Girls Who Code: Learn
to Code and Change the World
Written and Read by Reshma Saujani
Listening Library
Publication Date: August 22, 2017
ISBN: 1524778222
This is an item that inspires and cajoles young woman to
confound expectations and jump with both feet into the world of coding and
computer-science. Writer Reshma Saujani makes a compelling case to pursue a
passion for computer coding and combine it with other interests to create a
synergy of creative potential. It’s all about empowerment and building confidence
and flagging that nerd flag high.
The audiobook offers a succinct little primer and
introduction into the world of coding. She takes our hand and walks us through
the history of the field and the innovations and advancements that women have
contributed over the years to computer-science. The writer provides us with
several historical figures and a multitude of case studies of the unsung female
heroes blazing a trail in the world of tech. And shows that inspiring young
girls to explore the world of coding is the future and how imperative it is to
close the gender gap in the tech industry.
Reshma Saujani also gives us a pretty comprehensive play by
play into the basics of coding. She goes over the terminology and cobbles a
sturdy scaffolding in which to frame a better understanding of coding. She
manages to take a sometimes abstruse subject and make it relatable and
palatable to digest. She uses an assortment of real-world scenarios and always
endeavors to make the topic engaging and approachable. Though the work is
largely skewed toward a female audience of a certain age, the information
conveyed about rudimentary coding skills can be useful for a wide demographic
of people just interested in the course of study.
This work is a big advocate of eschewing stereotypes and
impels young audiences to augment their thinking of what’s expected and what’s
possible. She reminds us that encouraging STEM and useful computer fundamentals
will serve young girls for years to come and that the field is ready and
receptive to a whole generation of groundbreaking tech pioneers. The
possibilities are nigh boundless. Put the right string of code in the right
girl’s hands and she could make a sizeable impact from social justice champion
to canny entrepreneur.
This work earns a wholehearted recommendation. The content
is delivered in an enthused and infectiously effusive manner. And the range of
topics covered impressive from beginning to end and the overall message of
empowerment delivered with precision. The item also includes a bonus disc with
PDFs of images, computer-history timelines, flowcharts, lines of code, and a
handy glossary. All fine fodder for any coding connoisseur.
Get coding, kids. Plain and simple.
Tommy Bui, Inglewood Public Library
