5 comments about The Man Who Fed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and His Battle to End World Hunger.

1. Not the best biography -- drags a little in the second half -- still, basically standard reading re: the Green Revolution -- I was unaware how worried some were that the world couldn't feed itself -- things we take for granted now...



2. Norman Borlaug was a man ahead of his time. This book should inspire other people to do something about world hunger. On a scale of 1-5 this book is a 10. It as a fantabulous book to read.



3. This is an account of a Man who WORKED in the field to end world hunger.
   He did not just talk about it.



4. Just by reading the jacket copy, one can glean that Norman Borlaug was an amazing man. In this biographical tome by Borlaug's friend and colleague, we follow Borlaug's life.
   
   We are pulled into the story by an unassuming man toiling in the fields being ambushed by a pickup truck full of reporters and photographers, eager to talk to the latest Nobel Prize recipient, and carried by Hesser's exceptional writing through an uplifting story of how a man who flunked a college entrance exam made huge strides in ending world hunger.
   
   I recommend this book to those interested in the life of Norman Borlaug, those studying world hunger and the efforts to end it, and to those looking to learn how to write an exemplary biography.



5. The Man Who Fed The World an authorized biography by Leon Hesser
   
   Norman Borlaug's life, written by Leon Hesser, is more than magnanimous. It is impressively humble.
   Hesser's remarkable, well-written book, is a wonderful story of the simple life of an Iowa farm boy whose extraordinary determination led him on a lifelong journey to feed a starving world. A young Norman Borlaug, scarred by the effects of the Great Depression witnessed, first hand, how food changes peoples lives.
   
   The Man Who Fed The World is an inspiring book of one man's hope, vision, and the intestinal fortitude to relentlessly pursue his goal to relieve human suffering. And for the millions of the world's starving who were unable to personally express their gratitude Norma Borlaug, on October 20, 1970, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
   
   A huge thank you to Leon Hesser for bringing the world this book!
   
   
   Marsha is a writer, speaker, and author of Emerald's Garden How to grieve, mourn and recover from loss. See [...]

5 comments about To Touch a Wild Dolphin: A Journey of Discovery with the Sea's Most Intelligent Creatures.

1. I loved this book. I have always been interested in dolphins and was intrigued to learn how they live. Their connection with humans seems so close, like they are as interested in learning about us as we are about them. This woman's story of her time with the dolphins made me wish I was there too. I read the book a couple of years ago and still think about it. Some of her stories still make me laugh when I think of them. A fascinating story!



2. I'm passionate about dolphins, and I couldn't get through the book. I felt as if the author didn't like dolphins, and didn't really respect them. I hate to be saying this about a book that seemed at first glance so wonderful, but I didn't feel as if the book protrayed positive feelings. I just feel as if the author doesn't like dolphins, and I think that a book that is written in a way that might seem emotional, but doesn't portray true feelings or a love for the creatures that are said to be loved. If the tone is to be set in one way, the words used should reflect that tone.



3. I'm reading this book with my Mom and it's pretty good. It's very interesting how the author got to study the dolphins.



4. Also check out - Captain Jon Explores the Ocean (also on amazon).



5. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always been fascinated by dolphins. My career goal is to work with dolphins, in any shape or form, but particularly in the research aspect. I picked up this book while browsing the library one day and fell completly in love with it. It definitely reconfirmed my dream of working with these wonderful creatures, but I also learned a lot about their behaviors and personalities. It also shows that dolphins are not all the same--they actually have unique personality traits. I was so awed by this book that I gave in and decided to buy it--I should receive it in a couple days so I'm looking forward to reading it until it is worn out!! I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is curious about dolphins. Happy reading!

4 comments about Joseph Banks: A Life.

