Jean M. Auel – 140
Jean Auel was born Jean Marie Untinen is, perhaps, best known for her work on the Earth’s Children novels. Not many people know, however, that Jean became a member of MENSA while she was still a graduate student. She scored a total of 140 and would later graduate with honors from all the universities she attended, including the University of Portland.
These are just some of her early achievements, too. She has tried a varied array of work throughout the years and before finding success as a writer. She worked as a clerk, a circuit-board designer, a technical writer, and a credit manager. Her intelligence also lends itself to the work that she does. Her highly successful novel, Earth’s Children is a series set in prehistoric Europe and explores early human activities at the time. To her credit, these books have sold over 45 million copies worldwide.