Olivia Campbell's *Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII* is the kind of biography you *want* to love more than you actually do, because the subject—escaping Germany during World War II—is undeniably scary and fascinating. However, the book doesn't make it easy for the average reader to connect, as the author primarily focuses on the Kafkaesque process (seriously, the real-life bureaucracy was/is a mind-boggling, time-wasting exercise in obfuscation and deterrence!) of requesting ...

I really wanted to love *Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII* by Olivia Campbell, but I had to DNF it. Those of you who know me know I *hate* to DNF a book, and I can count on one hand the number of books I have. As a science teacher who likes to highlight the underrepresentation of female scientists in history, I was really drawn to this book. However, I just couldn't get through it. I think the core idea of *Atomic Women* is powerful; it just needed a better editor. This book...

Olivia Campbell previously published *Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine* in 2021. In her follow-up, *Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII*, released in 2024, Campbell continues her pattern of researching historical females in historically male-dominated professions who lived through challenging times. This book focuses on four German scientists whose lives and careers were interrupted by World War II: Hedwig Kohn (1887-1964), a Jewis...

This audiobook popped up on my Spotify recommendations, and I decided to give "Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII" a listen because I was seriously hating research and my entire life at that point. Turns out, it was a fantastic listen, and I really enjoyed it! I learned so much about the women in STEM who worked alongside giants like Bohr, Einstein, and Oppenheimer, but, of course, you never hear about them because the men always get the credit. Lise Meitner discovering nuclear...

The premise of Olivia Campbell's *Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII*, about the women scientists who fled Nazi Germany, really grabbed my attention. However, ultimately, this book just wasn't for me. I was really hoping for a deeper dive into their escape stories, but instead, I found myself wading through a *lot* of physics information – none of which I understood, having somehow managed to dodge taking a single physics class. Since I was listening to the audiobook, skimming ...

This book reminded me why I love being a STEM girl, but it also reminded me why we can't stop fighting for our rights even today. It reminded me how much human cruelty has destroyed an entire people ❤️‍🩹 But above all, it reminded me what a force of nature we women are. Olivia Campbell's Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII is a beautifully researched piece of historical writing. Definitely a must-read for those seeking compelling non-fiction in the realm of women's history a...

A Disjointed Dive into Four Female Scientists Who Fled Nazi GermanyWhile delving into an extraordinary topic and uncovering the stories of four women who were almost lost in Nazi Germany, *Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII* fell flat for me. Unfortunately, Olivia Campbell’s writing didn’t just dabble, but fully embraced, a couple of transgressions of historical writing. First, there was a significant amount of projection that happened throughout the book. Too often, Campbell d...

I think this book might actually be even better than the last one I read 🤩. "Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII" by Olivia Campbell is a captivating read. As far as non-fiction book reviews go, this one is definitely earning a top spot on my list!

Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen were true pioneers in physics. The first three women achieved habilitation in Germany, meaning they could teach at the university level. Hildegard Stücklen worked at the University of Zurich with a chemist and a physician. All four women lost their academic positions simply because they were female and Jewish, and staying in Germany was no longer safe. With the help of friends and fellow scientists, they desperately tried to obtai...

How four women physicists escaped Nazi Germany and made scientific history. "Atomic Women: Scientists Forged in the Fires of WWII" is a fabulous read. If you're looking for compelling non-fiction, especially in the realm of scientific history, you won't be disappointed. Olivia Campbell brings these remarkable stories to life.