5 comments about The Coalwood Way.

1. Another excellent book by Homer Hickam, If you don't read the trilogy you're missing a true West Virginia experience



2. Dr. Werner von Braun once said, "Matters of faith are not really accessible to our rational thinking. I find it best not to ask any questions, but to just believe..." These words are truly conveyed throughout the second of Homer Hickam Jr.'s memoirs, The Coalwood Way, originally published in 2000. Although following his acclaimed, Rocket Boys, this compelling story does not continue where the last left off. Portions of the memoir take place during the same time period as the last, however, this tome portrays the life of Homer "Sonny" Hickam in a different light. This particular memoir focuses on Sonny's senior year in high school and the hardships he must go through when growing up. In addition to working diligently on creating improved rockets, Sonny must focus on achieving A's in school. Most importantly, he must focus on his family. In 1959 Coalwood, West Virginia is a ticking bomb and as it becomes more and more difficult to keep the mines running, the bomb seems to always be the verge of exploding leaving the people out of jobs, homes and, even worse, their town. Sonny must now try to keep his family together while the town falls apart and yet keep alive the dream of leaving in order to join his role model, Dr. Werner von Braun, at Cape Canaveral.
   Sonny Hickam is on his way to fulfilling his dreams as the book begins. However there a few obstacles on the way. Troubles in his family prevent Sonny from leading an easy, carefree life. His mother, Elsie, is growing increasingly impatient with Sonny's father. Sonny's father, Homer, is the mine superintendent and with the opening of a dangerous new mine, 11 East; ultimately, he is home even less often than usual. The strain on the marriage becomes too much for Sonny's mother and she insists on leaving Coalwood to escape to Myrtle Beach in order to sell real estate. In addition to his domestic hardships, Sonny is having troubles with himself. Every so often, although only lasting a few minutes, Sonny will find himself engulfed in an unexplainable grief. This mystery baffles Sonny day after day. As he searches for the origin of this mystery grief, he learns more than he ever imagined. Sonny's emotions and adventures are vividly depicted through a truly sentimental story, splashed with humor in all the right places. The writing style of Homer Hickam in this memoir is once again captivating and absolutely unforgettable.
   Although one may think memoirs aren't written well due to the lack of an experienced writer, The Coalwood Way reads like an old time fable. It is written in such a way that you are taken from your own world and thrown into the small town in West Virginia. Hickam depicts Coalwood in such a way that the image of every part of the quaint town is etched into your mind. His method of writing will bring you to tears when tragedy strikes and laughter when Sonny finds himself in a humorous predicament.
   This memoir is all about finding yourself and realizing that whenever life trips you up, someone will always be there to catch you when you fall. Throughout this lucid story, Sonny tries to find himself, and while looking down on his beloved town, he finally realizes the answer to what he's being puzzling all along. He understands his feelings, thinking: "My parents, and all the people of Coalwood, had given me the only true gifts they could ever give, that of their wisdom, and of their dreams, and of their love. All fear, sadness, and anger inside me had vanished. I knew who I was and where I came from and who my people were. I was ready to leave because I could never leave." Once Sonny realizes he can let go of the past, he is able to finally leave his hometown with the closure he needs to succeed.



3. "The Coalwood Way" is the part 2 contiuation of the "Rocket Boys", AKA:"October Sky". I just really like the way Mr. Hickam tells his story in his books. I find them to be "Americana" like- a success story from a humble start. I think the series could be a must read for middle and high school students as a way to see their potential in their own future and not just the here and now. A great book (and series) to read!



4. I'm not sure where the below reviewers are coming from. The Coalwood Way, although including the Rocket Boys, is very much different from the first memoir. And it is not a bunch of disconnected stories, not at all! The Coalwood Way opens with Sonny Hickam in a strange depression a year after the death of his grandfather who had lost his legs in the coal mine. It is a depression he struggles with throughout the book and is the core thread. How he determines what is causing that depression really fills out a part of the original memoir that was left out and provides us with insight as to how he ultimately succeeds. Hickam reveals how that last winter in Coalwood so much is happening to him and his friends. His rockets are starting to work, but nothing else does. He even lets Chipper, his mom's beloved squirrel, escape into the winter cold and snow. He also meets Dreama, a young woman also struggling, and wanting Sonny to be her friend. Dreama is considered something like white trash, and is living with one of the most detestable men in town. Sonny also falls for Ginger who dreams of being a professional singer and provides an interesting counterpoint to the coal miners' sons of Coalwood with their dreams of spaceflight. "Dad," or Homer, Sr. is also struggling, trying to open a part of the mine that has defeated previous mine superintendents but upon which the future of Coalwood depends. "Mom," or Elsie, struggles with her failure to win the annual Veteran's Day parade (Coalwood's float has always won before), as well as her continuing attempts to get Homer, Sr. to quit the mine before black lung kills him. Elsie also identifies very much with Dreama and wants to help her but is held back by the "Coalwood way". The story is told with Hickam's tradmark humor and there are as many laugh out loud moments as tears. The dramatic arc of these threads to the story all join in a night of murder and mayhem when Coalwood is also buried in a huge snowstorm and cut off from the rest of the world. This is followed by another night of hope and amazing redemption on Christmas Eve that will cause even the hardest heart to melt. In many ways, this is Hickam's Coalwood Christmas story and it's a great one. You will love it.



5. A story told first time can be fasicnating. As Rocket Boys was. The same story told second time is just boring. The first one had a backbone: boys trying to achieve the goal despite the circumstances. The second one - ranomly selected stories about this or that - I simply don't care. Meaningless and boring

5 comments about Buckminster Fuller's Universe: His Life and Work.

