Biographical Books Research Articles

VALIDASI SYARAT TASALSUL DAN NISBAH PERAWI

This study discusses the validity of the tasalsul requirements of the musalsal bi al-Mishriyin hadith narrated by Jalaluddin Abdur Rahman as-Suyuthi in his book Jiyad al-Musalsalat, in the science of hadith, there is one type of hadith that is famous for its weaknesses, because it was narrated to our day. this, namely the musalsal hadith that requires special procedures or characteristics in its transmission, because of its uniqueness in this transmission, many major hadith scholars also participate in narrating it even though most of this type of hadith is weak, therefore in order to distinguish whether it is authentic or dhaif especially for people lay. This study uses a literature study by analyzing and matching the content of the biographical books of narrators or Mu'jam Buldan and the names of the narrators written by as-Suyuthi in his book Jiyad al-Musalsalat. he must have a ratio to the Egyptian state. Based on the results of the analysis, it can be seen that all the narrators mentioned by as-Suyuthi in his sanad have a ratio to the Egyptian state, but there are some narrators who are not originally Egyptian but have lived in Egypt for a long period of time.

Secrets and Sagacity of Makki Muwakhat

From the beginning of Islam Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)'s mission to maintain a society on the divine message of Allah Almighty. For the said purpose the Messenger of Allah Almighty established a great group/ society of believers. Right after the few years of beginning of Islam Muhammad (S.A.W) developed a brotherhood between all Believers. Indeed Makki period leads a key and fundamental role in the in establishing the Muslim community During the Makkah era, the Muslims were organized by Hazrat Muhammadﷺ and this process took 13 years. The historical evidence as well as the information found in biographical books demonstrate that the Makkah period was important for preaching, facing the hurdles and brutal behavior from Quraish e Makka and also strengthen the Muslims with the great virtues of Taqwa, Peace and Tolerance. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) mainly focued on these key points in his Makkan period. On the other side he also managed the human recourse as he was well aware that these believers will play a fundamental role in framing a Society which will be consist of Allah Almighty's will. He (S.A.W) trained these believers for next challenges and also provide immediate solutions for the emerging issues and problems with Muwkhat-e-Makka. The biography of the Prophet is available in many of the sources but few of them describe the event of Makki Muwakhat that we have access to, but of those that exist, Muhammad Bin Habib al-Baghdadi (245ύ) mentions the Makki Muwakhat and Madni Muwakhat separately. He mentions a number of Makki and Madni Muwakhat. The intention was to encourage Muslims to live in an environment that would encourage both unity and division among them. Additionally, it was meant to bring fresh existence, energy, and color to this relationship of the Makkah period with the brotherhood of "Mawakhat-e-Islam," as well as to lessen the pain of Muslims over the loss of their families and relatives. It was the establishment's first action by the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). In actuality, Muwakhat served as the original core of the Islamic world.

NO OTHER POSSIBILITIES THAN TRAUMATIC REALISM IN SYLIA PLATH’S ARIEL POEM (1965)

This research aims to analyze the traumatic realism in the poem Ariel (1965), written by Sylvia Plath. This research uses Michel Rothberg's (2000) theory to show traces of trauma realized in literary works and uses Abelson's (1995) theory to find extreme experiences that traumatize individuals. Researchers use an approach or reference based on the biographical book "The Cambridge Introduction to Sylvia Plath," written by Gill (2008), to find a correlation between Plath's life and her writing in Ariel. This research uses a qualitative descriptive design to reveal and investigate the phenomenon of trauma and the forms or modes of extreme experiences in Sylvia Plath's life that are realized in Ariel. Data was obtained from textual sentences or words in poetry that refer to events or happenings in Sylvia Plath's life. Based on Spradley's theory and analysis, we think that Ariel's poetry is closely related to events in Sylvia Plath's life.

