Canadian Women Invent!

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

Annie Wood and friends have produced an attractive and useful book
highlighting the creative energy of Canadian women inventors. The tone
of the book is upbeat, making clear that inventions are something to
celebrate. The handsome layout frames the inventions with page borders
full of pictures, quotations, and relevant fun facts. The short articles
on each woman and her invention are informative. The inventions are in
different fields, including traditional industrial, social, and
environmental.

Invention can be controversial, especially when it pushes into the
unknown. Sometimes questions arise as to the utility and safety of new
inventions. Often they are in use before these questions can be
answered. Two of the fields in this book—genetic engineering and fish
farming—have their adherents and their critics. It would have been a
better book if some mention had been made of the risks inherent in
invention and exploration.

The introductory and closing material, plus index and list of sources
(including Web sites) add to the interest and ease of use. We learn
about other inventors—women in other countries and Canadian men. There
is a brief history of the difficulties women have had in becoming
inventors and a summary description of the invention process.

This is an exciting book celebrating the ingenuity of Canadian women.
Recommended.