Sisters in Science

De: Olivia Campbell

Narrado por: Cassandra Campbell

The extraordinary true story of four women pioneers in physics during World War II and their daring escape out of Nazi Germany

In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced out of their academic positions. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer and Hildegard Stücklen were eminent in their fields, but they had no choice but to flee due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments.

Their harrowing journey out of Germany became a life-and-death situation that required Herculean efforts of friends and other prominent scientists. Lise fled to Sweden, where she made a groundbreaking discovery in nuclear physics, and the others fled to the United States, where they brought advanced physics to American universities. No matter their destination, each woman revolutionized the field of physics when all odds were stacked against them, galvanizing young women to do the same.

Well researched and written with cinematic prose, Sisters in Science brings these trailblazing women to life and shows us how sisterhood and scientific curiosity can transcend borders and persist—flourish, even—in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Excellent

Excellent work. Should be read by all in women’s history classes. Also by all 20th century history students and everyone interested in WWI and WWII.

The history

Just a bit long but made clear that women have struggled for a long time and how early the Nazi movement began.

This was History

The book was excellently researched. It felt as accurate as the scientific studies her subjects were conducting. The history of the time of WWII was just as well researched as the lives of the 4 women she was writing about. I learned much from this book. I believe it was so accurate any researcher of science, WWII or women’s equality and the plight of refugees, could benefit from using it as a resource, for their paper or a speech.
The difference in distance and time it took to communicate was stark against out immediate flash of the computer age. The stubbornness of belief or unbelief in an unbearable situation has remained.

New information re: women/Jewish scientists in Nazi Germany

I liked the reader’s voice and interpretation. The author’s deep research into this subject was evident.

Could have been a great book

The author, Olivia Campbell, could have written a very good book. I wish she would have kept to the facts. As a minimum, she should have told both sides of the story. For instance, she wrote about the bad things about the nuclear bomb. She did not mention that there were good things that the destruction of the bomb accomplished. By dropping the bomb, America saved many more lives that would have been lost – on both sides! And the bombs got the Japanese to surrender and end World War II.

These were great women scientists. I enjoyed hearing about their accomplishments and the problems they went through to get jobs in the male dominated society. But, I feel the book is weaker when she makes liberal commentary on everything. A book of only facts would have been a great book, versus an okay book. There are still a lot of good things about these four women.

Historical account

Loved the historical account of these scientific marvels. However, found it hard sometimes to follow each woman's journey. Overall, glad to hear of their success in hardest of times.