«Вечные книги» человечества в тезаурусе Ф.М. Достоевского

The article explores the significance of the Bible and the Quran as “eternal books” or “books of humanity” in the life and works of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Along with the exceptional role of the Bible, the importance of the “heavenly book” of Muslims for the writer is also shown. From a typological point of view, these books combine the context of “eternity” and “all-humanity,” as well as graphic and lexical (synonymous and periphrastic) features of their categorical functioning both in Dostoevsky’s works and in the studies devoted to them. In this regard, the analogy between the biblical books and the “great Pentateuch” of the novelist is emphasized, in particular, the similarity of their meta-structures, as well as the evolution of the characters of Dostoevsky’s works in relation to the Book. The article also provides additional evidence of Dostoevsky’s thorough knowledge of the Quran. The acquaintance with it took place thanks to the writer’s personal impressions of meeting Muslims in Omsk prison and during the Semipalatinsk exile, reading the Quran in its various translations and editions and biographical books about Mohammed, and especially through the mediation of the eminent Kazakh orientalist Chokan Valikhanov, who, aligned with Russian orientalism, was interested in the history of world religions. Thanks to the interaction with him, Dostoevsky developed an understanding of the genetic relationship of the “heavenly book” with the Bible that was reflected in many of his works, in which the correlation of Quranic images and motifs with the Bible is obvious. One of the most striking examples is the “fantastic story” “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man,” which is an original “imitation of the Quran” by Dostoevsky that does not contradict the spirit of the Gospel. It is concluded that, following Pushkin, Dostoevsky, based on an understanding of the root connection between the Bible and the Quran as equivalent “eternal books” of mankind, came to their conjugation in artistic terms.

Aspirin and poetry: Did João Cabral de Melo Neto suffer from acetylsalicylic acid-overuse headache?

Introduction João Cabral de Melo Neto is considered one of the most important Brazilian poets of all time. He suffered from severe headaches for the longest part of his life, being diagnosed with migraine. He took a significant amount of acetylsalicylic acid pills every day for many years. Objective The objective of this narrative review includes identifying how headache and its treatment influenced João Cabral de Melo Neto's poetry as well as analyzing the correlation between Melo Neto's migraine diagnosis and his documented overuse of aspirin and investigating the possibility of an acetylsalicylic acid-overuse headache diagnosis. Methods The authors thoroughly read biographical books and interviews about the life of João Cabral de Melo Neto. They systematically documented all references to headaches and aspirin. Melo Neto's clinical case documented in his biography and interviews were juxtaposed with The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) diagnostic criteria for acetylsalicylic acid-overuse headache diagnosis. Results The word “aspirin” appears 8 times in 6 of Melo Neto’s poems. He compares it to the sun, attributing to it the capacity to refocus a "blurred body" (his state during a headache). The poet reported that took one aspirin pill every hour every day, for several years. Conclusions Headache and the use of acetylsalicylic acid influenced João Cabral de Melo Neto’s poetry and life. He presented a risk behavior for developing medication overuse headache, specifically its subform: acetylsalicylic acid-overuse headache.

Człowiek i superbohater – Marvelowskie spojrzenie na Jana Pawła II


 
 
 The subject of interest in the paper is the comic book biography The Life of Pope John Paul II. In the 1980s, John Paul II was not only treated as the head of the Catholic Church, but held a place in popular culture. The article points out that the Marvel comic book was one of the works that positioned the Pope within an axiological community of superheroes who, in the most general perspective, showed what a life full of heroism should look like. Thus, the paper analyses the elements of the superhero rhetorical model and features typical of the comic medium that highlight the uniqueness of John Paul II’s biography. Furthermore, to fully reveal the persuasiveness of the creative solutions employed in this work, situating the Pope between a man and a superhero, the author refers to the analytical propositions of Roland Barthes and Michał Rusinek concerning the rhetoric of visual representations.
 
 

Building an Archival Persona: The Transformation of Sufi Ijāza Culture in Russia, 1880s–1920s

Abstract This article analyses the uses of education certificates (ijāzas) as a tool of self-expression by Russia’s Muslims in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While the transmission of ijāzas as such served as a means of constructing the ideal Muslim personality, manuscript evidence suggests that a selective approach to compiling ijāza miscellanies could successfully be employed in building one’s own archival persona – the way how an individual wanted to appear on pages of future biographical books: not only as an important transmitter of prestigious lineages, but chiefly as a unique performer of their selective combinations. The presence of Sufi certificates on multiple lineages within and beyond the borders of the established Sufi ‘orders’ suggests the increasing heterogeneity of Sufi organization and practice that was part of the phenomenon of a broadening cultural repertoire, from which individuals could draw upon for their archival persona. The type of ijāzas that we analyse here, namely the separate documents and miscellanies listing the transmitted practices, were very much the product of their time and their wide circulation in late imperial Russia suggests, as we argue, an unprecedented rise of ijāza culture, imported from the Ottoman realm.

