Interview on "All Things Considered"
"George Johnson reconstructs the course of this
brilliant woman's life . . . [and] tells her
story with elegance and sensitivity."
-- Vera Rubin, Science
"A short, excellent account of Leavitt's extraordinary life and achievements. . . Johnson discusses her research and the physics of Cepheid stars in vivid detail. More important, he provides a remarkable insight into the role of women in science a century ago. . . He was obviously drawn to Leavitt and her work many years ago, and he has written about it with penetrating intelligence. " -- Simon Singh, The New York Times Book Review
Best Nonfiction Books of the Year, Christian Science Monitor
"An elegant and absorbing account of a signal event
in humanity's discovery of the deeper cosmos."
-- Timothy Ferris
"[George Johnson's] grace in bringing her to life
is matched by his lucidity in explaining
difficult scientific concepts. Unfortunate in life,
Miss Leavitt is very fortunate in her biographer."
-- Scientific American
"In a book of rare human and astronomic fascination, Johnson gives a brilliant woman her due place in the scientific firmament."
-- The Times (London)
"Johnson paints a luminous portrait . . . and shows
how her patient work sparked an explosion
of astronomical creativity."
-- Laurence Marschall, Discover
Top 10 Astronomy Books of 2005, About.com
Translated into Thai, Czech, Japanese, Italian, Korean, and Swedish
"A short, excellent account of Leavitt's extraordinary life and achievements, reminding us of one of astronomy's forgotten heroes." -- Times Higher Education Supplement (London)
"The history of astronomical measurement may not sound like a scintillating subject, but George Johnson imbues it with dramatic urgency and pathos."
-- The Telegraph (London)