{"product_id":"writing-for-their-lives-isbn-9780262048163","title":"Writing for Their Lives","description":"\u003cb\u003eA breathtaking history of America’s trail-blazing female science journalists—and the timely lessons they can teach us about equity, access, collaboration, and persistence.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWriting for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrounded in extensive archival research and enlivened by passages of original correspondence, \u003ci\u003eWriting for Their Lives \u003c\/i\u003eaddresses 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten at a time when trust in science is at a premium, \u003ci\u003eWriting for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e 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\u003cbr\u003e1 The Sea They Swam In 1\u003cbr\u003e2 Star Power and \"Popular Scintillation\" 9\u003cbr\u003e3 Assembling a Team: Words, Images, and Markets 21\u003cbr\u003e4 On the Road and In the Field: Emma Reh 41\u003cbr\u003e5 Medical Matters: Jane Stafford 55\u003cbr\u003e6 Social Science and Change: Marjorie Van De Water 67\u003cbr\u003e7 \"We Live Only Once in this World\": Reh's Second Act 81\u003cbr\u003e8 Networks of Science Stringers 97\u003cbr\u003e9 News from Everywhere 111\u003cbr\u003e10 Allegiances, Flattery, and Pushback 123\u003cbr\u003e11 Form, Substance, and Style 139\u003cbr\u003e12 War Clouds and Wartime Secrecy 151\u003cbr\u003e13 Split Atoms and New Horizons 163\u003cbr\u003e14 The Next Acts in Their Lives 175\u003cbr\u003e15 Looking in the Mirror 189\u003cbr\u003eAuthor's Note and Acknowledgments 193\u003cbr\u003eAppendix: Writers Mentioned in the Text 195\u003cbr\u003eNotes 197\u003cbr\u003eIndex 255\u003cb\u003eIncluded in The Next Big Idea Club’s August 2023 Must-Read Books list\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Readers interested in science, journalism history, and women’s studies will find inspiration in learning more about these talented pioneers.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[An] important history. . . . \u003ci\u003eWriting for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e gives long-overlooked science journalists the attention they richly deserve.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A compelling, important historical book that also reinforces how important science journalism is right now.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBook Riot\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Lafollette highlights not just the important work that these women performed but examines how their diverse backgrounds enhanced their science communication.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eEngadget\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eWriting for Their Lives \u003c\/i\u003eoffers lively portraits of [LaFollette’s] subjects and provides solid source material for future women journalists and science writers.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eArts Fuse\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“LaFollette is successful in her detailed account of the hidden figures of scientific journalism.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eYale Scientific Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“[A] remarkable book. . . . We must thank the author for this important and innovative historical work and salute the incredible archival work that it involved.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eMetascience\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“With wit, sharp analysis, and compelling documentation, Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette \u003cbr\u003e reveals the multi-dimensional lives of tough-minded and doggedly persistent women in science journalism between the 1920s and the 1960s.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Professor, University of Minnesota; author of \u003ci\u003eWomen, Gender, and Science\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eWriting for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e 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.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Rebecca Onion, senior editor, Slate.com; author\u003ci\u003e, Innocent Experiments: Childhood and the Culture of Popular Science in the United States\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eMarcel Chotkowski LaFollette is an independent historian. She is also Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution Archives and the author of \u003ci\u003eScience on the Air\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eScience on American Television\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300737896677,"sku":"NP9780262048163","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262048163.jpg?v=1767744612","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/writing-for-their-lives-isbn-9780262048163","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}