Black Stars: African American Women Scientists and Inventors
Grade 7-10-This companion to Sullivan's African American Inventors  (Wiley, 1998) profiles 26 women, beginning with Ellen F. Eglin,  who was born in 1849 and invented a clothes-wringer, and  concluding with Chavonda J. Jacobs Young, who was born in 1967  and has been a research scientist and professor. There is some  crossover between the two titles. The introduction discusses the  lack of information on the contributions of African-American  women and the historical reasons for it. Each brief biography  describes the subject's background and achievements, and, in  some cases, the obstacles that she had to overcome. Coverage  ranges from well-known individuals, such as Madame C. J. Walker,  to the lesser known, such as Miriam E. Benjamin, who patented a  gong-and-signal chair that was used in the U.S. House of  Representatives. When available, black-and-white pictures have  been included, as well as photographs and or drawings of certain  inventions. This much-needed book is a fine supplement to units  on inventors and inventions, and would be useful in  multicultural studies.Maren Ostergard, Bellevue Regional  Library, WACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.