Sophie's Diary

Reviews / Votes

"While this is a work of fiction, literally every entry in the ""diary"" of Sophie Germain could plausibly be true. Germain was a woman that grew up in France in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, when the social norms were that women did not engage in intellectual pursuits. These norms were strongly enforced; it was very difficult for a woman to get any kind of an education in mathematics or any other science. ... The entries of this diary, which end in 1794, are a combination of Sophie describing her discoveries and difficulties while learning mathematics as well as the events of the revolution taking place all around her. Even though mathematics by itself is free of politics and other human foibles, it always operates within the historical context, if only because the people that do it are humans operating in a society. This is a great novel; it is accurate enough to be a reference in a history of math course, which is highly unusual for a work of fiction." -Charles Ashbacher, Journal of Recreational Mathematics

"Reading a diary is such a verboten act! But reading Sophie's Diary should not be. Dora Musielak has given us a delightful book of imaginings of mathematician Sophie Germain's mind during the late 18th century. ... The inclusion of history enhances the book substantially. The author does a nice job of interspersing the history with the mathematics, and the interplay makes the novel more believable as a diary and helps keep the reader's attention. Mathematically, the book begins with definitions of rational, irrational and prime, and musings on how to solve linear and quadratic equations. ... She does a nice job of spiraling the topic of prime numbers, returning throughout the book at more and more depth as Sophie's mathematical maturity increases." -John J. Watkins, Mathematical Reviews

"Sophie's Diary is a mathematical novel inspired by the life of the French mathematician Sophie Germain (1776-1831), the first woman to win the Prix de Mathematiques awarded by the Institute de France. This fictional diary presents a plausible explanation of how a young Parisian girl could have learned mathematics between 1789 and 1794, during the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. Through a young girl's journal, the author weaves together Sophie's process of learning advanced mathematics on her own while growing up during this extremely volatile period of France's history. ... Sophie's Diary is an inspirational story that portrays the learning of complex mathematics as ""exhilarating"" and related to the natural world around us. I highly recommend this book." -Christine Hebert, Mathematics Teacher