1. I hate to be contrarian, but this was one of the worst books I have ever read. The author spends much of the book over-praising the genius of Buckminster Fuller, which should lead suspicious people to question what exactly is going on. It's possible that Mr. Fuller is the greatest genius of our time; but the author should simply show us his accomplishments, rather than say it. This style of over-inflated hype was so grating to me that I began to doubt whether Mr. Fuller had accomplished much of anything, a feeling re-inforced by the ridiculous jargon that he uses to obscure his ideas. I had hoped that this book would give me a glimpse of genius, but it ended up diminishing my view of Buckminster Fuller.



2. This biography of Bucky fuller is a very good read. It is detailed and well written. I ordered the book with no prior knowledge of the author or his writing style, but after the first few pages it became clear that this book is definitely worth the price.



3. On the plus side, this book is written in clear English and gives a good overview of Bucky's inventions and ideas. It helps those of us who didn't live through it, understand what all the fuss about Buckminster Fuller is about. And Bucky's ideas are in fact quite relevant to the present time.
   
   However, on the negative side, there is a bit too much pro-Bucky "cheerleading" in this book for my taste. Although, I have zero desire to hear any "dirty laundry" or negative personal anecdotes about Bucky, I really would have liked to have learned just a bit about what Bucky's intellectual critics thought as well. There are always other resources for that though. This book is unabashedly about Bucky "worship", and considering that Bucky was probably indeed a genius, perhaps it's excusable.
   
   Another complaint I have about this book is that it doesn't give as complete a picture of Bucky's life as it pertains to his intellectual development, as I'd like. For instance it almost seems from this book that Bucky quits his job in his early 30's and becomes a genius based on a bit of naval experience and personal studying and little more. I can't help think that there is much much more to the intellectual development of Buckminster Fuller than we are shown in this book.
   
   Still this is a good introduction to Buckminster Fuller. It doesn't delve deeply into Bucky's views on math, but I suspect that is because even the author of this book doesn't understand them! There are still a few parts of Bucky's philosophy as explained in this book, that I don't understand at all, but I suspect they may be very difficult concepts to explain and grasp, and that I'd probably have to pick up a much more difficult book than this one to understand them, assuming they are indeed understandable.



4. I've tried to dive into some of the books actually written by Buckminster Fuller without success. His ideas have always intrigued me, but I found his writing style to be rambling and confusing. This book, however, is an excellent introduction to Fuller's life and ideas, without the confusing detritus. I don't have a strong math or science background, so I appreciated the fact that the author was able to explain Fuller's ideas without resorting to complex equations or formulas. The biographical aspects of this book are also quite interesting. It is chronologically arranged so that the reader can track the evolution of Fuller's thoughts as he progressed through life.



5. All I can say is thank you to Mr. Sieden for finally helping me to understand the great Buckminster Fuller.
   
   I first became interested in Bucky when I was in college and over the years have tried repeatedly to read Bucky's books but was never quite able to finish them. I am not an engineer or even a techie just someone interested in brilliant minds. A brilliant mind Buckminster was but he was not so great at explaining his ideas in a way that most people can understand.
   
   So when a co-worker and I got on the subject of the great inventors of our time we naturally came around to Bucky. I told him about my great interest in Bucky and about the trouble I had finishing any of his books. He told me a Fuller "must read" is Lloyd Sieden's Buckminster Fuller's Universe.
   
   Finally, I understand more of the great man Fuller was, the huge impact he had on humanity and still does years after his death. Thank you Mr. Sieden!

5 comments about Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.

1. Women in science and mathematics often are ignored. Rosalind Franklin, who should have won a Nobel Prize, has her story told very carefully in this excellent, well-written book, which is a pleasure to read.



2. One of the more extraordinary things that has happened over the last 20 years or so is the lionization of a woman who until now was almost entirely unheard of in the world at large. Maurice Wilkins too was once almost unheard of, even though he shared the Nobel with Watson and Crick for the discovery/elucidation of the structure of DNA. Rosalind Franklin has now probably leapfrogged Wilkins into being one of the legendary scientists of the 20th century. This is all part of the way the media to a certain extent gets hold of an apparently "good story" and runs with it.
   
   In this excellently written book, Brenda Maddox lays out Rosalind Franklin's short life very well, managing to make what could indeed have been excruitiatingly boring into something that succeeds in holding your attention very well. I knew Maurice Wilkins and some of the other characters in the book, so perhaps I am not the ideal dispassionate observer, but I fully expected to be a little bored by the book. I don't really have anything else to say about the now-famous Photograph 51 which James Watson saw, as no doubt this part of the story will run and run. All I will say is that Maddox points out that Franklin disliked her time at King's and was only too delighted to move to Birkbeck and that DNA was something associated with that group which, to put it simply, she was probably only too happy to leave to others to fight over. Certainly she found a very good research group at Birkbeck and her TMV work, and the results that came from it later after her death, are in the textbooks just like the structure of DNA.
   
   Maddox could have made this into a martyr's story but she succeeds very well in pointing out the iniquities of patriachy in the science of the time, without making Franklin into a victim, because, as she shows, Franklin would no doubt not have seen it this way. In fact Franklin comes over as "difficult" to many (mainly UK) scientists, but to foreigners often delightful. Maddox suggests this has something to do with her Jewishness, which is quite plausible, but I think also is not an uncommon trait among many Britons who share Dr. Johnson's view that "patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel", producing a nostalgia and yearning for a people and culture that are not your own.
   
