" ... Presents the stories of seventeen women of science working in seven countries over a timespan of more than three centuries. From a scandalous French noblewoman who introduced Newton's ideas to France to the African American granddaughter of slaves who pioneered the field of chemotherapy, from a mathematical prodigy who retired from the world to practice charity to the daughter of a Nobel laureate determined to follow in her mother's footsteps, this book portrays women of strong personality who defied stereotypes and found their own way."--Front jacket flap.