Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Hedy's Folly
Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World | Richard Rhodes
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes delivers a remarkable story of science history: how a ravishing film star and an avant-garde composer invented spread-spectrum radio, the technology that made wireless phones, GPS systems, and many other devices possible. Beginning at a Hollywood dinner table, Hedy's Folly tells a wild story of innovation that culminates in U.S. patent number 2,292,387 for a "secret communication system." Along the way Rhodes weaves together Hollywood's golden era, the history of Vienna, 1920s Paris, weapons design, music, a tutorial on patent law and a brief treatise on transmission technology. Narrated with the rigor and charisma we've come to expect of Rhodes, it is a remarkable narrative adventure about spread-spectrum radio's genesis and unlikely amateur inventors collaborating to change the world.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Butterfinger
post image
Pickpick

My last book for #PopSugar2020 -woman in STEM. Her career was acting. Her hobby was inventing.

Learning how she wanted to fight Germany so she invented a radio control torpedo was riveting.

I don't like the title. It doesn't include her partner, George Antheil, a celebrated composer. The book was an homage to both so why doesn't the title represent it?

blurb
princesspeanutsmommy
post image

Current audiobook. Irritated that its spent most of it's time discussing the men in her life...

3 likes1 stack add
blurb
Amandajoy
post image

My dr's appointment took less time than I expected, so I have time to enjoy reading this at the park before I go to work. Had to start a new book because The Luminaries was too big to fit in my bag!

review
ValerieAndBooks
post image
Pickpick

Billed as "the most beautiful woman in the world", Hedy Lamarr was not only a film star, but also an inventor. Her technical accomplishments were overlooked, mainly because of her being a woman, but also b/c it contributed to the WWII effort -- so it had to be somewhat secret. I got lost when frequency hopping was discussed, and wish there was more about her personal life, but overall a ?for the author bringing Hedy Lamarr more to the forefront.

89 likes10 stack adds
review
heatherspoetlife
post image
Pickpick

I loved this so much. Whoever wanted women to choose between beauty and brains and then to not have ambition never gave her the memo. The book talks about her life, where she may have gotten, the pieces to puzzle for her invention, that of her collaborator and the path to finally getting recognition. A must read of herstory! #HedyLamarr #womeninventors #womenofscience

Also, make your way over to RedBubble and get the t-shirt memorializing her!

Weaponxgirl Thanks for the review, I've had my eye on this one for a while. 8y
22 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
heatherspoetlife
post image

I actually just finished this audio book about a #historicalheroine! I have her t-shirt from Redbubble's Women of Science collection too. Love it! Who said you had to choose between beauty and brains? She's no slouch when it comes to ambition either. #feistyfeb @RealLifeReading

26 likes1 stack add
blurb
ValerieAndBooks
post image

Went inside to drop off library books and found these on the used book shelf! I usually only find one or two I want. True Grit (@cinfhen read this) is #becauseoflitsy, and so is The Graveyard Secret. I had not heard of Nella Larsen, her 1928 novel Passing looks intriguing. And Hedy Lamarr and her inventions? Sold!

ValerieAndBooks @vivastory @saresmoore I kind of am now picturing Hedy Lamarr as I-330 if they had ever done a movie version of We back in her day! What do you think? 8y
Cinfhen True Grit was so good! I'm so happy you picked it up!!! 8y
saresmoore I can definitely see that! Especially if she did her eyebrows and makeup to turn up the "X" factor. ? ...True Grit is on my soon-to-be-read list, too. @Cinfhen 8y
See All 23 Comments
vivastory @ValerieAndBooks @saresmoore I can definitely see that! A "WE" adaptation would be great in the right hands. I also have "True Grit" on my TBR. Have either of you read Portis? 8y
saresmoore @vivastory I haven't read Portis yet. I just picked it up a few months ago. 8y
LeahBergen True Grit is one of my faves! @saresmoore @vivastory 8y
saresmoore @LeahBergen Well, that's reason enough to bump it up to the top of the list! 8y
LauraBeth Nice! I just read it recently and loved it 😀 8y
CrowCAH Haven't read True Grit, but have watched both the John Wayne and Hailee Steinfeld versions! 8y
vivastory @saresmoore The only Portis I have read is 8y
vivastory @saresmoore I was enormously impressed by it 8y
ValerieAndBooks @vivastory @saresmoore I haven't read any Portis and didn't even know True Grit was a book (only knew about the John Wayne movie ) until I saw @Cinfhen reading it. Looks like I'll have to bump it high on my TBR if @LeahBergen and @laurabeth liked it too! @CrowCAH which movie version did you like better? 8y
LauraBeth True Grit got the #Bitsy treatment 😂 I posted it under the fourth book listed for True Grit 8y
saresmoore @LauraBeth You are the reason I bought it! 8y
saresmoore @vivastory Stacked. Thank you! 8y
LauraBeth @saresmoore we're all a bunch of enablers 😂 8y
saresmoore @LauraBeth Ain't that the truth?! I'd better be careful not to take that metaphor into codependency... I like Litsy too much! 8y
CrowCAH @ValerieAndBooks well since the script was the same from the old to the new and only the actors changed, I'd have to say I liked the John Wayne version, since it was a fresh concept and seemed grittier than the new one. 8y
Cinfhen I only tried True Grit because @Marchpane (I think) suggested it for my #birthdaychallenge read and it was so engaging and well written. Bonus, hubby and son were very impressed by my reading selection. (edited) 8y
Marchpane @Cinfhen I love this thread! So many people spreading the love about this great book 💕👍 This is why Litsy rocks 🤘 8y
Cinfhen @Marchpane Totally agree ❤️Litsy and the Littens are the BEST💋 8y
ValerieAndBooks @CrowCAH I think I'd pick the John Wayne version myself...have to read the book first of course 😊 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Cinfhen @Marchpane yes I actually remember seeing that conversation between you two 😊! Hope to get to True Grit soon. 8y
70 likes23 comments
quote
MyBookStrings
post image

Hedy Lamar didn't drink and she didn't like to party, so she took up inventing. It annoyed her deeply that few people saw beyond her beauty to her intelligence.

7 likes2 stack adds