Al-Tariff in Illustrating the Weakness of the Humor of the Companion Al-Nuaiman bin Amr

This research focuses on studying the hadiths that mention the light-hearted situations of the esteemed companion Al-Nuaiman bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) until he became known for it. The aim is to purify the record of this esteemed companion from the falsely attributed hadiths through tracing the hadiths in the collections of Sunnah. The research adopts both the inductive and deductive methodologies. The findings of this research indicate that there is no authentic hadith about the joking and humor of the honored companion Al-Nuaiman bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), except for one hadith related to his act of pretending to be a fortune teller, transmitted through a connected chain. One of the significant recommendations of the research is to pay attention to the lesser-known companions by tracking their biographies and studying what is attributed to them, as well as working on purifying the biographical books from what has been widely spread but is not authentic.

A Study on the C-E Translation Practice of Biographies of Silk Celebrities (Excerpt) from the Perspective of Catford’s Shifts Theory

Nowadays, many outstanding traditional Chinese cultures have stepped onto the global stage and gained recognition from the public. Therefore, more classic works of excellent traditional Chinese culture should be introduced to foreign countries, making contributions to the diversity and inclusiveness of world culture and promoting a more harmonious global development. Chinese textile and clothing culture, especially ancient Chinese silk culture, is an important aspect of translation to the outside world. The source text for this study is selected from Chapter 2 of the book Biographies of Silk Celebrities. The excerpt mainly introduces the important deeds of several ancient Chinese silk craftsmen, highlighting the spirit of struggle of the older generation of industrialists. The book belongs to informative text, conveying true and objective information. It uses precise language, presents factual content, and is highly readable. However, the abundance of textile terminology, complex sentence structures, and differences in English and Chinese syntactic expressions have posed certain challenges to this translation task. To deal with these translation difficulties, translators need to apply transformation techniques reasonably during the translation process to improve the quality of the translation. Cartford believes that when the source language is translated into the target language, meaning equivalence can be achieved by using translation shifts, breaking away from formal correspondence. Guided by Catford’s theory, this study combines the characteristics of the original text to analyze specific cases and explore various types of shifts to achieve the translation purpose. In this study, level shift includes the conversion of noun plurals and tenses. Category shift involve structural shift, class shift, and unit shift. Structural shift is mainly used for converting prepositional phrases, passive voice, and negation expressions. Class shift is mainly used to convert verbs into nouns, adjectives, and prepositions. Unit shifts is primarily used between phrases, clauses, and sentences. Through these shifts, the translation conforms to the writing conventions of the target language, is easily accepted by readers, and helps achieve the desired translation effect.

Reality and its Aftermath: Nell Dunn revisits Up the Junction (1963) and Poor Cow (1967)

Nell Dunn’s The Muse (2020) is a biographical book in which the British author presents for the first time the life of Josie, the woman who inspired most of Dunn’s writings during the 1960s. In light of the information provided in The Muse, the aim of this article is to explore the presence of biographical content in two of Nell Dunn’s early works: Up the Junction (1963) and Poor Cow (1967). Utilising textual analysis and historical criticism, this comparative study will assess the degree to which realism operates in Dunn’s depiction of working-class women in her fiction of this period. In order to do so, the main topics of both novels will be considered along with other formal aspects such as the use of language of her characters. Later, all these elements will be compared with the content of The Muse, especially with genuine Josie’s letters and notes from the 1960s included in the volume. The similarities between these two books and the real events presented in The Muse will be useful in determining the presence of realism in Dunn’s early works.

Investigate, Explore, Create: Incorporating Biographies into the K–8 Classroom Using the Biography Clearinghouse

AbstractBiographies are one of our best tools for diversifying the curriculum. In this article, we describe The Biography Clearinghouse, a free resource designed to inspire teachers to use high‐quality biographies in their classrooms. We then elaborate on curricular possibilities in K‐8 classrooms. We end with a discussion of the Investigate, Explore, and Create framework established by The Biography Clearinghouse and provide examples of teaching suggestions using two picturebook biographies and a chapter book biography.

