The Science of Herself (Outspoken Authors)

I enjoyed all five shorts in this Outspoken Authors collection by Karen Joy Fowler, but the title story reintroduced me to a fascinating woman from history. Combining Jane Austen, dinosaur bones, Nonconformist religion, and dissenting politics, The Science of Herself is an “almost true”, gently fictionalized mini-biography of Mary Anning (1799-1847), who grew up in poverty, taught herself (and helped create) paleontology, and was sought out by some of the most esteemed scientists of the day, including Louis Agassiz and Charles Lyell, but almost never given credit for her work.Young Mary Anning would have spent her days combing the dangerous crumbling cliffs of Lyme Regis collecting fossils to sell for food during the time that Jane Austen visited the area--Austen even mentions Anning’s father, a cabinetmaker, in her diary. While Austen was on that trip she must have walked beside Cobb wall, where Louisa Musgrove will fall giving Anne Elliot a second chance at love, and she may have noticed Mary peddling her ancient stone curiosities, an idea Fowler uses in her story.Karen Joy Fowler’s written work ranges widely, from The Jane Austen Book Club, about a group of people who gather to discuss novels, to We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, about a family with three children--two human and (spoiler alert!) one chimp. That variety is evident in this collection as well, which includes a transcribed interview with Fowler at her outspoken, whip smart best, an essay by Fowler challenging smug gender role assumptions made by authors and literary critics from all shades of the political spectrum, and two other short stories--one somewhat funny, about a boy whose father may or may not have been abducted by aliens, and the other quite disturbing, about an abusive, reality based overseas detention facility for wayward American teens.

The first story alone is worth the price of admission. Fowler's interest in marginal characters is made infectious by her insight and her compelling but accessible style.

Anything that Karen Joy Fowler writes is worth reading. I do not agree with the reviewer here who said this was not worth the money. PM Press is a tiny but exalted press that deserves supporting in this day of failing bookstores and bankrupt small businesses. This series that they print is truly wonderful. This book is small but mighty.

The title piece is especially recommended for paleontologists and for fans of Mary Anning.

Karen Joy Fowler may not be the best writer alive. I challenge you to find one that's better. What more could I say?

Her longer fiction is better

Some writers tend to show off their skill by packing a work of fiction with lots of exposition. Not so with Karen Joy Fowler in her small book, The Science of Herself. Fowler writes succinctly, in finely crafted prose, presenting just enough exposition to satisfy most readers. In most of this short book, she tells readers of a Darwin contemporary, Mary Anning, a fossil collector whose intelligence and experience fought the male scientific establishment. I read this book in two short bursts, and came away with the pleasurable feeling that the balance of presenting just the right amount of prose hit the target perfectly.Rating: Four-star (I like it)

This book is worth it just for the brilliant essay about Mary Anning, a Victorian-era fossil collector. Amazing and illuminating. The other pieces are varied and fascinating. Really enjoyed it.