   In the end my main feeling engendered by reading the book was of sadness -for her early death, but also because she seemed to find it difficult to get along with many people and hence experienced more than her share of unhappiness and difficulties in her personal and professional life.
   
   As so often with scientific biographies I wish there had been more science in the book. It is very difficult for us today to appreciate the problem of finding the structure of DNA and what exactly were the thought processes behind getting the double helix. This is something that Watson's book succeeds in brilliantly despite its flaws. Certainly Watson (almost as usual) comes off poorly when you consider that he wrote unflattering things about Franklin after he had been her friend for the last few years of her life (or at least a good colleague) and knew that what he was writing was unfair. Who knows what he thought about the other protagonists but was constrained to reign in his thoughts as they were still alive, unlike Franklin who was no longer around to fight back?
   
   I have to say I am one of those who laments the hold the Nobel Prizes have on the public's imagination. Science is a collective enterprise and prize giving is often unfair, wrong or misleading.



3. After reading the book it is clear the scientific community is both collegial and cut throat. In Franklin's case, the lure of honor compels a fellow scientist to use Rosalind's research without giving her the credit she deserved in uncovering the structure of DNA. Maddox provides insight into the not always amicable inner workings of a research lab and the psychology of scientists.
   
   As an elite, Jewish, female Francophile, Franklin was not an easy person to get along with, especially in the lab at King's College London under Dr. Randall. If she had a difficult personality though, she was anything but shy and certainly was not politically naive. She held her own in a male dominated environment and perhaps this is the reason she become known as the Dark Lady. Maddox does her best to give Franklin a balanced appraisal.
   
   Scientists share information and materials through attendance at conferences and in social settings and keeping up with each other's work is expected. But, the use of Rosalind's unpublished material (the crucial photo 51 and experimental data) without her knowledge, to make a breakthrough discovery, is of questionable ethics.
   
   The author presents some insight into the mentality of the scientist. She quotes Albert Einstein, "that a scientist makes science `the pivot of his emotional life, in order to find in this way the peace and security which he cannot find in the whirlpool of personal experience.'"(32). To Rosalind "science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated."(61) Is this why she found it so difficult to explain her work to family and friends? They simply could not understand?
   
   Maddox notes: "it can be argued that scientific discovery is not creativity in the sense that artistic composition is. `Science differs from other realms of human endeavor in that its substance does not derive from the activity of those who practice it'"(213) Therefore it is interesting when an eminent scientist is caught in the trap of his own beliefs and exposed. This occurred when Rosalind corrected the eminent British virologist Norman W. Price. She was right, and had the proof, but he would not accept it, even in the face of convincing evidence to the contrary.



4. This is an essential book. I rushed to it after finishing The Double Helix, by James Watson; I was incensed by Watson's misogyny and eager to learn the other side of the story. And this is the main accomplishment of Maddox's book, that it does give the other side of the story in a thorough and detailed manner. Too often, however, Maddox's tone slips into defensiveness, and her feminism appears to be a position she arrived at not as a result of rational thinking but because of her bitterness at the many injustices women have suffered at the hands of men.
   
   I was troubled by this. I admire Rosalind Franklin -- yes, I have to admit that my admiration was nourished to a great extent by Maddox's book -- but I'm put off by how much of her biography of Franklin is a direct, self-righteous and self-justifying response to James Watson's flippant comments in The Double Helix. I was disappointed, for instance, by how much time Maddox spends explaining how sophisticated Franklin's taste in fashion was, simply because Watson made a snide comment in his book about Franklin's clothes and hairdo.
   
   Another problem with Maddox's narrative is its pace. I found the book very hard to get through; paragraph after paragraph plods on, heavy with detail and almost empty of energy. I read The Double Helix in three days, breathless with excitement; for all its flaws, Watson's telling of the story sparkles. I don't look, when I read, to be entertained at the expense of truth, but I don't want either to be given the truth in a dry and awkward way. And Maddox's syntax is often awkward; I found myself going back again and again over her sentences to figure out what she was trying to say.
   
   This material -- the story of Rosalind Franklin's life -- needs a better and more evenhanded writer, one who has nothing to prove and is aware that a biography, no matter how well-intentioned, can, just like the badly-intentioned ones, tell only one side of the story.



5. Probably the most meticulously researched biography I have ever read. Maddox`s accounts of the personalities, not only of Rosalind, but of all the famed scientists she came into contact with,are breatktaking. And Rosalind,herself,comes across as human and humane besides having a brilliant mind.

5 comments about Advice for a Young Investigator (Bradford Books).

1. I was given this book by a research mentor at the conclusion of a summer of undergrad research. She thought I would find the sections advising scientists to find appropriate wives amusing, and I certainly did. Cajal is certainly opinionated on this and many other subjects, and he writes well and clearly. Although the book is dated, the basic philosophy of science itself has not changed, making Cajal's insistence that young researchers question authority and trust their own abilities as timely as ever.



2. a wonderfully written, sharp, succinct account of how and why we should do research. for anyone embarking on long term work in the natural or social sciences this book provides invaluable advice. if only everyone worked this way!



3. This is a great book for anyone who is embarking on research life journey. It should be a madatory reading for all persons getting training in research.



4. Could one expect have such a magnificent review of the life which can give you the main principles to enjoy your life as a scientist? Yes, read this book which still inspires me in most aspects of my life. By some pertinent illustrations, Santiago gave us the basis to lead not only a sucesss in your scientific career, but also (and more important) advices to a better human being.
   This book (and all others of this kind) speaks to human's heart, and should be proposed in our education system instead of so many boring and barely useful.