1. This biography is obviously a collection of study material for Aubrey & Maturin. Sea travel combined with geographical exploration as well as botanizing and zoologizing, plus English society bickering is what the series is about just like this book on Banks. The whole O'Brian is there in the material.
   Unfortunately only in the material. The flow of the prose is sadly lacking. The wit and humour comes through occasionally, but not the brillant dialogues, nor the elegant story telling, nor the gripping passages on nature and human encounters with it.
   This is far too lean, relying on the accumulation of facts. Too much of the narrative is told in Banks' own stunted language. I have a hard time going through these condensed and stumbling diary entries. This is mostly a probem in the first half of the book. It gets much better at the time after Banks' travels, when he becomes a 'barnacle' and presides over the Royal Society.
   A good biography ought to be more than material and information. It ought to tell us a story. The story is visible, but not fully told.
   A good biography, on the positive side now, is always also a history of something larger than the main hero. This is a history of science and exploration in the 18th century, with some noteable supporting cast like James Cook and Linnaeus, with King George III and Benjamin Franklin. And awful Captain Bligh of Bounty fame, later Governor of Ossiland. And Jane Austen, but she more by association and less by personal appearance.
   All that is fine.
   But what about poor Solander? The man is there for much of the narrative, but does he ever get a chance to become a person? I don't think so, only in wee little asides. Just a tertiary cast member. Does Solander deserve that? Possibly not, but since O'Brian treats him with scarce attention, I may never know.
   Disappointing.



2. Joseph Banks served forty years as president of the Royal Academy, Britain's oldest scientific institution. His legacy survives as a result of his scientific enterprise; he helped to transform an "insular" monarchy to an "industrial powerhouse."
   
   He sailed on expeditions to North America and Iceland as well as the Pacific, and established Kew Gardens as one of the world's greatest botanical centers. His 'Florilogium' about his botanical studies in the South Seas is there in the library.
   
   He was a naturalist, a young botanist, in addition to being an explorer. He was one of Australia's founding fathers. He accompanied Captain Cook as he circumnavigated the globe to discover that country.
   
   His Last Will & Testament requested no monument, but forty-seven years after his death in 1820 at the age of 77 years, a tablet was erected showing his grave. He was portrayed as forthright, cheerful and a hospitable man, an intrepid explorer abroad who investigated all he encountered as a genius journalist. He left all of his possessions to wife, Dorothea, with his library at Kew under the direction of Robert Brown, who would have the leasehold house after her death.
   
   Jason Wilson wrote in 'London Magazine' that "this leisurely and witty biography brings the 'genuine' Englishman fully to life." P. O'Brian used Banks' letters to such luminaries as Edward Gibbon, Samuel Johnson, Cuvier and Watt -- and his journals. He wrote a biography of Picasso and resided in southern France.



3. I, on the other hand, have never read any of the Aubrey & Maturin books, but I'm extremely interested in the Cook expeditions of which Banks played so much a part. I think it must be because I can see Banks Island right outside my window. Anyway, I must say that, after reading this book, I was prepared to believe Banks walked on water. Founder of modern botany (and modern science generally), explorer, developer of Kew and on and on. Certainly one of the giants of British naval exploration.

   Alas! Cook biographers have been a little less kind to Banks. While often portrayed as a hard driving scientist, he has also been portrayed as a bit of an upper-class twit, always petulent and silly. Which is it? Probably somewhere in the middle. Read this book, but keep an open mind about the hagiography!




4. Having read every one -- all 18, I think -- of the wonderful Aubrey & Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, coming across O'Brian's earlier "Joseph Banks" is a special pleasure. The same wonderful O'Brian dry wit is there, the same fascinated and fascinating focus on the late 18th century, British politics and society, and the sea. O'Brian's "Banks" is an easy read, compared with many scholarly biographies. That is because, actually, it doesn't really qualify as a "scholarly" effort. It is more discursive, easy-going, unpretentious. Delightful is the word that most aptly describes O'Brian's writing in general, and that applies here. Of special interest, though, is that the character of Jack Aubrey is prefigured, very briefly, in the description of a sea-captain acquaintance of Banks's, and Stephen Maturin himself, while not found in person here, is prefigured by the career of Banks himself: explorer, biologist, botanist, collector, and man of the world. O'Brian's "Joseph Banks" is not for everyone, but is certainly for any one of the thousands of O'Brian addicts. Which makes one muse and wonder: when, oh when is "The Hundred Days" coming out in paperback so I can line it up with the other eighteen volumes?

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.

3 comments about Every Other Thursday: Stories and Strategies from Successful Women Scientists.

