The Atomic Women: The Untold Stories of the Scientists Who Helped Create the Nuclear Bomb
The Atomic Women: The Untold Stories of the Scientists Who Helped Create the Nuclear Bomb
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Little, Brown & Co.
Annotation: Meet the female scientists who served as both developers of the atomic bomb—and the first line of criticism against it—i... more
Genre: [Biographies]
 
Reviews: 4
Catalog Number: #6682306
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 2021
Edition Date: 2021 Release Date: 05/18/21
Pages: 265 pages
ISBN: 0-316-48960-3
ISBN 13: 978-0-316-48960-7
Dewey: 920
LCCN: 2018050922
Dimensions: 22 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist

While the past few years have brought increased awareness of women who contributed to America's space program, many women also played important roles in building the first nuclear bomb. Montillo begins with European scientists such as Marie Curie, Irène Joliot-Curie, and Lise Meitner, whose experiments with radioactivity and work in theoretical physics were seminal. German-American physicist Maria Goeppert-Mayer and Hungarian-American plutonium expert Elizabeth Rona, along with many American women physicists and graduate students recruited for the Manhattan Project, contributed to actually creating the bomb. With so many people discussed and so many back-and-forth shifts among their stories, some confusion is inevitable. But readers familiar with 20th-century science history will be fascinated by the detailed account of the intertwined European scientific communities and the prejudices and difficulties routinely faced by women scientists. Equally interesting is the depiction of the atmosphere within the "Tech Area" at Los Alamos, especially surrounding the Trinity nuclear test and, weeks later, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A well-researched book on women scientists and their roles in developing the atomic bomb.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020

Kirkus Reviews

Intertwining stories of the often ignored female scientists whose research led to the creation of the atomic bomb.Montillo begins with Marie Curie, the one female physicist most people can name. After identifying, isolating, and purifying the first known radioactive elements-radium and polonium-she and her husband, Pierre, shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in physics. Readers may not be aware that fellow French scientists conspired to keep her name off the award, believing incorrectly that she only assisted Pierre. Their daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, would also win a Nobel Prize for her work with radioactive elements. Austrian Jew Lise Meitner fled to Stockholm to escape the Nazis, where she did mathematical work proving the possibility of nuclear fission. As World War II progressed, America began to explore the possibility of weaponizing nuclear energy, and the Manhattan Project began. American physicist Leona Woods helped perform the first nuclear chain reaction while Joan Hinton built elements of the first nuclear reactor. Montillo tells their stories-along with those of many other women-in this comprehensive work. The narrative bounces back and forth in time, sometimes in ways that may confuse readers, and, unfortunately, it ends with the nuclear bombs falling on Hiroshima and Nagasaki-it would have been nice to read something about what these women achieved afterward. Still, the book is lively, well-researched, and comprehensible.A useful work of scientific history. (author's note, timeline, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

On a July morning in 1945, Joan Hinton saw a world-changing explosion: -It was like being at the bottom of an ocean of light.- Hinton, a physicist, was one of the many women scientists integral to the development of the atomic bomb whose stories anchor Montillo-s (Fire on the Track for adults) narrative in two sections. The first, set in Europe, traces the origins of nuclear science, introducing Marie Curie, whose findings -would have... devastating consequences in the rush to build the atomic bomb,- and Lise Meitner, whose theory of fission underpinned the bomb effort. The second section, set in the U.S., focuses on the women scientists developing the bomb, including Hinton. In blunt, declarative prose, Montillo sketches lives and careers. Sexism (- noticed that female students... were tolerated more than included-) and deep ambivalence about the bomb (-How would she be able to live with it herself?-) recur as themes. Nonchronological editorial choices, a full-to-bursting cast of characters, and a tendency to breeze past scientific concepts (including beta decay, Brillouin zones, and even the workings of the bomb itself) without explanation make understanding the scope and impact of these women-s contributions difficult. Still, Montillo-s woman-centered narrative fills a major gap in the popular understanding of how the atomic bomb came to be. Ages 12-up. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (May)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8 Montillo begins the narrative with Marie Curie's radium discovery and then discusses the prevalent sexism Curie faced as a working mother. Because of sexism, many believed that her husband, Pierre, copublished scientific papers and discoveries only out of a sense of matrimonial duty. The author also unpacks the societal perceptions of some of the most important women in science at that time, including Lise Meitner, Irène Joliot-Curie, and Joan Hinton. Many did not receive praise or funding, were cast aside to closet-sized labs, and often worked without payment or university acknowledgment. They were motivated by their love of science and learning despite the judgment of critics that labeled these women odd, unfeminine, or incapable. The book contains a running theme of women who were dismissed while their male spouses and colleagues moved ahead, but also spotlights perseverance and genius. When some of these women were asked to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project, many seemed uncertain. The world was in the midst of war, and while the immediacy of their creation was felt by all, the future implications seemed dire. Montillo's detailed and organized writing stresses the importance of these women, who were as indispensable to the Manhattan Project as more well-known men like J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi. The detailed back matter includes an author's note, a scientific time line, source notes, and bibliography. VERDICT A general purchase, especially for libraries where narrative nonfiction does well. Kristyn Dorfman, The Nightingale-Bamford School, New York City

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ALA Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
School Library Journal
Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Word Count: 48,519
Reading Level: 8.8
Interest Level: 7-12
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 8.8 / points: 9.0 / quiz: 515162 / grade: Middle Grades

Meet the female scientists who served as both developers of the atomic bomb—and the first line of criticism against it—in this nonfiction narrative in the tradition of Bomb and Code Girls.
 
They were leaning over the edge of the unknown and afraid of what they would discover there…
 
Recruited from labs and universities from across the United States, and even from countries abroad, a little-known group of female scientists were invited into the secret sites of the Manhattan Project. During World War II these women worked on—and in some cases initiated—the development of the atomic bomb, taking starring roles in one of history’s most infamous scientific feats. But despite their involvement, critical to the project’s success, many of them weren’t made fully aware of the consequences.
 
This book explores not just the steps toward the creation of a successful nuclear bomb, but also the moral implications of such an invention—and how female scientists of the time grappled with the fallout. In an eye-opening revisionist history, this book celebrates the diversity and complexity of a watershed moment in history.
 
The atomic women you’ll learn about include:
  • Lise Meitner and Irène Joliot-Curie (daughter of Marie Curie), who laid the groundwork for the Manhattan Project from Europe
  • Elizabeth Rona, the foremost expert in plutonium, who gave rise to "Fat Man" and "Little Boy," the bombs dropped over Japan
  • Leona Woods, Elizabeth Graves, and Joan Hinton, who were inspired by European scientific ideals but carved their own paths

Perfect for…
Fans of Oppenheimer and Hidden Figures
Women in STEM
Readers of Elizabeth Wein, Steve Sheinkin, and Kate Quinn
History lovers


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