Nice pacing and interesting snippets from a great narrator
I was intrigued by the premise of this book and some reviews I read that mentioned the important roles that women played in the development of present-day computers and technology. I wasn't disappointed at all, in the sense that I enjoyed the narrator's tone and found the subject matter really was interesting. Perhaps I am not cut out for nonfiction, however, because I was unable to get really drawn into the stories. I think this would be enjoyable to listen to with someone else, perhaps on a road trip, so as to have someone to discuss it with. I really did enjoy the stories about Byron's daughter, for example, and her "outsized opinion of herself." She apparently did have a unique perspective on science, so who is to say that she wasn't in fact a genius of sorts? Society makes these pronouncements, which are often pretty subjective. The book continues this thread in later chapters, when referring to another scientist whose IQ test didn't qualify him as a genius...yet he found himself adhering to these standards even after they failed him, in a way. The author's intent to portray a variety of perspectives is fulfilling and I think relevant to theories of collaboration, which are popular today. He discusses this within the individual stories as well, and how they approached working with others. I think he is very skilled at tying his theme together, although it is a bit challenging when you have so many threads. Interesting stuff -- I will definitely revisit this one, hopefully with an intellectual partner to enjoy it with me.