1. "...Thursday" is a very useful, encouraging and illuminating book for women pursuing non-traditional career goals, particularly in science. The experience of the Berkeley group shows what can happen when women come together, share their progress and their frustrations and build strong supportive bonds with and for each other. Bonds that became even stronger through one group member's traumatic experience of being turned down for tenure.
   In short, creating a mentoring environment for all group members. Congratulations, Berkeley women!
   Lu Ann W. Darling, author of DISCOVER YOUR MENTORING MOSAIC, A GUIDE TO ENHANCED MENTORING



2. Let's say you have problems at work. You have an unreasonable deadline. You're up for promotion. Your boss seems intent on attacking you. You are going to have a baby and that's not welcome news at work. You feel excluded from important conversations. No one will go to lunch with you. Ellen Daniell tells us all a great way to handle these work-related emergencies and bad vibes: form a weekly discussion group focused on professional issues.
   In addition to providing friendships, now at a premium in this society, the group can say how strategies worked (or didn't work) for them, support the stressed worker, and keep her/him from giving in to the pressures of work. Daniell's own group includes members of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers and professors and industry scientists. Most have been women historically (over the 25 years this group has functioned). She was invited to join by a prominent male molecular biologist 25 years ago. She gives us the history of the group, lots of detailed anecdotes of its functioning, and then turns to how to form and run such a group for your own sanity.
   I found this book both inspiring and disquieting: Daniell herself describes how she was denied tenure at a prestigious university, fought the decision, and was denied anyway. Then she became an administrator in the biotech industry, and today she's a full time writer. Her self esteem came through thanks to the group process. But as a woman in science, who took the trouble to read Daniell's pre tenure publications, I am appalled that she was denied. What were they thinking? But don't get the idea that this book is full of rage. That's my own, not Ellen Daniell's. Through her group, she has dealt successfully with the decision and put it behind her comfortably.
   I recommend this book very highly; get it for your mental health and well being. I agree with Rita Colwell (former director of the National Science Foundation) who is quoted on the back cover saying that she wished she could have read it back at the start of her career.



3. Life is tough. Scientist or nonscientist, man or woman, we go up against great odds to make progress, teach and inspire others, and pave the way for the future. So why does the world make this process so hard? In this book, Ellen Daniell describes the support network of young scientists, mostly women, that helped its Bay Area members overcome family troubles, deal with the whims of fate, and face despair in academic and institutional settings. Along the way she describes the psychological approach to success that we can provide for one another. Read this book, and make friends, and be happy that we get this great chance in life!

5 comments about No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman.

1. Don't be iontimidated by thinking there may be too much math or physics in this book. This is not a scientific biography as much as it is a fun trip through some of the things that made Richard Feynman so loved by all who knew him.
   
   I admire the author's choice to have Feynman's colleagues contribute their knowledge of the incidents discussed. In many cases Feynman himself is cited to help understand the situation extant.
   
   Whether you know Feynman's life well or not, this book is a fun read.



2. If you know of Richard Feynman's life and work, this is a great book, full of pictures and anecdotes from other emminent physicist w/ whom he worked (and sometimes clashed).
   
   Very easy and pleasing to read. Nothing too in-depth e.g. Feynman's disdain for written fiction, "...I read 'Madame Bovary' once and it was NIFTY!". No more analysis beyond that. Enough said if you know something of the person.



3. Excellent book for anyone looking for a pictorial representation of Feynman.



4. My reading of "Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman" was surely "forced" me to read the life of Richard Feynman furthermore: NO ORDINARY GENIUS is a GREAT BOOK. Family, friends and colleagues of Feynman share their views regarding the genius (with bump's-language-style) Feynman. The photos are great and can make a good spot on his life. Truly inspiring especially when he stated that he's an irresponsible man! And also, he couldnt stop to do physics until several days before his death: he's still doing the physics in 70. Feynman also brought the tiny-state named TOUVA to the world: even a geographic teacher wouldn't know bout this region! Buy this book, okay?



5. This book made me laughed and it made me cry but most importantly it taught me a lot, not just about feynman but a lot more other stuff like science, life, having fun and reminded me why I got into science in the first place. It was very inpirational as well as fun.

   If you want to know a little about what feynman was like, then you must read this book. I said
   "little" because there is no way you will ever get to know this man just by reading a book. This book was really good at taking out the really good stuff from other books and integrating it.

   I like what his friends and family had to say about him and adventures they had, as much as when Feynman was quoted. It is
   really interesting and gives you a really deep insight on stuff he may not had put into his other books.

   Even if you don't like to read biographies, or care about feynman, you could read this book like a novel. Its little
   stories are so interesting funny (sometimes sad) that you forget that you are reading a biography. I say this because
   reading biogrphies usually gets me bored. Not this one however, its and adventure!

