Brain Lair Books, South Bend, Ind., issued a challenge to its supporters last week in a social media post: "This is our final plea. We are just $25,000 short of meeting our obligations this month, and without immediate help from you, Brain Lair Books will close its doors on October 31st."

Owner Kathy Burnette noted that the bookstore needs to sell 5,682 books from its in-stock inventory to make it through this month. "We’re asking you, our community, to come together and help us reach this target. Whether it’s through a purchase or spreading the word to others, we can’t do this without you," she wrote.

Burnette added that the Brain Lair Books team has been working hard to reshape the store into a true community hub: rearranging the space to make room for offerings like book-themed craft nights, puzzle contests, community game nights, a trivia night to kick off the holiday season, and story times in December for the youngest readers. Three new book clubs have also been added.

"We’ve decided not to sell the store because protecting your information and our relationship with this community is more important than anything," Burnette wrote. "We believe in the power of what we’ve built together, but now we need your support to keep it alive. This is the last chance to help Brain Lair Books continue as the place where stories, connection, and underrepresented voices thrive."

"Whichever way it went I was going with that... if it didn't work, closing was October 31," Burnette told WSBT. "My staff and I already talked about it so we already knew all of this was happening. It was just a matter of let's tell the community and see what happens."

The community has reacted quickly to the news, and Burnette said she has been overwhelmed with all of the support from them and from people across the country: "Then Saturday was insane.... From the moment we opened to the moment we closed which even after we closed I had people knocking on the door, but we did more on Saturday than we do for an entire month, more than an entire month."

Alpenglow Books opened last weekend at 720 Grand Ave. in Glenwood Springs, Colo. In a Facebook post after opening day, the new bookshop noted: "What a great first day!! We were blown away by the support yesterday--thanks to everyone who came out to the store. And an extra big hug and thank you to the wonderful friends who helped us get the space ready!"

Prior to the store's launch, owners Spencer Chu and Katie Hake told the Post Independent they came up with the name--which refers to the glow of the sun near the summits of mountains--while brainstorming because they wanted something to do with mountains.

Alpenglow Books is adjacent to the Grand Avenue bridge, alongside other businesses like Kedai Pho and Bluebird Cafe. Hake said, "We feel like Glenwood Springs needs more retail in general.  We spend a lot of time downtown."

In addition a new and classic books, the store features board games, puzzles, and gifts. There are also looking to sell some writing sidelines. There is a table in the back of the shop where people can put together a puzzle. "Like one piece at a time while they're browsing," Hake said. 

Books and writing, Chu said, have always been in Hake's wheelhouse. They thought about the idea of opening a bookstore for a few months in the spring before deciding to take the leap. Hake is a photographer and Chu is a software developer. Hake is also a small business owner with his brother, so he had some background for opening the store.

"We'll hire some more people eventually," Hake said. "It'll just be the two of us at first." 

"We're excited to be here and we hope Glenwood is excited to have another bookstore," Chu added. "We're also very tired."

Claire van den Broek

Claire van den Broek from Huxley & Hiro in Wilmington, Del., has won the sixth Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists, awarded by the Friends of Carla Gray Committee and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. Van den Broek will receive a year-long scholarship for professional development, which includes travel and hotel to attend Winter Institute 2025, travel and hotel to attend their 2025 regional fall tradeshow and a $1,000 stipend to fund a community outreach project.

The scholarship is intended to help a bookseller with fewer than 10 years of experience connect with other booksellers, publishers, and authors, and establish the long-term relationships needed to keep the book industry thriving. The community outreach component is focused on finding new readers and ensuring access to books that improve readers' lives while integrating bookstores even more fully into their communities.

"The support of the Binc Foundation will enable us to run certificate programs for at-risk youth in our community, empowering future civic leaders to speak out against censorship and become advocates for free speech together with our non-profit partner Delaware Futures," van den Broek said. "Bookstores have the power to be so much more than just retail stores; they are community organizers who lift and unite the people around them. This is why they continue to thrive even in the face of so much online competition. We want people to know that every purchase at a local bookstore supports the community as a whole."

