Feminist book review: She's such a Geek

We're back!

Wow, what an unexpected hiatus! Unfortunately I've been busy with other personal stuff lately and this blog just slipped to the back of my mind! Oops. Anyway, I'd like to announce that myself and Ari will be posting a lot more regularly over the next few weeks, and I hope you forgive us both! For now, please enjoy my review of a great book entitled She's such a Geek. 

  

For me, reading She's Such A Geek was stumbling upon a literary treasure trove of inspiration and hope. Far removed from a narrative, She's Such A Geek is an anthology of first-hand experiences of the trials and tribulations of being a woman in science, technology, video games and comic books. If you have a young woman in your family who has aspirations of a job in these fields (or you are one yourself): buy this book.

The real life experiences shared by the women in this book are both inspiring and realistic, offering a truthful insight that expresses the happiness that following a passion (no matter what your gender) can offer you, and exposes the negatives that the male-exclusivity of the geek world can have upon a female interested in the culture. Adding to its credit, the book displays a fantastic and very admirable diversity in its contributors, showcasing the experiences of white women, women of colour and varied ethnicities, handicapped women and, wonderfully, a transgendered woman. This progressive viewpoint is a rare and valued encouragement for geeky ladies who are wary of being discriminated against for their race, disability or gender, and proclaims 'you are not alone!'

The women in this book have been top of their calculus class, they've been the lone girl in their circle of gamers, they've been to MIT, they're been in system administration, they've developed video games, they're engineers and comic book creators. They've invaded every corner of the geeky spectrum and they are damn good at what they do. This book is a call to arms for all female nerds, and a reassurance that they can be part of their scientific field of choosing, they just have to work hard, and watch out for bigots. I highly recommend this book as truly inspirational reading, and whether you're a coder or a kick ass biologist, there is room for you in the world of geekery.

Buy She's Such A Geek; where women meet adversity and say 'bring it on!'