As a child, Marie Tharp's curiosity was as big as the world she wanted to explore. She longed to become a scientist and study the fascinating life around her. In the mid-1900s, women were not welcome in the sciences, but Marie refused to give up her dream and got a job in a New York laboratory. Then Marie faced another barrier: she wasn't allowed to join her male colleagues on the research boats sent to study the hidden world beneath the ocean waves. Undeterred, she ventured on her own exploration, mapping the ocean floor from her small office with the data her colleagues sent back.

Point after point, Marie mapped out a hidden truth: below the ocean depths were mid-ocean ridges—the world's largest chain of mountains. This discovery not only changed history, it altered its course. Marie showed us that Earth is continuously moving and evolving. She also showed us that women can change the world from wherever they stand.

From the dust jacket