Binc executive director Pam French said, "Bookstores are the heart of a thriving community and supporting booksellers and encouraging their engagement in their community is critical to the future of bookselling and the larger book industry. Thank you to the Friends of Carla Gray for their continued advocacy of this endowed scholarship, and to Claire. We look forward to learning more about your project and watching its impact thanks to this annual scholarship that honors Carla's legacy."

Incidentally, Delaware Live has a detailed, inspiring profile of van den Broek and Huxley & Hilo that notes that she and business partner Ryan Eanes plan to move next July to a location that will have a larger performance space. Read all about it here.

"We asked ourselves, how would we structure a company in this century," said Nina von Moltke, co-founder of Authors Equity, during a panel discussion on the state of independent publishing at the Frankfurt Book Fair last week.

On the panel with von Moltke were Nelleke Geel, publisher and owner of Meridiaan Uitgevers, based in the Netherlands, and Tom Kraushaar, publishing director of Klett-Cotta Verlag, a German publishing house with roots dating back to 1659. Porter Anderson, editor-in-chief of Publishing Perspectives, moderated the discussion.

"We've seen big publishing become bigger and bigger," von Moltke continued, while at the same time, media platforms have disseminated "almost completely," online channels make up roughly 70% of sales in the U.S., and authors are communicating more directly with consumers and readers than ever before.

Along with Authors Equity co-founders Don Weisberg and Madeline McIntosh, von Moltke worked in traditional, large publishing for a long time, and it was becoming harder to support authors within that framework. She likened the Authors Equity model to being more of a "producer" than a traditional publisher. The concept involves a long-term relationship with authors that is based on higher royalties rather than advances, with authors supported by teams of freelancers.

Noting that Authors Equity is only about seven months old, von Moltke said they've signed about 20 authors, with five titles coming out this year and another 15-20 next year. The question the team is facing now is how quickly to expand. Though their model is scalable, they are wary of doing too much too soon and would rather start "a little slower."

Recalling her time in traditional publishing, von Moltke remarked that it can be tough sometimes at a major corporation, because you "have to say no a lot." Even if you understand the author's position very well, and wish you could say yes, you "have a big business to protect," and if a concession is granted to one person, other authors will likely ask for the same thing. Authors Equity, von Moltke said, has a lot more flexibility in that regard.

Geel, whose publishing house is five years old, agreed on the risks of a new publisher growing too quickly, but said "you will grow whether you like it or not." Authors already on the list will not always deliver consistently, and publishers "have a program to fill" and need to be on the lookout for new voices. Because of the Covid years, she said, 2023 was the "first normal year for us," and being the Dutch publisher of Hilary Mantel has helped bolster the company in its early years.

Next year, Meridiaan Uitgevers will publishe 17 or 18 new titles, and Geel called 20-22 titles per year a "lovely amount of books to handle." She also talked about her rationale for building a list and identifying which titles will "pay the bills," which will at least earn back their money, and which will either not make money or outright lose money. Commenting on the latter, she said there can be "other reasons" for having books on the list that are not expected to be earners.

Martina Hefter, a Klett-Cotta author, won this year's German Book Prize for her novel Hey Guten Morgen, Wie Geht Es Dir? (Hey, Good Morning, How Are You?); when asked about the effect that winning a major prize or literary award can have on an independent publisher, Kraushaan said that it does boost sales and creates some "prestige" with critics, booksellers, and the like, but he felt that the most valuable effect was in-house. A success like that, he said, is a "very, very social thing" in a publishing house, and it validates the team that they are going the right way and moving in a good direction. He makes sure that everyone in the publishing house, "is part of this success."

Kraushaan extolled the flexibility that being independent provides, and said that although some of the most successful German publishing houses have very focused lists, he is a "fan of diversified publishing." A diverse list is one that he views as more sustainable, and with a broader list, "probability of success grows." He explained that he doesn't like to work on success, as there is always some luck involved with a given title's success, but "probability of success we can work on." --Alex Mutter

The Frankfurt Book Fair ended on Sunday with strong attendance and exhibitor figures, with no repeat of last year's political controversies and boycotts, and full of the kind of serendipitous meetings and events that make Americans miss BookExpo.

