Review - Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A compelling story from start to finish. Chevalier touches on many social issues of the time (class divides, gender expectations, poverty, religious schisms, etc.) but the focus of the story is the relationship between Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. These women are separated by age, income, and religion but their mutual enjoyment of fossil hunting and natural curiosity bring them together while driving the major conflicts of the story.

While I was loosely familiar with Anning's story before reading this novelization, I don't think anyone unfamiliar would have a difficult time. Without info-dumping, Chevalier shows that Anning was more an expert than the "leading" geologists and natural historians of the time; she is equally clear on Anning's persistence, attention to detail, and observational skills as the source of her brilliance, themes which are echoed throughout history in most of the great scientists' lives. Neither does she shy away from the hardships created by Anning's social situation as a poor, unmarried, working class woman. Chevalier subtly juxtaposes the experiences of Anning, who slowly & inconsistently moves up economically, with that of Philpot, who finds herself in reduced circumstances after the marriage of her brother. I enjoyed watching both find greater degrees of freedom and was equally (credibly) frustrated by the barriers they could not overcome. The friendship between them is a well written example of the great good that can come of having even one friend who shares your "weird" interest.

I also wanted to note that Chevalier does a balanced job handling the "religion versus science" conflict of the times. She shows multiple examples of religious people who react in different ways to the fossils and scientists of varying levels of insight. While the story clearly favors the pro-science stance of Philpot, it is not demeaning to religion in general yet still manages to point out the all-too-real detriments of religious oversight on scientific endeavors.

There are plentiful talking points in this story: the nature of friendship, how much class/gender/income matter, what real science looks like, the role of education and reading in social mobility, missing stories in history and science. A great selection for book clubs and readers looking for mostly accurate historical fiction or more information about overlooked female scientists.

Review - Hild by Nicola Griffith

Hild by Nicola Griffith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An excellent book that's probably not for everyone, as it is a steady, deliberate sort of read that occasionally provokes confusion (mostly from naming conventions). Griffith evokes 7th century Britain in both setting and character descriptions that slow the narrative greatly but also paint a very vivid picture of a land and culture far removed from our own version of civilization. Yet the genius of the narrative is in the characters, whose motivations are easily recognizable to the modern reader. Hild, in particular, comes alive slowly but surely as she reaches into the role her clever mother creates for her, one of the few where a woman can safely give her opinion. Hild's particular genius is pattern recognition, which she slowly augments with better information gathering as the story progresses. Griffith makes a subtle but undeniable point about the differing powers of written and spoken word and how groups in power use them throughout the plot.

Griffith's tremendous use of relationships between women in the overking's household was the shining highlight of this story for me. She has recreated a plausible world in which higher-born women are expected to run vast households and estates and be conversant in trade, medicine, and husbandry, but where individuals experience the complex ties between themselves and their guests, serfs, servants, and slaves. I was also especially impressed with factual representations of the illnesses that women in particular have battled for millenia; the modern reader will recognize concussions, gangrene, eclampsia, miscarriage, croup, and various children's illnesses, among others.

The reading experience would have been improved with a few more maps (updated as the story progressed to show who was in charge where) and some additional family trees, due to the overwhelming similarity of the names of unrelated figures. The pronunciation guide and glossary provided were both helpful but might have been better placed at the beginning.

I knew nothing about Saint Hilda or 7th century Britain before reading this book. I'm not entirely sure how much I know now, as Griffith is careful to point out that while she did massive amounts of research, it is a work of fiction. Nonetheless, a thought provoking book about power, passions, gifts, the stories we tell, and the age old wisdom that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Recommended to readers searching for a meaningful read who are not scared off by a slower-paced book and some minimal language barriers.

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Review - The Mercury 13 by Martha Ackmann

The Mercury 13 by Martha Ackmann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great book to start my 2014 reading year. It has undeservedly languished on my shelves for nearly 8 years.

Ackmann tells the story of 13 women who passed the same or equivalent tests as those given to the Mercury 7 and other astronaut selectees of the 1960's. In roughly chronological order, she describes the development of a "girl astronaut" program by the U.S. Air Force, its cancellation, a subsequent private program, and how Congress and NASA eventually shut down even that avenue. The story is mostly told through the experiential lens of one of the women, Jerrie Cobb, who is the first to undergo testing. Ackmann tends to lionize Cobb somewhat but it's hard to blame her; each of these women had extraordinary accomplishments in their lifetimes.

The story is rife with the sexism of the time and Ackmann makes clear what is helping these women and what is holding them back. What makes this a 5-star read is Ackmann's skill at never over-demonizing any one person or institution. Using letters, government documents, medical records, and interviews, she has crafted a meticulous story that details how and why these women were denied their dreams of flying higher than ever before. While there are certainly heroes and villains in this story, the author backs up these positions with evidence and places it firmly in the context of prevailing social thought of the time.

Ackmann also does a tremendous job at showing how the approaches of the various women affected the outcome of their aspirations. She frames this through the conflict of Jerrie Cobb versus Jackie Cochran, another famous aviator of the time. As a reader, it was frustrating to read how Cobb and Janey Hart laid out valid points about women's inclusion in space exploration and to watch Cochran, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and George Low prevail by using the social mores of the time as cover. It is a credit to the author that this frustration comes through and a credit to these amazing women that they didn't lost it on the spot.

The rhetoric presented in this book bears a remarkable resemblance to the current "discussion" about women joining the ranks of combat troops. It could also easily be extended to the remaining arguments about homosexuals in the military. The facts and rebuttals presented by these women are just as true today as they were 60 years ago.

The story ends on a strong note, detailing that many of the remaining Mercury 13 pilots met to watch Eileen Collins' flight as the first female pilot of the Shuttle. It is fortunate that Ackmann captured their stories before these amazing women are lost to us, and history, forever.

I consider myself reasonably well read on the history of NASA and particularly the space race of the 60's, and some U.S. social history. Nonetheless, I learned a tremendous amount in completing this highly readable history. Strongly recommended for readers interested in space exploration, pilots, military doctrine, NASA's history, and social issues.

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