5. This book was recomended by Dr. T T Sun, who himself is a great motivator and researcher. I read this book and its incredible. It changes the view of thinking towards science.

5 comments about Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist.

1. This is a really first class biography, bringing the full weight of Charles Darwin's "torment" to light. As a devoutly religious man during the oppressively Christian Victorian era, it took uncommon fortitude and intellectual honesty for him to follow the paths down which his researches led him, all the way to the ultimate conclusions which today bear his name.
   
   Much like H.W. Brands's biography of Benjamin Franklin, the authors here do an excellent job of bringing Darwin back to life, both the highs and the lows (including lots of personal tragedy) that shaped his monumental career. Heartbreak played as great a role in his life as discovery.
   
   Compulsively readable without sacrificing detail, all of the major milestones of his life are covered in a personal perspective which gives exactly as much emphasis as events must have had at the time -- even ones which have since reached mythic proportions. This is, as Steven Jay Gould touts on the cover, "Unquestionably, the finest [biography] ever written about Darwin..."



2. This is a thorough and well-written biography of Charles Darwin, with emphasis on the torment he suffered as his theory of evolution caused upheaval in the Church and in his own beliefs. Darwin suffered from a debilitating illness (gastro-intestinal in nature) almost his entire adult life. He was also a very emotional man--tears came easily to him. These are just a few of the things I found interesting about this biography. Where his theory might be questionable, however, is not discussed. Highly recommended.



3. I just completed my second reading of this work. I do feel it is one of the better Darwin biographies. It certainly is not in the same league with Janet Browne's two volume work, but if you cannot get Browne, then this one will certainly do. This work is well researched and certainly presents us with a good look at not only Darwin the man, but of his science. I had to agree with another reviewer who made the observation that reading Charles Darwin's work is much easier after reading this work on his life and times. I also enjoyed the insightful look into the Victorian mind...it was an added bonus. Unfortunately, I have noticed that the anti-evolution folks go through these reviews bashing anything said positive about any of the Darwin Biographies. The study of the man, Darwin, is not necessarily an endorsement of his theory. On the other hand, Darwin and his contemporaries did change the way we look at our world and we do owe them a debt for that, and anyone that can produce such a profound work, indeed, needs to be studied. Any one who denies this simply has their head in the sand. Highly recommend this one. Good biography and good history. Well written!



4. Darwin: the life of a tormented evolutionist, the title says it all. Desmond and Moore work around the idea of the tormented evolutionist as a central theme in this magnus opus of Darwins life. The reader is taken on a journey through Darwin as a young lad, collecting shells and minerals, to the debilitated, ailing old man who writes non-stop on many aspects of natural history from selection to a complete and still used encyclopedia on barnacles to orchids and earthworms. But this is not an essay merely about the life and accomplishments of Charles Darwin, it is a story about science and society in the 1800's England. Desmond and Moore create a scene of Darwin getting swept up in the events of Victorian England. They illustrate a man torn by his religious convictions and the interpretations of what all the evidence from his life's research points toward. I relished in getting to know other famous scientists such as Hooker, Wallace, Romanes, Spencer, Tyndall and Huxley, and many others from that time who were among Darwin's followers and critics (i.e. Owen, Agassiz, Duke of Argylle, Mivart, Wilberforce)

   A highly enjoyable book for people from all backgrounds and an absolute must read for anyone not so much interested in the complete biography of Darwin's life, but for people interested in the history and philosophy of Victorian England's science.




5. This is one hell of a riveting biography. I've often read biographies of really interesting people, but the writing is so turgid or lackluster, that I find myself wishing a better writer would tackle this story and do it right. Not so with this one, this is a phenomenal book.

5 comments about The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (Great Discoveries).

1. Darwin started writing his Beagle Journal in 1837 in "notebook A." He simultaneously started "notebook B," dedicated to his idea that species were perhaps not so immutable. Then came C, D, & E as he developed and organized his evidence. Midway through notebook C, he noted, "But Man, wonderful Man, is an exception." Three lines later, he recanted "...no, he is no exception." Hidden away in notebook N were metaphysical implications of his theory: Does a bee have a sense of communal responsibility? Do animals have a conscience? Is the human conscience an instinct or a human adaptation for social behavior? Does the idea of God arise naturally from the human mind? Is the human mind just a function of the human body? Might the "love of a deity" simply result from brain structure?
   
   In Victorian England, these were not ideas to discuss in polite company, despite the fairly recent period of the Enlightenment - hence a 20-year procrastination before he published his terrible thoughts. Quammen rhetorically asks why Darwin had to be threatened with being scooped before he finally published. Was he afraid of offending his wife, afraid of estranging himself from pious former teachers and friends, afraid he would be thrown in jail...did he want more evidence so as to make his theory more airtight, was he too busy with other chores, and several other suggestions - and to all the suggested questions, Quammen opines, "The answers to each of these questions, I think, is yes."
   
   All the pertinent data about the making of "Origin of the Species" is here:
   
   1. Timeline of formation and development of the theory.
   2. Marriage to his beloved Emma and how she supported his work, despite her theological opposition.
   3. Portrait of his meticulous methods of observation, experimentation, thinking, and recording.
   4. The Alfred Wallace bombshell and how Darwin's friends worked out a shared credit solution.
   5. The writing and publishing of "Origin of the Species," the five revisions, and a brilliant chapter by chapter synopsis by Quammen.
   6. The shakey reception of his book - for 50 years - and eventual vindication.
   