Crowds at the signing tents (photo: Holger Menzel/FBF)

Trade visitors increased 9.5%, to 115,000, representing 153 countries (up from 130 in 2023), while exhibitors rose 5%, to 4,300. The Literary Agents & Scouts Centre was fully booked long before the fair, and the Publishers Rights Centre had record occupancy, with a total of 593 tables. Overall attendance for the fair, which includes the public, was 230,000.

Juergen Boos, director of the fair, attributed the gains to the fair's "internationality," which "creates the relevance that we have witnessed in the increased number of participants in all areas.... Collaboration and cooperation are also playing an increasingly important role. The publishing industry is reaching out to its neighbours in the creative industries, and vice versa. Our activities in the area of cross-genre adaptations are becoming more and more important, something that has long been true of the film industry's interest in Frankfurter Buchmesse, and it is increasingly true of the games industry."

The fair's popular New Adult area (photo courtesy Frankfurt Book Fair)

Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, chairwoman of the Börsenverein, the German publishers and booksellers association, called the fair "the main platform for exchange, networking and doing robust business" and happily noted, "Anyone who could not previously imagine the growing enthusiasm that young people have for reading experienced it impressively at the fair: seeing umpteen thousands of book fans celebrating their favourite books and authors increases the desire for books and their future."

Guest of Honor Italy added flair to the fair, bringing more than 90 authors and hosting a range of events at the fair and elsewhere. Other popular sections and events included Book to Screen Day on Friday, which aimed to help filmmakers find books to adapt, and the inaugural New Adult area, which featured 87 authors who did signings over the weekend for enthusiastic fans.

Several major awards were made in conjunction with the fair. Last Monday, on the eve of the fair, the German Book Prize, honoring the best German novel of the year, was awarded to Hey Guten Morgen, Wie Geht Es Dir? (Hey Good Morning, How Are You?) by Martina Hefter. Karin Schmidt-Friderichs made the announcement and then asked Hefter, "Hey good evening. How are you?"

Judges called the book, about a dancer and performance artist in Leipzig who takes care of her very sick husband during the day and surfs the Internet at night and meets a love scammer (who she scams), "a cleverly choreographed work."

Anne Applebaum, winner of the 2024 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. (photo courtesy Frankfurt Book Fair)

At a major celebration on Sunday, author and journalist Anne Applebaum received the 2024 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, which had been announced in June. In her speech, she denounced the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 and full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, saying, "It means the imposition of arbitrary autocratic rule: a state without the rule of law, without guaranteed rights, without accountability, without checks and balances." And she denounced what's happened in Russia, too, particularly "harsher politics inside Russia itself. In the years after the Crimean invasion, opposition was repressed further, independent institutions were completely banned... This deep connection between autocracy and imperial wars of conquest has a logic to it."

She called on Europeans and especially Germans not to waver in their support of Ukraine, saying, "those who advocate 'pacifism,' and those who would surrender not just territory but people, principles and ideals to Russia, have learned nothing from the history of the twentieth century at all... The true lesson of German history [is] not that Germans should never fight, but that Germans have a special responsibility to stand up and take risks for freedom."

Author Jane Seskin visited Edgartown Books on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., for her new book of poetry, Older Wiser Shorter: The Truth and Humor of Life After 65 (Tallfellow Press), where she posed with manager Matthew Tombers.

Congratulations to Charis Books & More, Decatur, Ga., which is celebrating its 50th anniversary next month.

Per Rough Draft Atlanta, Charis will host a ticketed event celebrating the anniversary on November 2 at Letitia Pate Evans Dining Hall on the Agnes Scott College campus (since 2019, Charis has resided in a building owned by Agnes Scott College). Following the event on November 2, there will be a series of lectures, readings, and more, from November 4 to November 9.

The Charis team has chosen to theme its anniversary celebration on Octavia Butler's novel Parable of the Sower, which was written in 1993 but is set in 2024. The bookstore explained in a statement: "We’ve chosen this invocation from Butler because it dares us to change the world. It dares us to struggle through scarcity and collapse, to build community with the tools available to us, and to imagine a future that is only possible with our people alongside us.

