Excellent historical fiction bringing to light the women who made so much possible in the polio vaccine. The the movie Hidden Figures, Lynn Cullen shows us that women have been in the shadows for too long. Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen is ultimately so many stories woven into a riveting account of the relentless search for a vaccine to end the scourge of polio. Yes, of course, Dr. Sabin and Dr. Salk will play prominent roles in the day-to-day successes and failures in finding the cure. But this novel will rely heavily on the dedication and smarts of Dr. Dorothy Horstmann as she dedicates her life to the search, and at the same time remains true to her needs and wants as a woman in what is a man's domain. Although nominated for the Nobel Prize due to her discovery that the polio virus does invade the blood stream, the prize that year went to a man in research not connected to polio and not at all breakthrough. Yet Dr. Horstmann forged on as she viewed every child she encountered as a potential victim of the disease.

Dr. Horstmann maintains complex and often divisive relationships with the characters around her. She realizes very early that the real heroes of this assault on mankind are the children who are victims of the disease and the nurses who spend countless hours attempting to relieve the horrors of the iron lung, the wheelchair, the loss of an active and vital life. Cullen puts the reader right into the midst of summers without the beach, the lack of playmates and the constant fear that parents lived with as polio made its annual visit.

Readers will find themselves appreciating the time bomb, the disagreements and personality clashes along with the clear motivation in every single character to see the end of polio.

Perhaps after reading The Woman with the Cure, readers will be compelled to find out more about the journey to develop the vaccine. Polio has, after all, made its way back into our current lives. The author suggests reading a biography of Dr. Sabin or Dr. Salk.. The more knowledge, the more educated choices.

If you are like me, you love a good book about science. And if you are like me, you also love a good book about women who shattered barriers and overcame all odds. The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen is both of those things, and more.

This beautifully written novel tells the story of Dorothy Horstmann, a woman who defied all expectations and became a successful doctor in 1940s and '50s America - when it was an incredibly difficult thing to do as a woman. What's even more impressive is that she did this in the face of polio, a disease that was feared just as much as the atomic bomb. Dorothy and her colleagues were on the forefront of the race to find a vaccine for polio.

This book is about more than just polio though; it’s about the many women of medicine who eventually erradicated it. It is a lyrical, striking portrayal of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It is hard to believe that these events actually happened, but they did, and Lynn Cullen has captured them beautifully.

This book is definitely worth the read. It is grueling at times, but nothing short of extraordinary. These women were truly stout hearted - they faced down disease and discrimination with equal determination.

The Woman with the Cure is a must read for anyone interested in science, history, or simply strong women characters. It's an absolutely amazing story, beautifully told. If you loved Lessons in Chemistry, you will adore this one.

This was an excellent historical fiction title. It was reminiscent of the Marie Benedict titles, Her Hidden Genius and The Only Woman in the Room, featuring women scientists who persevered in their quests even though they were not given the same respect and opportunities as male scientists in the same field. An enjoyable and educational read.