Writing for Their Lives

A breathtaking history of America’s trail-blazing female science journalists—and the timely lessons they can teach us about equity, access, collaboration, and persistence.

Writing for Their Lives tells the stories of women who pioneered the nascent profession of science journalism from the 1920s through the 1950s. Like the “hidden figures” of science, such as Dorothy Vaughan and Katherine Johnson, these women journalists, Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette writes, were also overlooked in traditional histories of science and journalism. But, at a time when science, medicine, and the mass media were expanding dramatically, Emma Reh, Jane Stafford, Marjorie Van de Water, and many others were explaining theories, discoveries, and medical advances to millions of readers via syndicated news stories, weekly columns, weekend features, and books—and they deserve the recognition they have long been denied.

Grounded in extensive archival research and enlivened by passages of original correspondence, Writing for Their Lives addresses topics such as censorship, peer review, and news embargoes, while also providing intimate glimpses into the personal lives and adventures of mid-twentieth-century career women. They were single, married, or divorced; mothers with child-care responsibilities; daughters supporting widowed mothers; urban dwellers who lived through, and wrote about, the Great Depression, World War II, and the dawn of the Atomic Age—all the while, daring to challenge the arrogance and misogyny of the male scientific community in pursuit of information that could serve the public.

Written at a time when trust in science is at a premium, Writing for Their Lives is an inspiring untold history that underscores just how crucial dedicated, conscientious journalists are to the public understanding and acceptance of scientific guidance and expertise.Introduction vii
1 The Sea They Swam In 1
2 Star Power and "Popular Scintillation" 9
3 Assembling a Team: Words, Images, and Markets 21
4 On the Road and In the Field: Emma Reh 41
5 Medical Matters: Jane Stafford 55
6 Social Science and Change: Marjorie Van De Water 67
7 "We Live Only Once in this World": Reh's Second Act 81
8 Networks of Science Stringers 97
9 News from Everywhere 111
10 Allegiances, Flattery, and Pushback 123
11 Form, Substance, and Style 139
12 War Clouds and Wartime Secrecy 151
13 Split Atoms and New Horizons 163
14 The Next Acts in Their Lives 175
15 Looking in the Mirror 189
Author's Note and Acknowledgments 193
Appendix: Writers Mentioned in the Text 195
Notes 197
Index 255Included in The Next Big Idea Club’s August 2023 Must-Read Books list

“LaFollette’s effort to discuss so many of the women who struggled against misogyny and discrimination is admirable. . . . Her meticulous research will be valuable to historians of women in journalism and science writers.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“Readers interested in science, journalism history, and women’s studies will find inspiration in learning more about these talented pioneers.”
–Library Journal

"[An] important history. . . . Writing for Their Lives gives long-overlooked science journalists the attention they richly deserve."
–Booklist

"A compelling, important historical book that also reinforces how important science journalism is right now."
—Book Riot

"Lafollette highlights not just the important work that these women performed but examines how their diverse backgrounds enhanced their science communication."
—Engadget

"Writing for Their Lives offers lively portraits of [LaFollette’s] subjects and provides solid source material for future women journalists and science writers."
—Arts Fuse

“LaFollette is successful in her detailed account of the hidden figures of scientific journalism.”
—Yale Scientific Magazine

“[A] remarkable book. . . . We must thank the author for this important and innovative historical work and salute the incredible archival work that it involved.”
—Metascience“With wit, sharp analysis, and compelling documentation, Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette 
reveals the multi-dimensional lives of tough-minded and doggedly persistent women in science journalism between the 1920s and the 1960s.” 
—Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Professor, University of Minnesota; author of Women, Gender, and Science

“Writing for Their Lives is a fascinating story about women working in an industry that was uneasy about their presence. The history is highly readable and relevant on multiple levels to contemporary debates about science communication.”
—Rebecca Onion, senior editor, Slate.com; author, Innocent Experiments: Childhood and the Culture of Popular Science in the United StatesMarcel Chotkowski LaFollette is an independent historian. She is also Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution Archives and the author of Science on the Air and Science on American Television.