Here is a short list of what you should read this summer in science and science related topics. Some are old, some are new. There is a lot missing from this list, I'm sure, but the summer is short here in Minnesota and we'll be busy with the corn, so there is not much time.
- The Paleolithic Prescription: A Program of Diet & Exercise and a Design for Living by Eaton, Konner and Shostack. An oldie but a goodie. Read it as a pragmatic science book rather than a self help guide.
- The Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding (Kaufman Field Guides) ... a bird book but not an ID guide. More like birding theory. If you are not a birder, not for you. If you are, it is a must-have.
- Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson this is a compendium of NdGT's essays and only one of several excellent books by him, but I had to pick one. Well, OK, I also pick The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist
, which is essentially an autobiography with many surprising moments. Oh, and if you've not seen it, The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet
is a must. At least browse through it. LOL.
- Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Paul Offit ... Do with this book what Lewis Black suggests to do with a fossil, but for antivaxers instead of creationists.
- The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us by Sheril Kirshenbaum ... also a romantic gift to give to your sweetie. That's what I did.
- The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics: A Math-Free Exploration of the Science that Made Our World by Jim Kakalios ... All of Jim's stuff is entertaining and educational, somehow.
- Newton and the Counterfeiter:The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist by Tom Levenson ... I had no idea ... Newton, using torture? Well, maybe he did, maybe he didn't.
- Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy ... a must read for all those interested in behavioral biology.
- Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo by Vanessa Woods
... you can't go wrong with bonobos, but put a brown paper wrapper on it if you take it to the beach.
- I have not read The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey
but it looks interesting. See also this recent bit of rogue wave news.
- I have not read A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer
but all his stuff is good.
- I have not read The Nesting Season: Cuckoos, Cuckolds, and the Invention of Monogamy by Bernd Heinrich
but if it is good it will be very good. Anybody read it?
- Perhaps the best science book of the last few years is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
. What, you haven't read it yet? Just read it.
- Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People, With a New Preface by Joan Roughgarden
is the best choice if you're heading for P-Town or Fire Island. No, but seriously ...
What am I missing?
I'm working on my Summer Reading Suggestions: Fiction list but I think I've only read one fiction book since last summer so this may be a short list. I may ask my facebook friends to come up with some suggestions that I'll compile. Feel free to join in on that.
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The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker.
An interesting list :) I was just wondering whether the Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding is useful for non-North Americans (ie. Australians)? It sounds like it would be, but I just want to make sure :)
Jeremy, good question. I'm going to have to think about that. Many of the examples are oriented towards an American audience, but birds are birds.
On the other hand, you have a lot of strange shit in Australia. Maybe your birds aren't really birds!
What do we think of Jerry Coyne and "Why Evolution is True"?
I liked it, Ana; but then, I'm a regular at Jerry's website (not 'blog', ever!), and my background's in biology, so he was preaching to the choir.
My current read is Tetrapod Zoology, Book One. I've only been visiting Tet Zoo for a couple of years, so much of it's new to me.
I think "Why Evolution is True" is an excellent add to this list, as is Genie Scott's book. (Even though I get the impression Jerry is not a fan of mine.) However I actually left the evolution books off the list because I like to put them on a late summer list as gifts to send to your local school board and life science teachers.
How about The Species Seekers by Richard Conniff? It's a wonderful overview of the naturalists and collectors who contributed to our modern understanding of the physical world.
The Ghost With Trembling Wings by Scott Weidensaul. It's old I know (2003) but still great essays.Perfect for picking up and putting down at the pool, beach, etc. and it's in paperback.
I really enjoyed "Time, Love, Memory by Jonathan Weiner
It is about the early days of genetic research, particularly linking genes to behavior. It is very readable and if you are not up on genetics it is a helpful introduction to how they found out things.