Patently Female: From AZT to TV Dinners, Stories of Women Inventors and Their Breakthrough Ideas

by Ethlie Ann Vare, Greg Ptacek

Discover the trials & triumphs of great female inventors

Astrolabe
Automatic Dishwasher
Barbie Doll
Buffered Aspirin
COBOL
Cotton Gin
Disposable Phone
Drip Coffeemaker
Fabric Softener Sheets
Hang Glider
IV Fluids
Jell-O
Kevlar
Mars Rover
Nystatin
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
Protease Inhibitors
Rolfing
Smallpox Variolation
Space Suit
Spic & Span
Tract Housing
Vacuum Canning
Windshield Wipers
Zig-Zag Sewing Machine
Zovirax

and many, many more!

Reviews for Mothers of Invention by Ethlie Ann Vare and Greg Ptacek

"It's a fascinating and gratifying book..It gives us a positive view of women's inventiveness, from the frivolous to the noble."
-The New York Times Book Review

"It is the wide spectrum of female humanity and ability in this book that makes it an especially valuable addition to the growing popular library on the accomplishments and work lives of women."
-Los Angeles Times

"An informative collection of talent, trivia, and history, Mothers of Invention will interest most anyone. More importantly, though, it will serve to inspire girls and women of all ages. For that reason, it belongs on the shelves of schools and public libraries everywhere."
-Tampa Tribune

"Wonderful..A book to be dipped into and sampled at one's leisure."
-The Chicago Biweekly

"This fascinating volume will find a place in the browsing sections of both adult and YA collections.recommended."
-Library Journal

One of the "Best Books for Young Adults,"
American Library Association, 1988

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

The wit behind Affection Deficit Disorder, the hot humor blog about behavioral addiction (yes, there is a funny side to addiction), Ethlie Ann Vare started out as a rock'n'roll disc jockey and became known as a camera-friendly expert on pop culture. That led to the internationally syndicated newspaper column ROCK ON, the founding of ROCK Magazine, and articles in everything from Billboard Magazine to the New York Times. She then became a sought-after lecturer on the college circuit talking about women's history, and later an award-winning TV screenwriter. Chalk it up to wide-ranging intellectual curiosity, ADHD, or a combination of the two.The much-lauded LOVE ADDICT: Sex, Romance and Other Dangerous Drugs was written about her own addiction and recovery, as well as providing a road map to relief for others. Other works include biographies of superstars (Stevie Nicks, Ozzy Osbourne, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand), adventures in distant galaxies (Andromeda: The Broken Places), and stories of women inventors and discoverers (Mothers of Invention and Patently Female.) She has written for TV shows from the ridiculous (Beastmaster) to the sublime (CSI). Her latest project is WOOF!, a children's picture book about a rescue dog who is actually a wolf mistaken for a dog. At least, he thinks he is.

Reviews

[Casey]

Interesting read about inventions created or thought of by women. Like kevlar, navy signal flares, dishwashers, etc. Sad to read about those (in the past) who didn't get credit or compensation simply because they were a woman. Also, many had to use their initials instead of their full name because people wouldn't have accepted the inventions in a woman's name.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pick up this book periodically for inspiration. Its a really interesting read, basically a catalog of female inventors arranged catagorically. The book also has good resources in the appendix for inventors.

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reminder. Wished more had been mentioned about international female inventors, as it is a bit US centered.

[D.R. Oestreicher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patently Female by Vare and Ptacek is their third book about female inventors. I don't know how much duplication there is, but several of the biggies made it into this volume: Marie Curie, Grace Murray Hopper, Hedy Lamarr, and Ada Lovelace. They share the book with hundreds of others of all ages and importance.

I found his book is fascinating in several dimensions. First, no book about women in science and technology can avoid the subject of prejudice and discrimination.

Also the book is full with wonderful trivia.

Most interesting to me was the story of Lynn Conway, a transsexual computer scientist who worked at the fabled Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s. I remember her well.

For more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2015/0...

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although very similar to its predecessor, Mother of Invention, Patently Female focuses on the more modern inventions with about 20% of the previous material being re-used. This results in longer and more detailed biographies for most with the occasional short (less than half a page) one interspersed. Inventions are still categorized by type with the exception of child inventors and the nearly forgotten and move roughly in chronological order. Despite the recycled material, Vare keeps this volume fresh by adding new details as well as new categories like space travel. Unfortunately, due to the age of publication, over ten years, many of the modern biographies are now out of date and an updated edition would be helpful. Overall, a great book to encourage any woman to pursue the STEM fields.