nice to see some harder dug out heroes in here (like Hypatia) and a richer look at aggro-science outside slavery and wheat production. I just find it quite hard to believe that in aggro-science at least there wasn't a single "stolen" or under represented/recognized Indigenous person from North America.

A good idea, a quick read, but not quite enough marrow in the bones.

Was this review helpful?

The short sections about various scientists will really appeal to my students that don’t want to read this cover to cover. The nonfiction narrative text is informative and filled with fascinating tidbits that will grab the attention of my middle schoolers.

Was this review helpful?

This book does a great job at teaching people about those who have contributed to science while still being accessible. Clearly well researched and informative, this book is a great way to learn about those whose contributions to science have been forgotten (or what is more often the case, deliberately written out of history).

Was this review helpful?

When I read the first story, I realized this book was likely going to make me very angry. Hearing the stories of people, smart, interesting people, who had their accomplishments forcibly dimmed is maddening. And this does contain those stories, it also contains stories of people who tried to be kind and the world refused to listen to because racism and sexism are so very real and very much baked into society. The matter-of-fact tone that Schwartz uses to explain to children that sometimes things simply are not fair is fantastic. She never sugar coats or apologizes for sufferings endured. She lets the reader know "this happened, it wasn't fair" and in doing so encourages the rest of us to be better. Instead of leaving angry, I left wanting to find more voices to lift up. Also, the science facts at the end of each story are so great and fun! Invites kids right into the world of the people that click with them.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book so much. As a scientist, I know that it is super collaborative. I also know that even today, the people who contribute to the projects the most are the ones are often overlooked.

Stolen Science is a great overview for kids and a wonderful jumping off point for adults to learn more about the people behind some of our greatest advancements. I also really enjoyed the fact that the author included sections to talk about the science!

Was this review helpful?

Stolen Science by Ella Schwartz is a middle grade non fiction book. Over the centuries, women, people from underrepresented communities, and immigrants overcame prejudices and social obstacles to make remarkable discoveries in science-but they weren't the ones to receive credit in history books. People with more power, money, and prestige were remembered as the inventor of the telephone, the scientists who decoded the structure of DNA, and the doctor who discovered the cause of yellow fever. This book aims to set the record straight and celebrate the nearly forgotten inventors and scientists who shaped our world today.

Stolen Science is an interesting look at how great discoveries, inventions, and innovations have been mis credited over the years, although not always maliciously. I think that this was an engaging and interesting read, and teaches readers more about some individuals that had great impact in a variety of fields, and teaching them a bit about those fields along the way. While it does drive home the point that life is often not fair, and that certain people tend to get credit even though others do the hard work, which is sadly still often the case. The book also points out that hard work, continuing to learn and grow, and perseverance are important factors in the achievements these individuals made. I had read some of the stories previously, but they were well framed and I liked some of the additional details about their lives and families as well as the science or industry most affected by their work.

Dwelling on how those in marginalized groups were, and sadly are, treated in most arenas does not leave me with all that much hope after reading, even though more and more of this sort of information is being uncovered and shared has shed some light on the issues, but there will always be those looking to benefit from other's hard work and take advantage of those with less social standing in any way they can. So I left the book feeling more than a little discouraged, mostly because of how some of today's social issues mirror the same pattern of problems. However, perhaps if we keep pointing it out the next generation will make more progress than my generation, and those previous, have this far.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for providing me with an advanced eArc in exchange for my honest review.

Stolen Science is a phenomenal book that tells the story of the people behind famous inventions and discoveries. While I was familiar with the story of Benajmin Bradley, I enjoyed reading about Jo Anderson, Carlos Juan Finlay, and several others who did not receive recognition for those who were hands-on with scientific discoveries. I devoured this book in one sitting because I love reading/learning more about unsung heroes.

Additionally, I love the What's the Science? segments in the book. While the book mostly acknowledges the work of these unsung heroes, the science portion breaks it down. I can see this appealing most to students who love science or want to pursue a scientific career.

Was this review helpful?

It will come as no surprise to most of us that there are enough achievements "stolen" to fill a whole book. The achievements of non-white, non-male people are regularly diminished or hidden entirely. Schwartz is putting in a concerted effort to attribute discoveries and inventions appropriately, acknowledging that some credit should be shared and that some discoveries are a case of parallel innovation. Neither the science nor the scientists are explored in any depth but we get enough of an overview to keep us engaged.

Was this review helpful?

