The true story of eighteenth-century mathematician Sophie Germain, who
solved the unsolvable to achieve her dream.
When her parents took away her candles to keep their young daughter from
studying math...nothing stopped Sophie. When a professor discovered that
the homework sent to him under a male pen name came from a
woman...nothing stopped Sophie. And when she tackled a math problem that
male scholars said would be impossible to solve...still, nothing stopped
Sophie.
For six years Sophie Germain used her love of math and her undeniable
determination to test equations that would predict patterns of
vibrations. She eventually became the first woman to win a grand prize
from France's prestigious Academy of Sciences for her formula, which
laid the groundwork for much of modern architecture (and can be seen in
the book's illustrations).
Award-winning author Cheryl Bardoe's inspiring and poetic text is
brought to life by acclaimed artist Barbara McClintock's intricate
pen-and-ink, watercolor, and collage illustrations in this true story
about a woman who let nothing stop her.