Emmy Noether

August 1, 2020

Gr 2-4-In the late 19th century, young women were expected to conform to gender norms. They were advised to be attractive and obedient and to cook, sew, get married, and have children. Born in Erlangen, Germany, Emmy Noether (1882-1935) preferred puzzles and formulas. Although women were not permitted to attend university at this time, Noether's father arranged for his daughter to audit classes. Her fellow male classmates resented Noether for her abilities, but she persevered. In 1907, she was awarded a PhD with the highest honors. Noether, a contemporary of Albert Einstein, used her skills to repair the previously inexplicable hole in his theory of relativity. She later defined the connection between the laws of symmetry and conservation, now known as Noether's theorem. Though she was able to overcome society's sexist limitations, as a Jewish person living in 1933 Germany, she was no match for the Nazis. Friends encouraged her to move to the United States, where she taught at Bryn Mawr College until her death at 53. The humorous, engaging text uses everyday objects such as bowling balls and socks to explain abstract theories. Lighthearted, hand-drawn, and digitally colored illustrations provide a welcome balance to the occasionally weighty subject matter; comical speech bubbles add to this effect. A lengthy author's note and bibliography will satisfy curious readers. Pair with Becker's Counting on Katherine or Cheryl Bardoe's Nothing Stopped Sophie. VERDICT A worthy addition to the growing collection of STEM-related picture book biographies of pioneering women.-Barbara Auerbach, Cairo P.L., NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2020
An unsung heroine of math and science. Born in 1882, when education for women was discouraged and society mostly ignored their intellectual talents, Emmy Noether, a White, German Jewish woman, managed to subsist on a small inheritance while discovering laws of physics and mathematics that changed our understanding of the universe. Clear, straightforward text that is full of drama and excitement and striking, evocative art with a subtle sense of humor portray her unusual life, quirky personality, struggles with sexism and anti-Semitism, and groundbreaking discoveries in clear, easy-to-understand detail. By explicitly presenting both the cultural beliefs of the time and the legal and academic limitations women were subjected to, Becker and Rust allow Noether's accomplishments to shine all the brighter. The scientific and mathematical concepts she clarified and/or identified, such as the theory of relativity and Noether's theorem, are explained in an impressively accessible manner. Just enough information on the Nazis' rise to power is included to relay its danger and significance without taking the focus away from Noether, her brilliance, and her continuous dedication to mathematics, including her mentorship of students. Noether's single-mindedness and accomplishments are sure to inspire admiration while the injustices she faced and her own quiet rebellion may lead many young readers to further questions and exploration. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.3-by-17.8-inch double-page spreads viewed at 71.8% of actual size.) A vivid biographical depiction of history, math, science, and the importance of women in STEM. (author's note, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

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September 1, 2020
Grades 2-5 Early on, this picture-book biography provides a handy checklist of what Emmy Noether, a Jewish girl born in 1882 Germany, was expected to be: a pretty, quiet, and piano-playing wife and mother. Instead, Emmy was a loud, frizzy-haired, crummy piano-playing mathematical genius. She was an excellent university student who, though her best work was either dismissed or stolen by men, still managed to prove an important component of the theory of relativity, an idea proposed by another frizzy-haired math genius?Einstein. This engaging story rolls right along, whether explaining principles of physics in accessible terms, documenting the systemic misogyny Emmy faced in Germany, or describing her flight from the Nazis to the U.S. The hand-drawn, digitally colored illustrations tend to depict men in boring shades of brown, while Emmy shines in nimbuses of bright yellow clouds surrounded by swirling sparks and mathematical notations. The back matter fills in details and offers suggestions for further reading. This is a handsome addition for STEM collections, good for both browsing and research. Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)