SCIENTISTS LIKE ME

These profiles of 25 noteworthy leaders in their fields demonstrate that scientists don’t have to be straight, white, and male.

The concept of this book is sound, and the range of people profiled is broad, including household names (Alan Turing, Temple Grandin, Jane Goodall) and lesser-known figures. The entries are organized into five branches of science: formal (such as mathematics and computer sciences), physical, life, social (including archaeology and law), and medical. In each section, one of the profiles highlights a scientist from the past, such as Chinese-born physicist Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997) and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963). Others are still young, like Mariah Gladstone, who studies the environment and food systems, and ornithologist Corina Newsome, both born in 1993. Each profile includes an appealing, full-color portrait by Uroda and a biography of two to three pages, punctuated by text boxes titled “Question for YOU,” “Science YOU can explore,” and “Did YOU Know About…” Each of the five sections ends with several robust activities. Sadly, the exposition in the profiles ranges from pedestrian to actively awkward. Phrases containing discrete ideas are strung together into long sentences that may daunt the intended readership. The selected biographical details don’t bring the subjects to life, and the book contains a few inaccuracies. The strongest portion is the final chapter, “Explore More!,” which explains myriad paths to becoming a scientist.

Wooden writing undermines this collective biography for the scientifically curious.