Can there be a Biography of a Book?: Comparative Observations on Publications by Francysk Skaryna and Erik Pontoppidan

In a comparison of bibliographical approaches to Francysk Skaryna’s The Little Traveller’s Book (1522) and Erik Pontoppidan’s Natural History of Norway (1752) this article argues that attempts to write a book biography can benefit from extensive archival research as well as close physical examination of surviving copies, using new forensic technologies as well as adapting more traditional modes of investigation. Ultimately, however, the concept of ‘biography’ or ‘life cycle’ is questioned. The article examines the intellectual genesis, writing, translation, critical review, reception and collection of the Natural History as well as its extraordinary legacy – a legacy that is helpfully comparable to and distinctive from that of Skaryna’s work. Both writers moved in a world of circuits, of typographical and bibliographical innovation and comment, of travel and translation, of new and emergent accessibility to language and books – all, from their perspective, from the beneficence of God and to His glorification. Skaryna’s journey took him from Polatsk and Vilnius to Kraków and Padua, to his first Psalter and other biblical publishing in Prague and his The Little Traveller’s Book in Vilnius, to travels to Moscow, Poznan, Königsberg and back to Vilnius and Prague. As with Skaryna, Pontoppidan engaged in wide travel, also establishing far flung contacts and correspondence. Both faced constraints, and most notably the impact of war, disease, political and religious intervention and fires that destroyed cities and printing houses. Both writers were determined to write in the vernacular, Skaryna working to translate and create new type, all to make books of the Bible available in an accessible language. Skaryna contributed to the development of the Belarusian literary language just as Pontoppidan’s writing and interest in dialect contributed both to the standardization of Danish and the distinctive linguistic origins of Norwegian. Both composed prefaces to their editions, in which they emphasized that the purpose of their publishing activities was to help ordinary people, in Skaryna’s words to “become acquainted with wisdom and science.” The legacies of both diverged from literary references and directly derivative sightings of sea monsters in the case of Pontoppidan, to numerous statues and other material commemorations in the case of Skaryna who remains embroiled symbolically in different claims over national identities.
 The concluding assessment of whether such study can contribute to a ‘book biography’ or ‘life cycle’ is guarded, suggesting alternative concepts that might be tested. This includes the idea of a ‘book biology’ whereby, in such study of a ‘life’, a book is conceived by its intellectual creator with very specific intentions and is then transmuted by other actors and agencies into different material, visual and linguistic forms. In the case of Skaryna, the creations amounted to numerous unstable texts, variously arranged, with uncertain survival rates and relatively poor evidence of use. In the case of Pontoppidan, three more stable editions, Danish, German and English, were all also materially different and each copy reproduced in separate operations of printing and collation. Each copy pursued thereafter its own life – no more reproduction and so no book genealogy – but hugely diverse and differently influential lives. In such ways the biosphere might be renamed the bibliosphere. Some book lives were terminated in relative infancy, some moved around the world and through many hands, some mutilated, others preserved in situ and symbolically represented at anniversaries or for political and cultural ends.

ТОМАС БЕРНХАРД. ПОРТРЕТ ХУДОЖНИКА В КОМИКСАХ

The article offers an analysis of graphic books based on the works of Thomas Bernhard (1931−1989), the classic of Austrian literature of the 20th century. The material for the study consists of graphic novels, graphic memoirs, and biographical books created by two Austrian artists − Nicholas Maler and Lucas Kummer. The techniques used by the creators in their work with the “hypotext” (G. Genette) − Bernhard's dramatic and narrative oeuvre: the play “The World-Fixer” (Der Weltverbesserer, 1978), the novel “Old Masters: A Comedy” (Alte Meister: Komödie, 1985), and the autobiographical novellas “An Indication of the Cause” (Die Ursache: Eine Andeutung, 1975), “The Cellar: An Escape” (Der Keller: Eine Entziehung, 1976), “Atem: Eine Entscheidung” (Breath: A Decision, 1978), and “In the Cold” (Die Kälte: Eine Isolation, 1981) – are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the methods of conveying the writer's poetics through artistic means, such as drawing techniques, color palette, panel composition, character stylization, and scenes. The selection of thematic complexes (theatricality and metatheatricality, the problem of truth and fiction, trauma, etc.) and the peculiarities of translating the writer's individual literary style (syntax, rhythm and rhetoric, etc.) are examined. The comparative analysis allows to identify similarities and differences in the ways of visualizing and interpreting the literary material, to reveal the diversity of visual solutions and approaches towards the artistic world of Thomas Bernhard. The research results enable a comprehensive understanding of the potential of comics as a means of conveying literary aesthetics and creating a unique visual space that complements and expands the textual dimension of literary works.

