Welcome to the Altieri Bookshelf! We read some great books and want to share our recommendations with you on an ongoing basis. Our list is curated by the wom(EN)gineer community for all readers – women, men, aspiring engineers of all ages, book clubs, and anyone looking for a good read. Please add your comments to our reviews and send us your recommendations!
Lessons in Chemistry
By: Bonnie Garmus
Recommended by Sheri Lussier (Altieri Fire Protection Engineer/WIE Member)
Elizabeth Zott navigates the professional and personal challenges of being female (and a scientist) in the 1950s/60s. The story is clever, poignant, funny, and inciteful. Don’t be put off by the cover illustration; the book tugs at a full range of human emotions while it explores serious topics including feminism, family, misogyny, male-dominated workplace, and female empowerment. An excellent choice for group discussion and apparently for TV – a series starring Brie Larson as Elizabeth premiers in October on Apple TV+.
The Exceptions
By: Kate Zernike
Recommended by Susan Fisher Plotner (Altieri Director of Marketing/BD)
The Exceptions is a must-read for women (and men) of all generations who are open to an unvarnished view of gender inequality in science and engineering as told through a real-life account of one group of courageous women who took on the system. Written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Kate Zernicke, the book chronicles systemic discrimination against senior female scientists at the esteemed Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the institution’s eventual admission – in 1999 – of its discriminatory practices perpetrated by top male scientists at MIT and elsewhere.
Girls Can Be Engineers
By: Jamila Lindo
Recommended by Joe Renzulli (Altieri Associate/Electrical Engineer)
A book aimed at all young girls reminding them they can achieve anything they set their minds to and that STEM professionals come in all shapes, sizes, and genders. This book was written by Jamila Lindo, a civil engineer, with the hope of sparking curiosity and encouraging girls to explore their potential in STEM fields, subjects that she was encouraged to pursue during her adolescence.