"2024 is a pivot point in Parable of the Sower and in Charis' history, just as it likely will be a pivot point in human history. We mark this 50th anniversary as a moment on a continuum followed by tomorrows we are still creating."

Founded in 1974 by Linda Bryant, Charis originally resided in Atlanta's Little Five Points neighborhood. During its 45 years there, it hosted authors Octavia Butler, bell hooks, Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem, and many more. In 2019 Charis moved to Decatur, and is today owned by Sarah Luce Look and Angela Gabriel. It also has a nonprofit events arm called Charis Circle.

The Charis team wrote: "We weathered the hardest parts of our history because of the mostly invisible labor of a handful of staff, board members, and volunteers, and the commitment of a small number of donors who helped us keep the doors open when so many other feminist, queer, and literary institutions could not survive. We did this by refusing many traditional capitalist and nonprofit modes and returning again and again to the will and the wisdom of our people."

In Hachette Book Group field sales:

Derek Meehan has been promoted to associate director, field sales. He joined the HBG field team in 2017 as a telephone sales rep and was promoted to manager of telephone sales in 2020. In 2021, he took on additional responsibilities as regional director, overseeing the field team in the West. In his newly expanded role, Meehan will now manage all field sales representatives, including the newly hired telephone sales team. He will work closely with the field reps to strengthen the company's relationships with independent stores across the U.S. and support strategic projects both internally and with the stores and the ABA.

Kelly O'Sullivan is the new representative for independent bookstores in the Northern states and will be based in Connecticut. She formerly worked at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, Conn., for eight years, most recently as book buyer and merchandising manager.

Caroline Barbee will serve independent bookstores in the Southern states and will be based in North Carolina. She formerly worked at Friendly City Books in Columbus, Miss., where she was the book buyer for all categories and publishers. Before her career in bookselling, she worked for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Victor Bizar Gomez (Red Comet Press).

Today:
NPR's Here & Now: Rose Levy Beranbaum, co-author of The Cake Bible, 35th Anniversary Edition (Morrow Cookbooks, $45, 9780063310278).

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Ashleigh Shanti, author of Our South: Black Food Through My Lens (Union Square & Co., $40, 9781454949121).

Good Morning America: Chad Veach, author of I Bet You Think This Book Is About You: How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Pride and Gain the Rewards of Humility (FaithWords, $28, 9781546007036).

Drew Barrymore Show: Jenny Slate, author of Lifeform (Little, Brown, $29, 9780316263931).

Tonight Show repeat: Jayson Tatum, co-author of Baby Dunks-a-Lot: A Picture Book (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781419771460).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, October 26
8 a.m. Paul M. Renfro, author of The Life and Death of Ryan White: AIDS and Inequality in America (The University of North Carolina Press, $24.95, 9781469680859). (Re-airs Saturday at 8 p.m.)

2 p.m. Aaron Sheehan-Dean, author of The Calculus of Violence: How Americans Fought the Civil War (‎Harvard University Press, $29.95, 9780674984226).

4:30 p.m. Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of The Leadership Journey: How Four Kids Became President (‎Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781665925723).

Sunday, October 27
8 a.m. Jack Carr, author of Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror (Atria/Emily Bestler, $30.99, 9781668024355). (Re-airs Sunday at 8 p.m.)

9 a.m. Arlie Hochschild, author of Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right (The New Press, $30.99, 9781620976463). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m.)

10 a.m. Mike Waltz, author of Hard Truths: Think and Lead Like a Green Beret (St. Martin's Press, $29, 9781250286185). (Re-airs Sunday at 10 p.m.)

2 p.m. Rebecca Nagle, author of By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land (Harper, $32, 9780063112049), at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass.

3 p.m. Warren M. Hern, author of Abortion in the Age of Unreason: A Doctor's Account of Caring for Women Before and After Roe v. Wade (‎Routledge, $24.99, 9781032847856).

4 p.m. Glenn Fine, author of Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle for Honest and Accountable Government (University of Virginia Press, $29.95, 9780813952468).

