Problem Solvers

August 15, 2022
Profiles of women engineers and coders who overcame obstacles to become leading voices in their fields. Each profile presents the subject's challenges and career path while exploring global themes of gender-based disenfranchisement--and empowerment--in STEM fields. The work presents itself as both a guide for girls who want to go into these areas as well as an appeal to those who don't think they would find them interesting or who might feel discouraged from pursuing them. The chapters, each about 10 pages in length, are based on individual interviews conducted by the engineer author, highlight each woman's story and accomplishments. The subjects come from a diverse range of backgrounds, highlighting marginalized identities within the field, such as race and disability. Numerous sidebars relating to the women's backgrounds cover a range of content, some of it broadly useful beyond STEM careers, especially for teens from less privileged backgrounds, such as making a college education financially attainable, understanding the mentor-mentee relationship, escaping an abusive environment, attending college as a young parent, and business card etiquette. The closing chapters offer specific guidance, shepherding readers through preparing for college, different types of engineering and programming jobs, suggested books and movies, and the complexities of advanced degrees. The prose style is friendly, supportive, and informal, making potentially intimidating subject matter less so. Comprehensive, inclusive, and practical. (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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September 15, 2022
Grades 8-11 With a college degree in computer engineering as well as a master's degree and a 15-year career in electrical engineering, Hoover knows firsthand about the challenges faced by women in technical fields, where their presence was once unusual. In this volume from the publisher's Women of Power series, she introduces 15 who have found fulfilling jobs in engineering and coding. Many of the women initially faced roadblocks, from the common misconception that girls aren't good at math to personal struggles such as abusive family relationships, poverty, and prejudice. One chapter introduces a Latinx woman who attained a mechanical engineering degree while single parenting a young child. The book's back matter offers a good deal of useful information for those considering careers that involve science, math, and problem-solving. There's a certain sameness to the women's stories, but for girls who would like to follow a similar path, repetition reinforces Hoover's message that a college education and careers in engineering and coding are attainable. She encourages girls to dream big, work hard, and find mentors to help them along the way.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.