Description
Book SynopsisDescribes the struggles of three African American men who try to balance racial identity with a desire to be judged solely on the merit of their inventive work. This book provides a nuanced view of African American contributors to technology during a period of rapid industrialization.
Trade ReviewFouche takes an interesting and challenging approach to examining the lives of three black inventors... In debunking some of the myths, including financial success and race pride, Fouche humanizes them and examines the greater significance of their work in the context of American sociological and commercial history. Booklist 2003 Meticulously researched and well written... Readable, interesting, and highly recommended. Fouche is to be commended for reuniting the humanity of a neglected group of inventors with their better-known inventions. -- Michael N. Geselowitz IEEE Spectrum Magazine 2004 Thoughtful and interesting, this book provides useful new insights into invention in the U. S. at the dawn of the electrical age. -- Antony Anderson New Scientist Granville Woods patented devices as diverse as a steam boiler furnace and an electric incubator. Shelby Davidson strove to improve efficiency at the U.S. Treasury by inventing adding machines. Lewis Latimer co-patented a train-car lavatory and several improvements to electric lamp design. Historian Rayvon Fouche documents the struggles of these early black inventors and dismantles several myths surrounding their lives. Discover 2003 Fouche documents the struggles of these black inventors and dismantles several myths surrounding their lives. -- William Pretzer Technology and Culture 2004 Refutes the common notion that inventors were lone geniuses who worked in relative isolation in the late 19th-early 20th century world. The Bookwatch 2004
