Very well written biography of one of the greatest female scientists of all time.

The book not only describes her struggles and achievements, but also does a good job in clearly portraying her character, and passion for science.

A must read for adults and kids alike who are considering a career in science and technology.

This biography of little-known author Jane Barker is a fascinating examination of the life and works of an intriguing early eighteenth-century woman. Prof. King--probably the world's foremost expert on Barker--has combed the archives and discovered many interesting tid bits about Barker and her world. Even though Barker is not as well known as other early women writers such as Aphra Behn, King's research and taut literary analysis makes a valid claim for Barker's elevation into the members of the fair triumverate of wit. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in women writers, the late Stuart monarchy, English views toward Catholicism, and just damned good writing.

I found this book very exciting and entertaining, allthough a bit heavy at times. It is appropriate for (and can be understood best at)ages 13-14, I would say. Also,it would be best to research the Shaker religion (which the book is about) before reading it. It makes more sense that way.

The Gift of Sarah Barker by Jane Yolen was a really good book. It teaches you a lot about the culture of the Shakers. I liked how the author gave so much information on a culture that is now almost gone, and put in a good story to make it intriguing. Sarah and Abel fall in love, in a Shaker community where it is forbidden, when Sarah forgets her stockings on Holy Hill and Abel finds them. Of course they need to be returned, and so they meet together at night. They continue sneaking out to meet each other and their love continues to grow. It is hard to live such a terrible secret and they had to find a way to get away. I found myself rooting for Sarah and Abel and wanting to not put it down once I started reading it. This book should be read by many others.

I read, "The Gift of Sarah Barker," written by Jane Yolen. This book is about is about this young girl and this young boy. The young girl is named Sister Sarah and the boy is named Brother Able. They both live in the same Shaker community where it is a sin to even talk to the opposite gender. If you are not a Mother or Father of the community. Somehow through it all Sarah and Able find love. They must keep it a secret though or they will be thrown out of their community. If I were to rate this book on a scale from one to five. I would give it a four. Thats because there were alot of attention grabbers. It was defanatally a girls book. The reason why I think that this book is a girls book is because it's sappy, mushy, and a love story kind of book. It reminds me of "Romeo and Juliet" by Willianm Shakespear. I would love ot read this book agian...

This book is a wonderful story of the life of author Mari Sandoz. It fueled my curiosity to read all of her books and especially to reread her book about her father "Old Jules" who was a Nebraska legend. It also provides insight into life in the Nebraska sandhills at the time she was growing up.