   After I read this book I felt like I lost a friend and mentor--it was that good or perhaps feyman's life was that interesting--I actually missed a guy I never met before! It sounds flaky, but I guessed Feynman would had liked it that way!

   Alex Lee
   ...

5 comments about Sky of Stone: A Memoir.

1. If you have read Rocket Boys, it's imperative you continue with Coalwood Ways and Sky of the Stone. All are wonderful reads with great life lessons. Sky of the Stone was my favorite of the three but they build on each other. I look forward to reading Red Helmet in February!



2. Just a great part 3 continuation of "The Rocket Boys", AKA: "October Sky". I could hardly put it down. I really enjoyed this book, too.



3. I read October Sky a week ago and then grabbed this one. I haven't read The Coalwood Way but after starting Sky of Stone, don't think it's necessary. This book continues where October Sky left off, and in many ways people are introduced in this book that were never mentioned in the first book. In manyways this book seems to be derived from all the notes taken out of the first book. Sonny's father's character comes to light in this book and we see the continued tension between father and son, and the son's reluctant growth into adulthood when he accepts (or is forced into) adult decisions for the first time.
   
   Homer is a year out of college and he's slowly learning that many of the naive things he experienced in boyhood are coming back to haunt him. Where we all read about the fame and success of the six Rocket Boys, we now find that they are scattered across the country in college. With Homer, the grades in the first year weren't anything out of this world, or anything indicative of an aspiring rocket scientist. Without reading October Sky this book may appear to be a mystery, and I recommend reading October Sky first before attempting this one.
   
   It is unfair to compare one book to the other, although I am doing it right now. What the first book was in childish charm, this one is with mature awakening. The writing style is still superb, the narrative flowing. The built-up to the plot, however, takes longer. The rocket scientist is no longer a rocket scientist in this book, and we find Homer Jr more of his father's son as a summer miner, exactly what he never wanted to be while in high school.
   
   There is much more sadness in this book. The focus is on the death of a miner at the mine that Sonny's father manages. This book is more of a country suspense than it is a happy-go-lucky story like October Sky is. I think that this change in tone was necessary because the first book was full of optimistic, youthful naivete.
   
   The problem with sequels and trilogies is that to understand the whole picture, all books must be read. I have now read two of the three and don't plan on reading the second book.



4. A wonderful book that was not only an engaging story, but offered a glimpse into the life of West Virginia coal miners. Following on the heels of the "Rocket Boys" ( the book that inspired the movie "October Sky"), this book carries on the story of Rocket Boy and author Homer Hickam. You won't be sorry you read this book.



5. Sky of Stone, by Homer "Sonny" Hickam, is the sequel to his famous memoir, Rocket Boys, (October Sky). The story takes place in 1961, a year after his graduation from high school. Sonny, now eighteen, has just finished his first year of college at VPI, and is hoping to spend his summer with his mother in Myrtle Beach, lying on the beach, watching the girls go by, and dreaming about building rockets with Wernher Von Braun, the world famous rocket engineer. Out of the blue, his mother calls and says that he can't go to South Carolina; he to go back to Coalwood, West Virginia, the place he thought he was free from, to keep his father company. Sonny, shocked out of his socks, at first argues, but he eventually gives up knowing that he would not want to get on his mom's bad side. So, he heads up to Coalwood, filled with confusion pounding at his head. His father is a pretty stubborn man who can hold is own. Why would he need his company?
   Within the first few days of being in Coalwood, Sonny wrecks his father's car. In order to pay his father back for repairing the damages, Sonny has to do the one thing that he never dreamed he would do in this or any other life time: he joins the UMWA (United Mine Workers of America), which is the union for the Coalwood miners. He becomes a "track-laying man," one of the hardest jobs in the mining business. His father, completely enraged with this, as well as having the pressure of the Tuck Dillon case on his mind, threatens to cut off Sonny's college fund if Sonny doesn't stop working in the mines. Yet, Sonny, who is actually beginning to enjoy the hard work of being a miner, refuses.
   As the story goes on, Sonny slowly begins to find more and more information about the Tuck Dillon accident, and starts to wonder if his father might have actually killed Tuck. Sonny also has many other adventures during this experience of being a miner. He makes many new friends, some of whom give him very important advice and teach him life lessons; he meets a girl engineer who is older than he, and he starts to have feelings for. He also participates in a heated track-laying race with the other mining group.
   Sky of Stone, like Rocket Boys, is a beautifully well-written memoir, filled with such amazing images, you feel as though you are reading a novel. The fact that this is a true story about one man's experience is astonishing. Along with it being about Homer's life, it deals with the hardships of growing up, changing from a teenager into a young man, trying to find your place in the world, while dealing with reality and the new feeling of independence. Each page you read takes you further into this adventure, making you fall in love even more with the book. You feel as though you are with Sonny every step of the way, learning more and more from this new experience. Personally, having read October Sky, I love both books and think that Homer Hickam is great author. It is a wonderful book, for anyone, as it reflects on life and the many lessons it teaches us, "I knew then, as I faced the sky, that Coalwood would go on. Its buildings might be torn down, its mine closed, its people might even die, but Coalwood would persevere. There was something about this place that maybe, as the Reverend Richard maintained, God just liked. Coalwood had nothing to fear and I guessed I didn't, either. When I needed it, the old place of my boyhood would yet be there waiting for me with all its wisdom and purpose, if not in stone and wood and iron, then still in my memory and my heart. I closed my eyes and felt the rain against my face, and smelled the smoke of the defeated fire, and thought of Coalwood. Coalwood, as it was, and shall be. Coalwood my home. Coalwood forever." (354). As I got to the end of the book I felt as though I was looking back on memory, in awe and filled with respect. In conclusion, I think this is great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

