How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America
January 1, 2023
An account of the life of the first female electrical engineer in America. Edith Clarke was born on a farm in Maryland in 1883, one of nine children. Her father died when she was 7, and when her mother died five years later, her uncle sent her to boarding school, where she was meant to learn "manners and music." Instead, Edith studied algebra and geometry. When she inherited money left to her by her parents, she enrolled in Vassar College, graduating with a degree in mathematics and astronomy. A critical illness convinced Edith to go after her dreams, and she earned an engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but no one was willing to hire a woman engineer. She worked during the day computing calculations for a company building power lines, and she spent her evenings studying electrical current load in wires, which led to an invention, the Clarke Calculator--and a job as an engineer. Skillfully told and illustrated, this story is full of details and depth. The full-color images catch the eye and playfully include mathematical puzzles. Edith's quotes are interspersed throughout, highlighting her love of math and her determination to succeed in a traditionally male field. This one will inspire and validate any readers who love mathematics and calculations, especially anyone who has felt marginalized within STEM fields. Edith and most characters present White. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Rousing encouragement for readers--especially math-minded ones--to follow their dreams. (author's note; diagrams; timeline; glossary; information on other women mathematicians, engineers, and inventors; bibliography; picture credits) (Picture-book biography. 6-9)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2023
Grades 2-5 Growing up in the late 1800s, Edith Clarke was fascinated by mathematical problems and brainteasers. She dreamed of becoming a civil engineer, but "no one wanted a woman engineer." After teaching high-school- and college-level science and math, she accepted a job as a "human calculator" for engineers working to extend telephone technology across America, and later earned an electrical engineering degree at MIT. Unable to find an engineering job, she supervised a team of human calculators at General Electric. While working there, she invented and patented the Clarke Calculator, which allowed engineers to quickly and accurately solve certain calculations involving the transmission of electricity. The following year, she became America's first woman electrical engineer. Though relatively short, the text tells Clarke's story in terms that are accessible to children and offers more information in the extensive back matter. The attractive illustrations, drawn digitally and brightened with watercolors, do a particularly good job of portraying Clarke as she gradually grows from childhood to maturity. An intriguing introduction to a trailblazing woman in the field of electrical engineering.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.