The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

The Glass Universe is another fabulous piece of non-fiction by Dava Sobel who also wrote award-winning Longitude and best-selling Galileo’s Daughter. Here, Sobel explores charting the stars and contributions from women at Harvard Observatory during the 19th and 20th centuries. Sobel uses primary sources like letters and diaries to drive her narrative, often commenting on the inequitable conditions for the female “human computers.” Annie Jump Cannon, for example, combined work by Williamina Fleming and Antonia Maury to publish a star classification system in 1901 that is still in use today. I learned much from their stories and was also drawn to the formidable women, such as Anna Palmer Draper, who acted as investors and believers in what was then new technology.

Just published this week, The Glass Universe is a fascinating read and certainly made me reflect upon the many, many individuals who have contributed to our knowledge of space and astronomy -- very appropriate as we pause to remember an American hero, John Glenn, and his wife Annie, who overcame her own challenges with stuttering and has inspired so many.  

Definitely spend some time with The Glass Universe, possibly pairing it with the newly released movie, Hidden Figures. Wouldn’t this be a fun theme for a book group?  Here are just a few reviews on other texts by and about women scientists: Herding Hemingway’s Cats, Lab Girl, and Wonder Women. The Glass Universe received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers’ Weekly.