Ada Lovelace and the Start of Computers - Jordi Bayarri Dolz - ★★★★

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AUTHOR: Jordi Bayarri Dolz

ILLUSTRATOR: Jordi Bayarri Dolz
GENRE: Graphic Novel, Children's Nonfiction.
RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A very good book about a computing pioneer. Not a picture book but a graphic novel. Will work better for teens.

While I have heard of Charles Babbage and his Analytical Engine right since my childhood days, Ada Lovelace came into my life only in my college years when I saw a list mention Ada the programming language and learnt whom it was named after. Since then, I have had a soft spot for this brilliant lady on whose shoulders we the female techies of today stand.

This graphic biography focusses on Ada’s early years under her mom, her interactions with various tutors who recognise the potential in the young genius, and her collaboration with Charles Babbage. There is a timeline of Ada’s life (along with a rather striking portrait of her) and a glossary of computing terms provided at the end.

It was just a few years ago that I found out about Ada being THE Lord Byron’s daughter. I had assumed that his creativity and guidance would have had a lot to do with her aptitude for mathematics and analytics. However, it was only with this book that I discovered that he had nothing to do with her education nor upbringing, and it was, in fact, her mother who deserves the credit for recognising the spark in her daughter and allowing it to flourish. I appreciated the fact that Ada’s mom was finally recognised for her role in nurturing Ada’s talent.

Most of the other information was already known to me, but it was still fun to read them in a comic format. That said, the book stops quite abruptly. Of course, the title should have prepared me for this as it mentions “the start of computers” and limits its focus to its agenda. But as the story began with Ada’s early life, I wish it could take us a little bit beyond her contribution to Babbage’s Analytical Engine and the French article related to it. It is a biography, so there should have been some more info about Ada’s personal life, especially in adulthood. Sometimes, it just jumps from event to event without focussing on the ‘why’. I suppose a 40-page restriction does have its disadvantages.

The illustrations are decent. The sketching style appears suitable for comics. However, once Ada reaches her teens, she looks more or less the same till the end. Also, if you have seen the limited portraits of Ada, she was a gorgeous woman, and a Countess at that. The illustrations in the book don’t do her justice.

If you wish to know more about this amazing lady who was so ahead of her times, this graphic novel will serve your purpose as a beginner’s guide to her life. Because of its vocabulary and the inherent complexity of the topic, it will be suitable to readers in their teens or above.

My thanks to Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “Ada Lovelace and the Start of Computers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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