   There are some books on Darwin more scholarly and longer, but you won't find one more likely to hold the attention of the general interest reader - complete with an outstanding explanation of his theory of evolution by natural selection. Hopefully high school science teachers will discover this book and add it to their student reading lists. The scientific literacy of our children (and our general population) could stand a little enhancement.



2. Be forewarned: the narrator of the audio book version is an unfortunate cross between J. Peterman from Seinfeld, Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes, and the narrator of old elementary school film strips. The content is very good (as described in other reviews posted here) but you should have a friendly warning about the audio version. The narrator will put you to sleep.



3. "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" by David Quammen is a concise, fun, and fast read. If you want to learn the bullet points about Charles Darwin's life and the formative people, events, and intellectual and social climate that surrounded Darwin's publication of the On the Origin of Species, then this book is for you. Quammen does not spend too much time on any one point, but maintains a theme that Darwin was not lazy in publishing his famous book many years after his voyage but reluctant, wanting to make sure his ideas were sound and well evidenced.
   
   An outline of Darwin's life can be found in many places, even Wikipedia, but what makes Quammen's book particularly helpful is the sections he devotes to writing about Darwin's contemporaries and their contributions to natural history and Darwin's work. Quammen writes about Charles Lyell and his advocacy of the idea of uniformitarianism, the idea that was formed by slow-moving processes, which opposed the idea of catastrophism, the idea that was consistent with Christian theology of the times and based on the belief that certain catastrophes shaped the geologic features of the earth as it is today. Quammen also writes about John-Baptiste Lamarck and his idea of the inheritance of acquired traits, an idea that has been found to be incorrect, but one that Darwin uses in his famous book. These sections in "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" give historical and scientific context to Darwin's work and allow the reader to more completely appreciate the specific and significant contribution that Darwin made in advocating the idea of evolution by natural selection.
   
   Another important aspect of Quammen's book was how Quammen made it a point to show the evolution of Darwin's famous publication from its infancy, where he first wrote his ideas in journals titled Journal A, Journal B, Journal C, and so on to his obsession with writing a tome that covered every possible argument and objection to his idea with as much evidence as possible to his final rushed publishing of On the Origin of Species due to the threat of Alfred Russel Wallace nearly publishing the same theory before Darwin himself.
   
   This book definitely gives the reader a good picture of Darwin and the social and scientific climate in which he lived. I came away from the book having what I felt was a basic yet complete understanding of Darwin's life.



4. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read on the life and works of Charles Darwin. David Quammen beautifully integrates excerpts from primary sources into this biography, really making the work a book, and not just a really long research paper. The sections are smartly headed and the writing style is engaging and makes the biography an easy and interesting read.
   
   The biography itself provides an intimate portrait of Charles Darwin the son, husband, father, friend, etc., which also reveals much about his tendencies as a scientist. The author gives a good overview of all the theories regarding speciation that had already been discussed throughout the intellectual community before Darwin came up with his idea on the "transmutation" of species. It was particularly interesting when trying to imagine a society before the theory of evolution. My struggles to do so only further demonstrate how much Darwin has impacted our modern thinking. Quammen's summary on the ideas and examples provided in "The Origin of Species" may be interesting to many who do not wish to read the 500 pages or so of the actual book, but in my opinion, it was unnecessarily dry and seemed out of place in an otherwise interesting and engaging work.
   
   However, one point that I particularly enjoyed was the fact that Quammen explored the evolution of Darwin's theory of evolution: from the beginnings of its fabrication in "notebook B" to its revealing to the public in the first edition of "Origins" to subsequent subtle changes in order to rectify problems brought up by opponents and finally to its modern applications in the field of molecular biology. The author definitely provided a persuading argument on the "fitness" of Darwin's great idea.



5. This book is by far one of the best I have read on Darwin. David Quammen puts you inside the period in Enland as well as providing a great understanding of Darwins personal thinking and self doubt as he formulated his theories on evolution. This is an excellent book for anyone but especially a non-scientist such as myself.
   
   Larry Wilkinson
   Howell, Michigan

5 comments about Newton's Gift: How Sir Isaac Newton Unlocked the System of the World.

1. Why this throwaway book exists is anyone's guess. Maybe Free Press was being told to publish conservative authors. Maybe Berlinski had a contract to write a book in record time. Whatever the reason, there's no reason for the average reader to bother with it.
   
   As popular science history, it fails miserably. The science is too math-dense to be understandable by the average numerophobic reader. Worse, the book doesn't provide enough cultural/intellectual context for the average reader to appreciate Newton's huge scientific achievements. Even as Vanity Fair-style biography, the book barely gets a passing grade. We do learn tidbits about Newton: He may have been gay! He had a mania for Biblical esoterica! He had an authoritarian streak! Unfortunately, the writing is too rushed and the narrative too lacking in texture and detail to communicate a feel for the life of a great man and the age he lived in.
   
   Bottomline: "Newton's Gift" has too much math to be read at the beach yet too little substance to be worthy of serious study. Not recommended.



2. The author did a marvelous job in trying to explain and simplify great mathematical concepts in order to be understood by a "normal" person.
   
   The book also shows that Newton, although a man with one of the most powerful minds in history, was still a human, with very "pedestrian" weaknesses. That only enhance the greatnes of the man.
   