I devoured this book. Seriously, I couldn’t get enough of these stories of men and woman who did these incredible things. Some of them knew that they could not (under current racist or sexist systems) receive credit for what they’d done. Others never stopped fighting for the recognition they deserved. I loved getting this opportunity to learn some of the real history of different scientific advancements, some of which I’d heard of or learned about in school, and learning that there was so much more to the story, and often someone I’d never heard of behind it all.

You don’t have to go back very far in my family to find my Italian relatives who emigrated to the US, so the story of Antonio Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone really struck a deep chord with me. I found myself online reading articles and looking for more information about him.

The beginning of the book points out how there are few women scientists that most people can name off the top of their heads. You know, besides Marie Curie. I loved reading about these women who overcame steep prejudices to even get access to the field of science. While it was awful thinking about these people who were taken advantage of by their colleagues or a deliberately racist and/or sexist system, it was also inspiring to read about people who had such a passion for their work.

Some of the stories in STOLEN SCIENCE are about inventors who, because they were slaves, could not legally apply for or be listen on a patent, and therefore couldn’t be given credit for their work. This shouldn’t have surprised me, given what I know about that period in history. I wasn’t surprised exactly. I guess it just reinforced the gross wrong that slavery and racism was and is.

Reading STOLEN SCIENCE made me want to find other books like this. I want to read more books that celebrate little-known or overlooked scientists or inventors and to learn more about them. If you like nonfiction that explores the less well-known contributions that people have made to our world, check out this list celebrating Women’s History on Bookshop. You might also be interested in THE BOY FROM BUCHENWALD by Robbie Waisman or GIRL WARRIORS by Rachel Sarah.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A great addition to any library! Sharing more about women's contributions to STEM will inspire the people that read this book. Adds some much needed diversity that can encourage young children to pursue STEM careers and be interested in learning this information in school.

Was this review helpful?

Ella Schwartz highlights thirteen scientists that aren't old white men, even If old white men got the credit for their ideas. This book was described as middle grade nonfiction, but I have had a lot of fun reading about one scientist a night to my second grade child.
Early dismantling of stigmas and stereotypes about science and who's allowed to enjoy it is the key to seeing young girls and women flourish in STEM. This book, like many others, is a healthy start for any budding scientist

Was this review helpful?

I liked the focus of this book and that it can bring more interest into history and STEM. I would be interested in knowing how many other scientists that could also have been included in the book, but were cut due to the sake of length. I liked the historical and scientific examinations, and I think it is good for children curious about various scientific fields.

Was this review helpful?

Ella Schwartz’s Stolen Science takes on a serious topic in the science world – the stealing of ideas of people in marginalized groups. Countless scientists have gone uncredited while privileged white men have profited from others’ work. This book cannot possibly address all of the wrongs perpetuated in the scientific world, but it does address some and begins the critical thinking process of children to question what we are told.

Was this review helpful?

Stolen Science is a middle grade non-fiction book that showcases 13 scientists who were women, poc, or both and whose research was credited to someone else, namely white men. The only one in this book that I had ever heard of was Rosalind Franklin, who discovered the double helix shape of DNA and whose 3 male colleagues published their research without giving her credit, and won a Nobel prize. I'm glad that this book is bringing attention to lesser known scientists, but the fact that none of these people are household names is telling to why this book needed to be written in the first place.

Each section gives a brief introduction to the scientist, their life, and their contribution to the scientific field. At the end of each section, their is a smaller section called "What's the Science?" that describes the field of science the person worked in.

Overall, very informative and an important read! Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Just because most of the scientists who are well-known are white men doesn't mean that those are the only kinds of people who can be or have been scientists. Stolen Science by Ella Schwartz subverts that narrative by highlighting 13 individuals whose discoveries have impacted our lives, even if we don't know their names.

I really enjoyed the format of this book. There was a gorgeous illustration to introduce each chapter. The chapters gave a fair amount of detail, but the language was clear, and I think the author struck a good balance between making it understandable for children without overly diluting the science. After each biography, there's a section called "What's the Science?" that gives some additional background information. I think this would probably tend to be harder than most of my third graders could read independently, but I think that they would be able to comprehend fairly well if we read it out loud together.

There was a great variety of people and discoveries, across gender, race, and historical eras. I recognized some of the names but many were new to me, and the information was engaging and fascinating!

In the author's note, Schwartz mentions that this isn't meant as a cautionary tale about all the ways that people have been left out and marginalized. Rather, this is a celebration of all the ways that people have triumphed despite the numerous obstacles they had to face. Sharing their stories is a way to honor their memories and remind us that no matter who you are or where you come from, you are capable of great things.

I cannot wait to order this for my classroom library! I would recommend this for upper elementary-middle school, but I truly think all ages (even up to adults!) can and would enjoy this book.

Was this review helpful?