She Does Math! presents the career histories of 38 professional women and math problems written by them. Each history describes how much math the author took in high school and college; how she chose her field of study; and how she ended up in her current job. Each of the women present several problems typical of those she had to solve on the job using mathematics. There are many good reasons to buy this book: It contains real-life problems. Any student who asks the question, 'Why do I have to learn algebra (or trigonometry or geometery)?' will find many answers in its pages. Students will welcome seeing solutions from real-world jobs where the math skills they are learning in class are actually used. It provides strong female role models. It supplies practical information about the job market. Students learn that they can only compete for these interesting, well-paying jobs by taking mathematics throughout their high school and college years. Who should have this book? Your daughter or granddaughter, your sister, your former math teacher, your students - and young men, too.

"Parker does a good job at fulfilling her objectives as stated in her preface. This collection is motivational and certainly answers the question: "Why should I take math?" The problem sets from a variety of disciplines offer educators useful examples to liven up mathematics classes that may not be available in standard textbooks. The short biographies demonstrate a variety of life paths which can lead to successful fulfilling careers in scientific areas. The diversity (both personal and technical) allows young people to see that many career options are open to people from a variety of different walks of life. Finally, addressing these issues from the perspective of specifically women scientists allows young women and girls the chance to learn about positive female role models in an area where there are still far too few."

Lynnette Millett Source: MAA Reviews