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Breaking Barriers Based on the Life of Laura Bassi
They said, “No!” She asked, “Why?” The answer was always the same: “Because you’re a woman.” She vowed to shatter each barrier they placed in her way.
Inquisitive and precocious, Laura Bassi grew up on the Italian Peninsula in the 1700s, dreaming of studying science at the famed University of Bologna. It was the Age of Enlightenment and although forward-thinking philosophical ideas and scientific discoveries flourished, the prevailing edict was that college was no place for a woman—no matter how capable, intelligent, or innovative. Laura was told to trust that she would find fulfillment as a dutiful wife and mother.
But why, she wondered, couldn’t she have it all?Smugly assuring themselves of Laura’s failure, the ivory tower establishment fought to keep her out of their hallowed halls. Yet, despite restricted access to libraries and laboratories, Laura earned the respect of Europe’s top scientists and scholars. She was determined to earn a doctoral degree and teach college physics, something no woman had ever done.
Renouncing the societal norms of the day, Laura never stopped working towards a time when a woman would have the same opportunities as a man, be held to equivalent standards, and realize equal rewards. But first, she had to masterNewtonian physics.
Inquisitive and precocious, Laura Bassi grew up on the Italian Peninsula in the 1700s, dreaming of studying science at the famed University of Bologna. It was the Age of Enlightenment and although forward-thinking philosophical ideas and scientific discoveries flourished, the prevailing edict was that college was no place for a woman—no matter how capable, intelligent, or innovative. Laura was told to trust that she would find fulfillment as a dutiful wife and mother.
But why, she wondered, couldn’t she have it all?Smugly assuring themselves of Laura’s failure, the ivory tower establishment fought to keep her out of their hallowed halls. Yet, despite restricted access to libraries and laboratories, Laura earned the respect of Europe’s top scientists and scholars. She was determined to earn a doctoral degree and teach college physics, something no woman had ever done.
Renouncing the societal norms of the day, Laura never stopped working towards a time when a woman would have the same opportunities as a man, be held to equivalent standards, and realize equal rewards. But first, she had to masterNewtonian physics.
314 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2020
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Jule Selbo
24 books25 followersSO EXCITED! 8 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery will be available on December 6, 2023. It's the third in the series. Pre-orders are available now. 9 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery followed 10 DAYS in garnering awards and award nominations and also a STARRED Kirkus Review! Your local bookstores can pre-order it for you too!
Check out this review on GoodReads. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
10 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery was the first in a new crime/mystery series. It got a starred Kirkus Review "nifty, engrossing procedural..." "...punchy, vivid prose..." and went on to win a Silver Falchion Award for Best Investigator Novel, it was nominated for a Maine Literary Award, Clue Award and Foreword Review Award. It's also up for the Best Crime Mystery Book Award on FeedMyReads!
Jule is a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. She has written for television and film for a few decades (check IMDB). She is also a professor at CSU in California, teaching screenwriting and film history - and lectures internationally on story structure and film genre.
She basically loves story - and telling stories and helping others tell their stories.
Her award-winning plays have been done in NYC, Los Angeles and regional theaters across America.
Novels include FIND ME IN FLORENCE (2019), DREAMS OF DISCOVERY, Based on the Life of John Cabot (2018) and the upcoming BREAKING BARRIERS: Laura Bassi and the Enlightenment.
https://www.juleselbo.com
Jule would love to hear from her readers!
Check out this review on GoodReads. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
10 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery was the first in a new crime/mystery series. It got a starred Kirkus Review "nifty, engrossing procedural..." "...punchy, vivid prose..." and went on to win a Silver Falchion Award for Best Investigator Novel, it was nominated for a Maine Literary Award, Clue Award and Foreword Review Award. It's also up for the Best Crime Mystery Book Award on FeedMyReads!
Jule is a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. She has written for television and film for a few decades (check IMDB). She is also a professor at CSU in California, teaching screenwriting and film history - and lectures internationally on story structure and film genre.
She basically loves story - and telling stories and helping others tell their stories.
Her award-winning plays have been done in NYC, Los Angeles and regional theaters across America.
Novels include FIND ME IN FLORENCE (2019), DREAMS OF DISCOVERY, Based on the Life of John Cabot (2018) and the upcoming BREAKING BARRIERS: Laura Bassi and the Enlightenment.
https://www.juleselbo.com
Jule would love to hear from her readers!
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May 19, 2020
A biography written like a novel about a woman whose parents encouraged her intelligence despite it not being within the social norms.
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