5:53 p.m. David Friend, author of Naughty Nineties (Twelve, $24.99, 9781538767498).

Melissa Lucashenko's novel Edenglassie won the ARA Historical Novel Society Australasia's A$100,000 (about US$66,220) adult novel prize, one of the richest literary awards in Australia, just a day after winning the A$50,000 (about US$33,110) Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary award, the Guardian reported. 

"I've made more money from writing in the past two days than I have in the past three decades," said Lucashenko.

The Historical Novel Society judges described the First Nations writer's work, which has now won seven awards as a "fiercely original exploration of Australia's past and its enduring consequences," and "an ambitious, epic novel that cracks what the author calls the 'racist myth-making' that has painted Aboriginal people so negatively.... Written with the wit, heart and intelligence that define Lucashenko's work and here amount to virtuoso storytelling, Edenglassie [is] a timely work that enriches the landscape of historical fiction."

The Historical Novel Society Australasia awards recognize the outstanding literary talents of novelists who "illuminate stories of the past, providing a window into our present and the future." Beverley McWilliams was named winner of the A$30,000 (about US$19,865) children and YA category for Spies in the Sky.

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, November 29:

The Grey Wolf: A Novel by Louise Penny (Minotaur, $30, 9781250328137) is the 19th Chief Inspector Gamache mystery.

The Blue Hour: A Novel by Paula Hawkins (Mariner, $30, 9780063396524) is a psychological thriller set on a Scottish island with only one residence.

The Queen: A Novel by Nick Cutter (Gallery Books, $28.99, 9781668020975) is a thriller about a woman who receives a text from her presumed dead friend.

Nether Station by Kevin J. Anderson (Blackstone Publishing, $27.99, 9798200688449) is sci-fi horror about a wormhole once visited by ancient beings.

Like Mother, Like Mother: A Novel by Susan Rieger (The Dial Press, $29, 9780525512493) is a family saga about three generations of women.

The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party by Michael Tackett (Simon & Schuster, $32.50, 9781668005842) is a biography of the powerful senator whose success backfired in the Trump era.

The Brothers Grimm: A Biography by Ann Schmiesing (Yale University Press, $35, 9780300221756) is the first English-language biography about the German brothers in 50 years.

Merlin's Tour of the Universe, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century: A Traveler's Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Blackstone Publishing, $29.99, 9781665019859) uses a fictional character to explore the universe.

My Mexican Kitchen: 100 Recipes Rich with Tradition, Flavor, and Spice by Eva Longoria (Clarkson Potter, $35, 9780593796429) is a cookbook by the actress, director, and producer.

Bobby Flay: Chapter One: Iconic Recipes and Inspirations from a Groundbreaking American Chef by Bobby Flay and Emily Timberlake (Clarkson Potter, $60, 9780385345958) contains 100 recipes.

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley (Wednesday, $14, 9781250881465) features three New Orleans Mardi Gras debutantes who attempt to find the missing Queen of their Royal Court.

Spell of the Sinister by Danielle Paige (Bloomsbury, $19.99, 9781681196886) is the sequel to Wish of the Wicked, a fairy godmother retelling.

Paperbacks:
Mysticism by Simon Critchley (New York Review Books, $18.95, 9781681378244).

Rest Is Sacred: Reclaiming Our Brilliance through the Practice of Stillness by Octavia F. Raheem (Shambhala, $18.95, 9781645473275).

ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution by Terrence J. Sejnowski (The MIT Press, $22.95, 9780262049252).

Two Equals One: A Marriage Equation for Love, Laughter, and Longevity by Jimmy Rollins and Irene Rollins (Thomas Nelson, $19.99, 9780785289838).

The Picture Not Taken: On Life and Photography by Benjamin Swett (New York Review Books, $18.95, 9781681378633).

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
The Sequel: A Novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Celadon Books, $29, 9781250875471). "The meta fictional humor of this sequel to The Plot works on every level--as a straightforward thriller, as a satire of the literary industrial complex, and as a knowing wink to the secret strivings and longings of artists everywhere." --Errol Anderson, Charis Books & More, Atlanta, Ga.