A Study on Prof. Dr. Osman Kaya's Life and Scientific Studies

Biography studies are also included in the research studies in the history of veterinary medicine.
 It is very valuable in terms of the formation of the history of the profession that people who are known for their contributions to the veterinary medicine profession in the process they live in are written down and presented in a tidy article. Many biographical books (Berkman, 1945; Erk and Dinçer, 1945; Sinmez and Yaşar 2011) and articles (Yaşar 1997; Yaşar 1998a, 1998b; Yaşar et al.,2010; Sinmez et al., 2012; Yaşar et al., 2020) have been published due to the fact that it has an important and valuable place in Veterinary History research. Similarly, it seems that it has become a tradition to write biographies of faculty members who retired or died in order to establish the history of Aydın Adnan Menderes University Veterinary Faculty (Arslan, 1999; Arslan, 2004; Arslan, 2008a, 2008b).
 In this respect, who carries out his academic and scientific studies in Aydın Adnan Menderes University Veterinary Faculty Microbiology Department and contributes to the training of many scientists in his field writing the biography of Prof. Dr. Osman Kaya is also seen as an important debt of loyalty for the history of the profession.
 Osman Kaya, who provided not only academic contributions but also support and services at the point of development and structuring of the university, also served as the Vice Rector of Aydın Adnan Menderes University. While carrying out his academic and administrative duties, Kaya could not get rid of his cancer disease, which was still under treatment, and was sent off on his last journey on February 03, 2017.
 The aim of this study is to the "national and international studies", and "academic and administrative duties" carried out in the veterinary microbiology discipline to reveal Prof. Dr. Osman Kaya's contributions to the history of science and the world of science. In addition to this, it also to contribute in terms of bibliography by giving the works in an orderly and collective way.

The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game by Laurie Wallmark

Reviewed by: The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game by Laurie Wallmark Jennifer Usovicz Wallmark, Laurie The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game; illus. by Stevie Lewis. Little Bee, 2023 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781499813067 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781499814262 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 6-9 yrs This picture book biography of Judit Polgár follows the Hungarian chess master as she trained from age five to be a competitive chess player, playing chess for several hours a day with her sisters and parents. Polgár quickly memorized thousands of chess moves until she could play (and win) with her eyes closed (literally). When she turned nine, her parents took her from their home of Budapest to the United States to play in the New York Open chess tournament. There, she beat many adults and quickly became one of the most successful young players of chess, and eventually she succeeded in becoming the youngest grandmaster at fifteen years old. The charming, chalk-like digital illustrations show a girl with a passion and focus on her craft, displaying how ordinary her life was outside of the world of competitive chess playing. Polgár was a girl who loved swimming, cracking jokes, and spending time with her sisters, even as she was becoming a rising star in the chess world. The picture book style of the biography turns the story into something of a fairy tale, as an ordinary Hungarian girl went on to be one of the world’s strongest female chess player. End matter includes a timeline of Polgár’s life, and a note on the mathematics of chess. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford (review)

Reviewed by: How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford Kara Forde Weatherford, Carole Boston How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee; illus. by Frank Morrison. Candlewick, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536215540 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 2-6 As a smart kid whose idea of fun was reading the dictionary, MacNolia Cox excelled at spelling, and after winning her school spelling bee in 1936, she advanced to compete at the city level. She correctly spelled words like brusque, felicitate, and voluble to become the first African American to win the Akron spelling bee, which came with a prize of twenty-five dollars and a trip to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. However, at the event, MacNolia, her mother, and the only other African-American contestant were segregated from the white participants. In the final rounds, MacNolia misspelled a word that her supporters contested was not on the official list, but the white, Southern judges disagreed. Weatherford cleverly structures this picture book biography around the repetition of the question "Can you spell…?" to highlight words and themes germane to young MacNolia's experiences with the fame, pressure, and racist discrimination of the spelling competitions at every level. Smooth oil and spray paint illustrations emanate the characteristic warm richness of Morrison's art, and a balance between the neutral color palette and pops of jewel tones at key moments guides readers' emotional journey through the narrative. A foreword frames MacNolia's story with information about the racist ideas that underpinned the segregation of Black and white kids in spelling competitions, and an epilogue briefly describes MacNolia's later life and chronicles the efforts to integrate spelling bees, followed by a select bibliography. Despite stylistic similarities to Weatherford and Morrison's other biography collaboration R-E-S-PE-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (BCCB 07/20), this story is superb in its own right, and would complement The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (BCCB 11/14) in a social studies lesson that explores words through a human lens. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island by Marni Fogelson (review)

