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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
About the author
Jule Selbo
26 books27 followersSO EXCITED! 6 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery will be available August 5, 2026. It's the fifth in the series. The series begins with 10 DAYS, then comes 9 DAYS, then 8 DAYS (you see the pattern).
Jule Selbo rises an hour before sun-up, likes the fuel of caffeine, and loves to make up stories. She’s an award-winning screenwriter (Disney, Paramount, Universal, and more, including working with George Lucas on Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for five years, penning Ariel’s Beginning (Little Mermaid and Hunchback of Notre Dame Part Deux and more for Disney, tv shows like Melrose Place, Hercules, Space Above and Beyond and HBO’s Women Behind Bars).
She moved to Maine to write novels and short stories – focusing on her favorite genres: crime mystery and historical fiction. 10 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery (2021) is the first of the award-winning series; it is followed by 9 DAYS. 8 DAYS, 7 DAYS and the new 6 DAYS.
Series’ kudos include: Silver Falchion, CIBA Best Series Finalist, nominations for the CLue Award and Foreward Review Award, Kirkus’ Top 5 Mysteries from Small Publishers and more.
Her historical fiction books include biographies of Italy’s John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) and Laura Bassi (first experimental physicist and first female professor at University of Bologna in the late 1700s). Her Find Me In Florence focuses on the country’s Mud Angels; they helped save priceless artwork and books after the 1966 flood.
Short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Magazine and Thriller Magazine.
Jule would love to hear from her readers!
Jule Selbo rises an hour before sun-up, likes the fuel of caffeine, and loves to make up stories. She’s an award-winning screenwriter (Disney, Paramount, Universal, and more, including working with George Lucas on Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for five years, penning Ariel’s Beginning (Little Mermaid and Hunchback of Notre Dame Part Deux and more for Disney, tv shows like Melrose Place, Hercules, Space Above and Beyond and HBO’s Women Behind Bars).
She moved to Maine to write novels and short stories – focusing on her favorite genres: crime mystery and historical fiction. 10 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery (2021) is the first of the award-winning series; it is followed by 9 DAYS. 8 DAYS, 7 DAYS and the new 6 DAYS.
Series’ kudos include: Silver Falchion, CIBA Best Series Finalist, nominations for the CLue Award and Foreward Review Award, Kirkus’ Top 5 Mysteries from Small Publishers and more.
Her historical fiction books include biographies of Italy’s John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) and Laura Bassi (first experimental physicist and first female professor at University of Bologna in the late 1700s). Her Find Me In Florence focuses on the country’s Mud Angels; they helped save priceless artwork and books after the 1966 flood.
Short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Magazine and Thriller Magazine.
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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