   The book is very fast to read, and a great companion in the metro



3. Newton's Gift: How Sir Isaac Newton Unlocked the System of the World, written by David Berlinski, is a very informative novel that seems to let you see views of the world through Newton's eyes. While it was very informative and showed great appreciation for Newton's accomplishments, the author tends to ramble. While talking about one topic, he will go off on a tangent for quite a while, before going back to his original topic. The author tries to be funny, but often assumes what was taking place at certain times in Newton's life. He might mention what the weather was probably like or pointless details about how Newton was probably sitting in his bed reading with the window closed to keep out the cold air.
   
   Berlinski does cover important aspects of Newton's life and discoveries. He mentions his influences and inspirations, ranging from being struck on the held by an apple, to Euclid and Descartes, whose works spurred his imagination. Also, Berlinski covers what was going on in the world of science during the time period that Newton was making his famous discoveries and working diligently on new ideas. The author also explores challenges that Newton faced, as well as adversaries that tried to stand in his way or beat him to his goal. Since Sir Isaac Newton, scientific history has changed and has not been the same. Berlinski talks about how Newton's Principa has affected the scientific community, and helped it evolve into how it is today.



4. Personally, I am infuriated when an author deliberately writes obtusely to show off how "artsy" he is, or how vast a vocabulary he has. The author here does that throughout this book. Here's one example- "the halter of specificity has been imposed on heretofore disorderly concepts."
   
   My other strong objection to this book is how the author takes an active voice asserting his own (incorrect, in my opinion) philosophy. He does this in numerous ways in numerous places throughout the book. For example, he indicates Aristotle's philosophy as something that Newton needed to overcome, instead of recognizing Aristotle's role as the originator of the scientific method. As another example, the author states that Newton's religion, Arianism is "heresy." He says this despite the fact he admits that Newton kept his religious views to himself. How did the author determine Newton's religion? For that matter how did the author determine anything? The book has no bibliography, much less footnotes.
   
   Finally even Newton's scientific work is undercut by the author's poor views on this subject. For example, the author sees an arbitrariness in the fact that Newton's laws "favor" a straight line. The author asks "why a straight line?" and claims Newton had no answer.



5. David Berlinski's portrayal of Isaac Newton is very informative. In his note to the reader Berlinski explains that the goal of his retelling of Newton's story is to give the reader a sense of Newton without becoming tedious and getting caught up in the mundane. This book sheds light onto influential factors in Newton's career and the adversity that he had to overcome within the scientific community. The math explaining Newton's concepts and conclusions about science is relatively simple and easy to understand for people who don't have a doctorate in physics, which is quite welcome to the average person. Berlinski also endeavors into Newton's personal life as well as his close friendships and bitter rivals. These personal interactions shed some light as to Newton's temperament and personality quirks that succeed in Berlinski's goal to inform the reader about Newton, not just Newton's ideas and discoveries. All in all a good read.

5 comments about Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man.

1. Dale Peterson has written a great book about a great woman. The book is long, I admit, but interesting from page to page. The book clearly reflects how Jane Goodall has first ventured into Africa, made friends with the chimpanzees, and then developed an accurate sense of humanity. I had read this book after reading Jane Goodall's REASON FOR HOPE, and Dale Peterson describes her life almost like she herself describes it in her book. An example: Jane Goodall had a very happy marriage with her second husband, Derek, and was badly hurt by his long illness and death. As I stated in a review of REASON FOR HOPE, Jane Goodall is an excellent humanist and merits the Nobel Peace Prize.



2. Louis Leakey put it best. Jane Goodall's work in Gombe prompted a complete revision in how humans view themselves. The subtitle could well stand as the lead for this book. In this exquisitely detailed biography, Dale Peterson depicts how Jane's personality led to a number of fresh insights about how the other animals live and how science learned new ways to study them. Coming out of a rather obscure and unpromising life, Jane Goodall rose to prominence by unusal methods. She applied a sense of caring, developed through attention to her many pets, to the study of chimpanzees. Lacking any preconceptions about what chimpanzees were "supposed" to do, she was able to learn what they actually did do. To say her approach disturbed many "establishment" researchers is putting it mildly. However, her other major attribute in support of her caring, is persistence.
   
   There's a wonderful irony in the circumstances of Jane's becoming a foremost field primatologist. In an era when women reject being "objectified", it was Louis Leakey's roving eye and philandering habits that propelled Jane into the African bush. Having found evidence of early humans at Olduvai, he wanted some signs of evolutionary links. Chimpanzees, as Darwin had noted a century before, were the most likely indicator. Peterson points out that science was woefully lacking in data on apes. They're elusive and shy. It was Jane Goodall who demonstrated the value of "habituation" - long, enduring and subtle contact with her subjects - that allowed her to see what nobody else had before. Chimpanzees use tools, and they're effective hunters. It was the latter trait, the author notes, that helped Jane and her associates to begin formulating the structure of how chimpanzee society is formed.
   
   Those findings led Jane Goodall to both challenge old, staid thinking about field research and chimpanzee life in particular. More, they resulted in Jane's methods and reports led her to become a major figure in science. Whatever Leakey's carnal ambitions toward Jane, he saw her worth. He propelled her through Cambridge's graduate programme almost by brute force as Peterson describes well. Yet, even that endorsement didn't make up for the work Jane had to produce to earn her degree. By that time, she was writing for National Geographic, producing journal papers and books. Oh, yes. She also got married and had a baby.
   
