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Originally Posted by issybird
I also was interested in the understory of how Kober's being a woman hindered her, from being her mother's caretaker to the jobs she could get to being used as a glorified secretary. And also her inability to say no; the need for a woman to propitiate rather than strike out on her own course.
Overall, though, I thought the whole account was rather skimpy. Not enough primary resources on Kober, and the Evans and Ventris sections.
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I particularly liked the Kober section. Her patient, careful and precise analysis of the syllabary of Linear B and her discovery that it was inflicted proved to be enormously significant. It was certainly the reason that Michael Ventris was finally able to decode the script two years after Kober’s early death—a fact that he later rather belatedly admitted.
Kober brings to mind her contemporary, Rosalind Franklin. Here was another woman whose efforts resulted in the basis for the discovery of the DNA double helix but whose contributions to it were largely ignored while the rewards were reaped by men who built on her indispensable work.
I don’t find the book “skimpy” as an introduction to this intriguing subject which was in process over years. The use of a tri-part structure works fine by focussing on three specific individuals and could certainly provide a basis for further exploration.
I noticed that there are an enormous number of source notes for the materials in the book which could lead to further study. Perhaps more explanatory notes would be useful.