International Day for Women and Girls in Science book list

This year for International Day for Women and Girls in Science we asked the SNOLAB staff and user community for recommendations of written by or about women in STEM. Check out some of their excellent suggestions below.

Her space her time by Shohini Ghose – Women physicists and astronomers from around the world have transformed science and society, but the critical roles they played in their fields are not always well-sung. Her Space, Her Time, authored by award-winning quantum physicist Shohini Ghose, brings together the stories of these remarkable women to celebrate their indelible scientific contributions.

Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman by Lindy Elkins-Tanton – A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman is a beautifully-constructed memoir that explores how a philosophy of life can be built from the tools of scientific inquiry. It teaches us how to approach difficult problems by asking the right questions and truly listening to the answers—and how we may find meaning through exploring the wonders of the universe around us.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez – Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men is a landmark, prize-winning, international bestselling examination of how a gender gap in data perpetuates bias and disadvantages women.

Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie – Packed with the latest research, practical guidance, and enlightening graphics, this book will make you rethink almost everything you’ve been told about the environment. Not the End of the World will give you the tools to understand our current crisis and make lifestyle changes that actually have an impact.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore – Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot – Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance.

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly – Hidden Figures: The American dream and the untold story of the black women mathematicians who helped win the space race recovers the history of these pioneering women and situates it in the intersection of the defining movements of the American century: the Cold War, the Space Race, the Civil Rights movement and the quest for gender equality.

Vera Rubin: A Life by  Jacqueline Mitton & Simon Mitton – The first biography of a pioneering scientist who made significant contributions to our understanding of dark matter and championed the advancement of women in science.

Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein – In The Disordered Cosmos, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shares her love for physics, from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it, to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter—along with a perspective informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek.

The Milky Way: An Autobiography of our Galaxy by Moiya McTier – In this approachable and fascinating biography of the galaxy, an astrophysicist and folklorist details everything humans have discovered—from the Milky Way’s formation to its eventual death, and what else there is to learn about the universe we call home.

Inferior by Angela Saini – In Inferior, acclaimed science writer Angela Saini weaves together a fascinating—and sorely necessary—new science of women. As Saini takes readers on a journey to uncover science’s failure to understand women, she finds that we’re still living with the legacy of an establishment that’s just beginning to recover from centuries of entrenched exclusion and prejudice.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmer – As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert).

The end of everything (astrophysically speaking) by Katie Mack – The Universe had a beginning, and it will have an end. Modern cosmology — the study of the nature and evolution of the cosmos itself — has allowed physicists to explain the history of the Universe from the first tiny fraction of a second until today. But what’s next? We now have the tools to extend our knowledge into the distant future and speculate about the ultimate fate of all reality.

The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski – Storm in a Teacup is Helen Czerski’s lively, entertaining, and richly informed introduction to the world of physics. Czerski provides the tools to alter the way we see everything around us by linking ordinary objects and occurrences, like popcorn popping, coffee stains, and fridge magnets, to big ideas like climate change, the energy crisis, or innovative medical testing. 

For kids

Searching beyond the stars: Seven women in science take on space’s biggest questions by Nicole Mortillaro – Through profiles of seven remarkable women scientists and their achievements in their respective fields, Searching Beyond the Stars takes us deep into space, looking at once to the distant past and the distant future to capture the awe and intrigue of some of the biggest questions we can possibly ask.

Women in Science Who Changed the World by Heidi Poelman – From the innovations of Janaki Ammal to the careful observations of Jane Goodall, Women in Science Who Changed the World is a young child’s first introduction to the diverse, extraordinary women who used their brilliant minds to change the world of science forever.

Stay Curious and Keep Exploring: Next Level: 50 Bigger, Bolder Science Experiments to Do with the Whole Family by Emily Calandrelli – From the host of Netflix’s Emily’s Wonder Lab and FOX’s Xploration Outer Space comes a book featuring 50 experiments that introduce the wonders of science to the whole family.