   The richness of detail may deter a few readers of this book. It shouldn't. Jane Goodall, her diminutive stature and uncomplicated expression belie a powerful individual. Peterson isn't simply filling pages, he's building a picture of that individual. That image cannot be imparted with a few strokes of a broad brush. Jane Goodall, under the author's careful touch, isn't a flashy genius, but a dedicated hard worker who built up her own methods one bit at a time. The edifice is indeed imposing as the work led her on speaking tours, teaching assignments, and negotiations for funding, all while raising her family and running a research programme. It's not a simple life Peterson is relating and its complexity cannot be conveyed in a few words. Goodall is an imposing figure in science and the many details are but a start in doing her justice. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]



3. This comprehensive and compelling biography of Jane Goodall is truly inspiring. For decades Jane Goodall has valiantly and tirelessly traveled the planet imploring the world community to have reverence for the lives of humans and the animal kingdom. She is arguably the foremost advocate on behalf of primates and other endangered species. Her whole life has been dedicated to espousing universal peace and the kinship of all life. The brilliant and compassionate Jane Goodall merits a Nobel Peace Prize. Now !



4. I do agree with another reviewer that Jane Goodall, The Woman who redefined Man is a wee bit longish. Okay, at 714 pages plus an index it is a long read. However, I disagree that the attention spent on her early life is the culprit. Nothing could be further from the truth. Peterson lavishes many pages to Goodall's upbringing; her strong and directing mother and her danger loving race car father, her love of competition and her love of detail are overly mundane I feel that they tell us a lot about the person that Goodall eventually becomes. What other person, woman or man in 1960 was willing to chuch everything to study monkeys?
   
   Peterson obviously loves his subject. As a teenager I remember hearing stories about this young and attractive woman who had devoted her life to studying primate behavior. I didn't realize until much later that she had been sent by Leakey. I certainly didn't know until reading this book that Goodall had been trained as a secretary. How the fates have a way of stepping in and changing things....a truth that is delivered to any reader of this book.
   
   Jane Goodall has contributed a huge body of information to the world by her devoted work and study. Reading Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man will impress you and awe you. A truly great read.



5. Great insight into a legendary woman. She is totally amazing!

5 comments about Disturbing The Universe (Sloan Foundation Science Series).

1. XXXXX
   
   "I have collected in this book memories extending over fifty years...I am trying in this book to describe to people who are not scientists the way the human situation looks to somebody who is a scientist. Partly I shall be describing how science looks from the inside. Partly I shall be discussing the future of technology. Partly I shall be struggling with the ethical problems of war and peace, freedom and responsibility, hope and despair, as these are affected by science...
   
   The methodology of this book is literary rather than analytical. For insight into human affairs I turn to stories and poems. [In fact, the title of this book comes from a poem by T.S. Eliot]...A substantial part of this book is autobiographical...It is not that I consider my own life particularly significant or interesting to anybody besides myself. I write about my own experiences because I do not know much about anyone else's...To understand the nature of science and its interaction with science, one must examine the individual scientist and how he confronts the world around him."
   
   The above comes from the beginning of this fascinating book by theoretical physicist (encompassing pure mathematics, nuclear engineering, space technology, and astronomy), author, and professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, Freeman Dyson (born 1923). He has also been awarded a number of distinguished prizes in science.
   
   Dyson is involved in a field of pure science, but this book clearly shows that he is a man of conscience and compassion concerned with humanity's well being.
   
   The first two parts of this book traces his years of growing up between two world wars and his early working years. Soon thereafter, while pursuing with great success--first with scientist Hans Bethe at Cornell University and then with scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer at Princeton University (and others such as scientists Richard Feynman and Edward Teller)--his own vocation of perceiving and describing the laws that run the universe, from sub-atomic particles to galaxies, he has also been continuously involved in the moral issues affecting all of us--from disarmament to the control of recombinant DNA research.
   
   The third and last part is concerned with Dyson's "obsession with the future" and in fact, he tells the reader that "the future is my third home." It is (at least to me) an interesting section where we get to see a glimpse of the far future through the eyes of a prominent scientist.
   
   Finally, there is only one problem I had with this book: it has no illustrations (diagrams, sketches, and pictures)! I think these would have enhanced the book's readability. (The original hardcover version of this book has a picture of Dyson on its back cover.)
   
   In conclusion, this is a unique book that's beautifully written giving us a snapshot into the life and mind of one of the world's greatest thinkers!!
   
   (first published 1979; author's preface; 3 parts or 24 chapters; main narrative 260 pages; bibliographical notes; index)
   
   <>
   
   XXXXX



2. "We are scientists second and human beings first. We become politically involved because knowledge implies responsibility." -Freeman Dyson-
   This phrase struck me years ago when I read Dr. Dyson's book. Then, as a new graduate student in physics, I enjoyed the collection of poetry and personal thoughts, and the anecdotes of famous physicists whom I worshipped. Then, it inspired me to continue with my work. Now, with PhD in hand, I'm combing the country for a physics job and I find DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE to be an enormously comforting companion. Freeman Dyson is a complex and highly evolved man who pondered both physical law and the higher moralities binding those who wield this knowledge. I use this book as a roadmap, giving a context in which to think about research and life. I highly recommend this book.