The Stone Witch of Florence: A Novel by Anna Rasche (Park Row, $30, 9780778310457). "When a thief steals holy relics from churches in Florence during the outbreak of the Black Plague, one woman formerly accused of witchcraft and exiled is brought back to investigate by a deceitful, powerful bishop. A fascinating historical read." --Jane Simons, The Dog Eared Book, Palmyra, N.Y.

Paperback
The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder: A Novel by C.L. Miller (Atria, $17.99, 9781668032015). "Charming and cozy, this murder mystery plus antique treasure hunt manages to be both a page-turner and a comfort read. Miller delivers twists and turns along with a satisfying tale of a woman rediscovering her talents and her strength." --Colleen Schneider Cameron, Read Between the Lynes, Woodstock, Ill.

Ages 3-7
Frostfire by Elly MacKay (Tundra Books, $18.99, 9780735266988). "Frostfire is a winter-tastic picture book for young readers! The illustrations are beautifully done, detailed yet allow readers to get lost in the whimsical winter following sisters in a snowy kingdom. A book for imagination lovers." --Sophie Murray, Tsunami Books, Eugene, Ore.

Ages 8-12
Jasmine Is Haunted by Mark Oshiro (Starscape, $18.99, 9781250337290). "Latinx main characters! Age-appropriate LGBTQ+ themes! Paranormal activity! Mark Oshiro beautifully delivers this story of grief, moving on, and finding community who understands." --Karen Fiorini, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Ga.

Teen Readers
The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780316568142). "I love these Welsh-inspired fantasy novels! Emily Lloyd-Jones' characters are real, and she deftly weaves in elements of magic and horror. Not to mention a beloved animal friend whose devotion and unexpected abilities round out the cast nicely." --Katherine Osborne, Letterpress Books, Portland, Me.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

Einstein, Bohr, Planck: these scientists' names have become synonymous with groundbreaking innovation and genius. Less well known, through no fault of their own, are the names Lise Meitner, Hedwig Kohn, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen, whose efforts made them "the first generation of women physicists" in Germany. Thanks to the efforts of Olivia Campbell (Women in White Coats) in Sisters in Science, the struggles that these women faced to establish their careers in the face of hostile misogyny, and then to reestablish them after having to flee Nazi Germany, will be better known.

Meitner, Kohn, Sponer, and Stücklen contributed to major advancements in physics despite facing roadblocks to their initial educations. For example, Kohn authored a radiometry textbook relied upon for decades, and Sponer became the first woman hired to the Duke physics faculty. This was despite the fact that science education was not seen as a necessity for young women in Germany, even before Nazi policies actively pushed women, and especially Jewish women, as Meitner and Kohn were, out of the laboratories.

Sisters in Science depicts the difficulties these women--and others--overcame to achieve their academic qualifications, to attain the right to teach and earn a living, or even to secure academic or research-based positions in patriarchal Germany, and beyond that, academic institutions around the world. By featuring someone like Meitner, whose post-Germany work led to the discovery of nuclear fission and made a clear impact on the future of science (as well as earning a Nobel Prize for Otto Hahn), Campbell asserts that readers ought to consider the many minds never allowed to reach their full potential. She also points to the all too many scientists and their family members who did not manage to escape Nazi persecution, and details the personal human toll and traumas of trying to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

Campbell's approachable and engaging narrative explores this moment of history through the personal and academic growth of these four women, and how they were not only companions in scientific endeavors, but the support system for each other as they fought institutional discrimination and fled fascism. Campbell demonstrates "the power of fascism and institutionalized intolerance to rob the world of incredible minds and severely stunt scientific progress." But she also makes clear that "sisterhood and scientific curiosity can transcend borders and persist, flourish even, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds." Sisters in Science is a necessary narrative that brings readers into the lives and minds of four brilliant women, while calling upon them to think about what might have been had they, and others whose names are not known, were truly celebrated and supported. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: Olivia Campbell's exploration of the trials of four women physicists who fled Nazi Germany shines a light on innovators lost to history.