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Book Summary and Reviews of Sisters in Science by Olivia Campbell

Sisters in Science by Olivia Campbell

Sisters in Science

How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History

by Olivia Campbell

  • Published:
  • Dec 2024, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"A deeply researched account of four pioneering scientists and their escape from Nazi Germany. These women were extraordinary in their field and left a legacy that transcends borders and will inspire countless generations to come." —Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls

"A true story of passion and grit, Sisters in Science honors the pioneering women physicists who fled Nazi persecution, only to confront sexist treatment and new challenges in America. Campbell celebrates their prowess and resilience with admirable skill." —Jason Fagone, bestselling author of The Woman Who Smashed Codes

This information about Sisters in Science was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Olivia Campbell

Olivia Campbell is the New York Times bestselling author of Women in White Coats. An accomplished journalist and essayist, her work has appeared in The Atlantic, National Geographic, New York Magazine, HISTORY, and The Guardian, among others. She is an editor at Dotdash Meredith and a thesis advisor for Johns Hopkins University's science writing program.

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