Content area
Full Text
A Review of Swimming against the Tide: African American Girls and Science Education
Hanson, Sandra L. (2009). Swimming against the Tide: African American Girls and Science Education. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 208 p., ISBN: 978-1592- 136216. $45.
In an era of education that promotes student-centeredness, Swimming against the Tide: African American Girls and Science Education by Sandra L. Hanson is a book that all educators and counselors should read to discover and contemplate the veiled experiences female students share in education. Although Hanson examines only the science domain, I believe, as an experienced English educator, that my colleagues and I, as well as anyone else who counsels students with regard to their career paths, will benefit from reading Hanson's compilation of empirical data on students' comments about their learning environments and the outside factors that influence their career choices.
Hanson's book investigates the experiences of African American women in the science domain by examining their experiences using critical feminist theory. She posits that young boys and girls, from primary to middle school, share similar interests and abilities in science; however, empirical evidence gained from previous research suggests that young girls tend to lose interest and confidence in science as they continue their education (p. 22). As a result of racial and gender discrimination that leads to this lack of interest by youing girls in the science domain, the current scientific labor force is predominately White male. Although many young women lose interest in pursuing careers in science, Hanson found that African American women initially show considerable interest and involvement in science (p. 5).
I eagerly read each chapter of the book as I searched for insight into why African-American women were pursuing and frequently succeeding in careers in the science domain. In...