5 comments about Black Stars: African American Women Scientists and Inventors.

1. My 8 year old daughter had a project on African American Women who have contributed in science; however, the Internet did not provided anything on Dr. Green who I truly admire. After we purchased this book which came righ on time (it took 3 days!!!!) we read it from end to end and found more information on Dr. Green then anywhere else. This book really helped us.
   
   Jose



2. This is a wonderful book. Not only is it packed with interesting facts, but the interviews and writing style are so personal and intimate that one feels as if, for example, Mae Jemison is right in the room sharing her life story. The women are candid about the obstacles they met and overcame. I think a young adult of any race will find this book very inspiring...I know if it had been around when I was a kid, science and math would have been much more relevent to me!



3. So little is known about African American women pioneers in the sciences. Otha Sullivan has written an illuminating book for young readers that will fill in the gaps. Every parent concerned with teaching their children more about pioneering women in American history should purchase this book. It is also a good resource for science, social studies, and history teachers.



4. So little is known about African American women pioneers in the sciences. Otha Sullivan has written an illuminating book for young readers that will fill in the gaps. Every parent concerned with teaching their children more about pioneering women in American history should purchase this book. It is also a good resource for science, social studies, and history teachers.



5. This book is about African American women scientists and inventors, a rarity indeed.Reportedly African Americans in general comprise 4.5% of all science and engineering professionals today.So to read about the significant contributions of these pioneering women is both revealing and uplifting.Some of those profiled are somewhat well known;such as Madame C. J. Walker.She is known for her million dollar hair care business. Others are not so well known, such as Dr. Angela Furguson who joined with Dr. Ronald Scott in researching sickle cell anemia at Howard University.
   Unfortunately the African American women scientists and inventors have been left out of mainstream history even as some African American men scientists have been included. Most of us are familiar with the contributions of George Washington Carver, who is credited with discovering 100 uses for the sweet potato and more than 300 uses for the common peanut in his lab at Tuskegee Institute. Also we are equally aware of Benjamin Banneker, who is widely hailed as inventing the first clock and assisting in the laying out of the design for the Nation's Capital, Washington, DC with Charles L'Enfant.
   The author makes a laudable contribution for filling in existing historical omissions regarding African American women scientists. He brings to our attention warm inspiring stories along with factual historical information.
   Teachers, other educators, parents and anyone else involved in the unending search to supplement traditional textbooks in order to ensure broader inclusion, will welcome this book. In doing so they too will expand their own knowledge and understanding of the subject. One does not need to be in the fields of science, engineering nor medicine to appreciate the message in African American Women Inventors. For the message transcends traditional borders or disciplines of study. The biographical descriptions of the featured women are of tremendous courage, high intellect and a lot of hard work. The stories in this book are exciting and geared to fostering a sense of empowerment to studenta and adults alike who read it. Students at all grade levels, genders and ethnic groups can readily relate to thses stories of personal triumph and achievement. However the author has written it to target ages 9 through 12 year olds.