3. Excelente libro, es sorprendente simpre deleitarse con las ideas y la forma magistral de Freeman Dyson, para contranos y aconsejarnos sobre ciencia y futuro



4. I was first introduced to Freeman Dyson as a colleague and sometimes other half of Richard Feynman. I regret that during our brief meetings I never got to know him for being more than a physicist. Therefore, when I started reading this book I was expecting something akin to the biographical material on Feynman. Instead, I found not only a more richly multidimensional book, but a glimpse into the soul of a thinker for the ages and a new window into timeless issues that world news thrusts upon us every day. Dyson explores topics as diverse as his early work in physics, to his work in the nuclear disarmament programs of the Kennedy-Kruschev era, to the politics of the McCarthyist efforts against Oppenheimer, to his thoughts on what it means for a one-time Brit to become an American, to gedanken experiments about colonization of the universe. Beneath each of these topics lies a set of fundamental moral imperatives. This book is an inspiration for professionals to look beyond their profession, and beyond science, to grapple with the great human questions.
   
   The open pages of Dyson's life, as recalled here, take the concept of "laws of nature" far beyond the realm of subatomic particle physics into the space of everyday social experience. This is a book about the development of social conscience, fueled by the ethical questions of nuclear weapons development. It is perhaps predictable that the book dwells on the questions of the morality of war, but the fresh perspectives and depth of thought on this topic kept me engaged. Reaching far beyond the role of science in war, the book extrapolates this discourse into the broader question of technology's role in a conscionable future of humanity. It is one of those uncommon writings from a "science" author that we dare call literature, both in terms of its rhetoric and in terms of its universality.
   
   There is a small bit at the end where Dyson describes what I believe to be an overly ambitious attempt to create a unifying metaphysic of subatomic behavior and human psychology, that seemed out of character with the rest of his book. But I can forgive the author that small distraction in light. And even as strange as it is, it bounces around in my head and--as is true of many ideas from this book--has been the source of numerous thoughtful discussions with colleagues.



5. some reviewers say this book is a masterpiece,and the greatest book written by Freeman.Dyson, I really can't agree with them.
   I read the book twice, I find it is an interesting book. Dyson is undoubted a successful scientist, this book ,I think it as autobiography of Dyson. of course, it is very interesting and full of stories. But just like other autobiographies, it is just a story book, not a masterpiece. for these resons, I give it four stars.
   F.Dyson wrote some popular book, they are all excellent, but the greater work of Dyson is about scientific research, such as QED.
   I also like his "infinite in all directions", because it give me a special viewpoint about science, society and universe.anyway, The book,and others by dyson is worth of reading.

5 comments about The Jesuit and the Skull: Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for Peking Man.

1. Aczel is a master craftsman and author who describes things in prose as if you might be there. I have read each of his books and recommend them all.
   
   'The Jesuit & The Skull cogently and saliently prvides well documented discourse of how the FOOLS Across The Tiber(Vatican's Curia) operate to this very day, and is 100% correct.
   
   This latest offering Aczel is a MUST READ!



2. I bought this book for my husband after we heard an interview with the author on NPR. He (my husband) loved it. Well written, intelligent.



3. This book gives a good historical background of Teilhard de Chardin's life and his struggle with the church's position and evolution.



4. I have always been fascinated by Teihard de Chardin. Pere Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit priest, geologist, palaeontologist, theologian, scholar and Christian mystic. This book is about him and the circumstances surrounding his discovery of the Peking man.
   
   Teihard de Chardin fascinates me because he tried very hard to reconcile science and religion. He felt a calling to the Church and joined the Jesuits or Society of Jesus at a very young age. In spite of his all conflicts and heartache with the Jesuits, he never did consider leaving the order. During his training as a priest, he spent 4 years as a stretcher bearer during the First World War. The horrors and inhumanity of war had a profound effect on him. He was ordained a Jesuit. Aside from a theological education, he also studied the science of geology and palaeontology. He received his PhD when he was 45 years old.
   
   Unlike many Christians, Teihard de Chardin did not find any conflicts between his belief in his Christian faith and science. He sees a convergence of both. His main thesis is that God is a God of change and all creation is in a constant flux of change until it all reaches a point of union with the One which he called the Omega Point. This means that human beings are also changing as we evolve to a higher level of consciousness. What this also means is that he embrace the theory of evolution as a theory of change. Not only do animals change or evolve but the earth itself evolves. This brings him to consider these changes as the evolution of the Noosphere.
   
   His acceptance and teaching of the theory of evolution came to the attention of the Jesuits and the Vatican. Teihard de Chardin was commanded to stop his teaching. However he was such an established scientist that the Church decided to send him as far away from civilisation as possible. They decided to send him to China! It is the greatest of irony that in China, Teihard de Chardin discovered the remains of the Peking man. The Peking man is considered scientific proof that human beings have evolved from earlier hominids. All these support evolution and are against creationism. Thus in sending him away to China, Teihard de Chardin was sent to a place to discover something the Church has wanted to avoid.
   
   Teihard de Chardin was censored by his order and not allowed to lecture and publish. Most of his books and writings are published after his death.
   
   An interesting and informative introduction to Teihard de Chardin, evolution and the Peking man.



5. Smoothly and informatively written, Amir Aczel traces the career of Teilhard de Chardin both as an academic and as a Jesuit priest. His difficulties with the Church are described but primarily at a superficial level. It is a major puzzle as to why Teilhard remained a Jesuit priest given his philosophy, the way the Church mistreated him and his complex relationships with Lucile Swan. Nor do we really get an insight into how Teilhard could reconcile his philosophy with the basic tenets of the Catholic Church, his practices as a priest and his vows of celibacy. Aczel recognizes these conundrums but he and we do not get close to any answers. Aczel spends a lot of time laying out Teilhard's friendship with Lucile, but little time detailing either Teilhard's specific scientific contributions or his actual philosophy beyond the omega point.
   The book revived my interest in Teilhard but without providing much by way of an explanation of this complex and talented scientist, priest and man.