Reviewed by: The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island by Marni Fogelson April Spisak Fogelson, Marni The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island; written by Marni Fogelson and Mahani Teave; illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns. Sourcebooks, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781728262314 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 2-4 This picture book biography focuses on the life and activism of Mahani Teave, a talented musician who grew up on Rapa Nui (known more widely as Easter Island, a designation assigned to it by Dutch explorers in the early 1700s), left to pursue a career as a concert pianist, and ultimately returned home to help repair environmental damage to her island and begin a musical school. Frequent time jumps, heavy use of similes, and clever, enthusiastic asides all create an informal pace and tone that is accessible to young readers, and the book wisely focuses on the activism done on one island, narrowing the overwhelming global crisis of climate change down to a specific school that is a model of recycling and creative, intelligent use of natural resources. The illustrations are dreamy and bright with highlights of organic shades and flowing, peaceful lines, emphasizing the natural beauty even while there are grave concerns about, for example, the environmental damage tourists have done to the land or the shocking amount of trash in the surrounding ocean. Extensive end matter rewards the persistent reader with a wealth of information about Earthships (the type of innovative and environmentally friendly building blueprint used to construct the music school), background on the island language and culture, and a biography of Teave's life that provides further detail about the dates she studied, her musical career, and what specifically drew her back to Rapa Nui. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Historical Context to Civic Action: Trade Books and Disciplinary Literacy Instruction

This six-day research project examined the potential for how trade books and primary sources can be used in concert with each other to develop middle school students’ disciplinary thinking skills in the manners advocated for in the C3 Framework. The project was focused on the trade book Thurgood, a picture book biography about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Students drew images and used words to describe Thurgood Marshall’s civic identity and answered metacognitive analysis prompts explaining their thinking and work. Students’ work samples suggest that they employed a nuanced integration of both civic and historical thinking to articulate how Thurgood Marshall’s lived experiences influenced his civic action and civic identity.

Sisters in Science: Marie Curie, Bronia Dłuska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood by Linda Elovitz Marshall

Reviewed by: Sisters in Science: Marie Curie, Bronia Dłuska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood by Linda Elovitz Marshall April Spisak Marshall, Linda Elovitz Sisters in Science: Marie Curie, Bronia Dłuska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood; illus. by Anna and Elena Balbusso. Knopf, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593377581 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593377604 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 1-3 Marie Curie is certainly a well-known historical figure, but her sister is likely less so, though her creativity, intelligence, and role as a pioneer for women in science matches Marie. Bronia and Marie both secretly attended classes in Warsaw along with thousands of other young women who were not welcome in universities. Bronia moved out first, arriving in Paris in 1886 to study and become a doctor, and she was the encouraging force that Marie needed to leave home for her own education five years later. That sisterly nudge, a quiet but important moment within a family, impacted history completely, and that is the heart of this dual picture book biography—however cliche, there is undeniable proof in the concept that small acts can shape the world. The story is well-organized and elegantly told, but the resplendent illustrations are true works of art. Jewel tones, scientific markings, and narrative elements powerfully reinforced within the pictures (the sisters are always in close physical proximity when together, for example, emphasizing their unbreakable bond well before the text describes it) all add to the visual remarkability. Inspired by a 2017 biography of the two sisters, Marshall carefully trims this down to the essentials, stopping well before Marie learns the deadly nature of her discoveries and ending on a positive note about the power of sisterhood. While this may be a bit [End Page 159] disconcerting for adult readers, the target audience can begin with this exploration of the historical obstacles to the education of women, and the inspiring examples of Marie and Bronia. A timeline and partial list of works consulted can be used to give older readers a more complete picture. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Maria Sibylla Merian in Picture Books: Metanarratives about Science and Religion

This article considers three picture book biographies of the artist and scientist Maria Sibylla Merian, and the metanarratives on science and religion that are embedded in each. Merian is famous for her detailed drawings of the lifecycle of insects within their ecosystem and for rejecting the old theory of spontaneous generation, which still had currency in Europe. The picture books bring to the fore Merian’s scientific curiosity and her skills of observation that swept away old superstitions about insects. The metanarratives cued through the visual imagery of her picture books ignore the underpinnings of Merian’s Calvinist faith in her commitment to portraying the details of insect ecosystems. These metanarratives also ignore Merian’s emergence as an entrepreneur within Protestant society and her contributions to the commodification of “exotic” nature in a colonial context.