A collection of three short stories, an essay and a brief interview with Fowler.The Science of Herself - a short story about Mary Anning, a young girl who collects fossils on the shores and cliffs where Jane Austin roamed and wrote.The Motherhood Statement - an essay examining motherhood, feminism, sexual freedom, reproductive rightsThe Pelican Bar - disturbing short story about a girl who is sent away to a remote offshore camp to curb her rebellious spiritMore Exuberant Than Is Strictly Tastefu...

This is a book best suited to people who are already fans of Karen Joy Fowler, and I am one of those people. I thoroughly enjoyed both the stories and the interviews, but this is an extra, not a complete KJF. It adds an extra dimension to my understanding of her as a woman and a writer and it was a lovely Sunday afternoon read. For the real thing, however, her full-length works are a must. My favorite is We are All Completely Beside Ourselves but you can't go wrong with any of her novels.

greatly enjoyed the new story, and the reprints of two previous ones. my only semi-disappointment was the interview, which had a few too many jokes mixed in with the more thoughtful questions. but the thoughtful questions were great :).

Great little read. A good interview and a few good stories. Might have to read more of her now. Also, very reassuring to read how similar her writing experience is to mine... other than the successful novelist part, of course. "My regular drill is to intend to write and then spend the day sitting at my computer doing my email and browsing my favorite sites instead. Watching some TED talks. I love TED talks. They are the only place where I find hope for the future. But then I spoil the mood by sc...

I had recently read and loved Karen Joy Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, and now, after reading The Science of Herself, I have an even greater appreciation for this fine writer's work. The Science of Herself is a slim collection of three stories, one essay, and an interview with Fowler. I loved the opening story which brilliantly spun a near encounter between Mary Anning, a real fossil hunter and naturalist from the early 19th century, and Jane Austen's Anne Elliot (Persuasion) w...

If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:✱ Remarkable Creatures ✱ The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the WorldBoth of my recommendations are about Mary Anning who features in the story "The Science of Herself".★★★★★ The Science of Herself★★★☆☆ The Motherhood Statement★★★★☆ The Pelican Bar★★★☆☆ More Exuberant Than Is Strictly Tasteful★★★★☆ The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man

This is the third PM Press Outspoken Authors I've read, and it has the most stories in it! The lead is about Mary Anning, that cool fossil hunter from the 1800's and the - what is it? An essay? Historical short story I guess - draws parallels between her life and that of Jane Austen and her characters in Sandition. At face value the comparison might seem odd until you consider that both Anning and Austen were pioneers in their day. Oh and that Fowler also wrote the Jane Austen Book Club. I've on...

Various short stories/essays. I'd read the one before about the sadistic school for troubled girls. The one about Mary Harding made me appreciate her google doodle all the more (it reminded me of the stories of overlooked female scientists on DeGrasse Tyson's Cosmos show). A quiet story about a boy who is being raised by a single mother, to the consternation of some in town. I believe she commented that although her stories don't always have science fiction elements, she thinks like an sf author...

Sort of like a magazine of Karen Joy Fowler pieces. Paleo types will enjoy the title piece, which is about Mary Anning. Intersecting with Jane Austen.

A handful of excellent stories (only one of which I'd read before) and a freewheeling interview with one of my favorite authors. I'd like to check out the rest of this series now. Lovely little book.

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, inc...

If I were just to rate the short story that gave title to this little book, "The Science of Herself", it'd be a glowing five-star review; that story contains everything I love about Fowler's witty, deceptively simple prose. However, her essay on "the motherhood statement" felt like barely touching the surface of a much bigger topic (and even that touch might be enough to open a can of worms, and it's definitely a good start), "Pelican Bar" had a great twist and surely made a point, and "The Furt...

For those who know Karen Joy Fowler only for her best-selling literary novels, this slim volume provides a lovely insight into her "other" life as an active member of the feminist science fiction community. For those who already know her in that capacity, her dry humor and slightly skewed way of looking at the world around her comes through marvelously. A few short stories and an interview provide a lot more food for thought than you might imagine. A great volume for aspiring writers as well as

Another installment of the PM Press Outspoken Authors series. I tried this one because I liked Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Included here are short stories about real-life 19th-century fossil hunter Mary Anning, a teen girl trapped in a brutal behavioral correction school, and a young boy’s experience playing Little League and dealing with bullies, as well as a Q&A and an essay on the concept (and recent absence) of motherhood in SF. Fowler’s a good writer, but compared to th...

This slim volume contains three outstanding short stories, one entertaining interview, and the essay “The Motherhood Statement,” which gave me a lot to think about. For a science fiction story to “burn the motherhood statement,” it should avoid affirming “the conventional social and humanistic pieties, e.g. apple pie and motherhood.”That’s fine, Fowler says, but conventional societies don’t particularly affirm motherhood. Mothers are blamed for loving their children too much or too little, or la...

Desperate for something to read in a godless internet-free zone, I thumbed through the books that were already downloaded to my Kindle and settled on The Science of Herself, mostly because I couldn't remember wtf it was about or why I bought it, which is always a good sign. Well, it makes things more interesting.I've never read Fowler before; this book contains three short stories, an essay, and an interview. The interview probably would have been more interesting if I knew more about Fowler, ei...

I wasn't sure what to expect from this little book. I didn't know Fowler (best known for the The Jane Austen Book Club wrote science fiction until I read this book. It provides a set of stories and nonfiction essays."The Science of Herself" provides a biography of Mary Anning, who became known for being and expert of fossils, digging them out lyme cliffs under treacherous conditions. She kept detailed research about the pieces she dug up and sold, even positing her own theories. Jane Austen is d...

Karen Joy Fowler's 'The Science of Herself' (the story) is comparable with Molly Gloss's 'The Grinnell Method' (see here: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2012/2...) Among its many themes is how prying open History reveals the significance of 'the little people' in its workings. More often than not, these little people are women. The other major preoccupation both authors share is a naturalistic approach to science fiction, rendering it indistinguishable from historical fiction, or the close, some...

It seems that I have known Karen Joy Fowler all my life or at least I was waiting to know her. "Back in the stands, I could hear Victor saying how much better Little League would be if the kids made up the rules and didn't tell them to the parents. Whenever the parents started to figures them out, Victor suggested the kids could change them."

Four stars for The Science of Herself. Three and a half for her other short stories. But might be biased given my love for Austen.