3 comments about The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement (New Narratives in American History).

1. Mr. Lytle has written a very compelling biography of the gentle subversive. I was drawn to read this well-written biography of Rachel Carson from the title alone! I didn't know anything about her, except that she was the author of Silent Spring, which I have not read.
   
   Controversies aside, I imagine she must have been an amazing person to know. That she was able to support her family, as well as nurse them through their illnesses until their deaths--with no outside help, throughout her career, AND also battle cancer along with the side effects of radiation, is heroic in and of itself. I admire that Carson managed to marry her passions of writing and nature in her lifetime, publishing several books despite the ceaseless personal obstacles around every corner. Even more impressive is the fact that she stood her ground on issues important to her, in a time when women were few in the sciences--let alone the working world, and that she wasn't afraid to face the powers that be in industry and government.
   
   Rachel Carson was a thinking woman who wanted the public to be aware of the beauty around them, as well as the damage that could be done by injudicious use of chemicals.
   
   This was truly enjoyable, informative and short!



2. Rachel Carson's careless criticism of DDT killed millions of people, mostly poor children, a point that deserved better coverage in this book. Even today, decades later, there is still no good alternative to DDT for fighting malaria.
   
   Carson was correct to point out that DDT has very bad side effects, but as it turns out, banning DDT has had much worse side effects. Science eventually determined that very small amounts of DDT would have been effective against malaria-carrying mosquitos and safe for the environment-- but Carson's rush to judgement prevented the scientific facts from being adequately investigated and considered.
   
   She and her followers in the environmentalist movement refused to consider the full consequences of their actions, and millions of people have paid the price for that refusal.
   
   . png



3. 
   Mark Lytle does fine justice to the legacy of Rachel Carson in this well researched summary of her early life, upbringing, education, professional experiences, evolution of her writing and publishing culminating with the struggles to write and publish her most potent and last book, "Silent Spring", a dire warning of how deadly pesticide and herbicide assaults were damaging the health of ecosystems and non-targeted life forms including humans and which many proffer, launched the modern age of environmentalism.
   
   Lytle continues Carson's beautiful legacy in his "Epilogue" and "Afterword".
   
   Packed with an abundance of notes, citations and bibliography, this little book gives one a huge sense of awe and admiration for Carson's perseverance and dedication to educate the world about the interconnectedness and beauty of Nature and to cultivate a sense of responsibility and good stewardship.

5 comments about Flight My Life in Mission Control.

1. [Updated Review]
   
   I'm not sure what to make of this book, certainly I must have a different book from all those who call this 'inspirational'.
   
   It is clear almost from the start that Christoper C Kraft is a man who has to get his way.
   
   I was expecting a book from the flight controllers side, instead it appears to be a middle-managers viewpoint- he's too high in the organization to have an insight into the factory floor yet too low to have made the more important decisions. Don't be fooled by Kraft's engineering background, he did little if any engineering for NASA and his active role as flight controller ended with the Mercury flights (something that becomes obvious as the book progresses, and the detail gets more and more vague).
   
   And it is also clear in the book that for all the historic events in this book, Kraft had a first class seat... in the audience. All the important and interesting work appears to have been done by other people; we are left with petty corporate politics, character assassination and power grabs.
   
   His real accomplishments, and there are many, become hidden in his petty squabbles and insubordination. There are numerous examples that Kraft, in his own words, seems to demonstrate he is not a likable man.
   
   At least we now know the reason for the impression that the managers at the Manned Space Center during the early days of NASA were egotistical and arrogant... because they actually were egotistical and arrogant.
   
   Kraft has done a pretty good job of character assassination on himself, even worse than what he did to Scott Carpenter. Maybe Kraft should have let someone else write his story, or better still penned a biography of his mentor Bob Gilruth.



2. In my humble opinion this book has some very interesting information about the childhood of NASA, and this book and the book of Gene Krantz "Failure is not an option" gives a nice look into the life in the MOCR both at Cape Canaveral/Kennedy and in Houston. Mr. Kraft seems a very humble man and as I see it does not try to play up his own role in the complexity of the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo space adventure



3. At last I found the ideal person to explain the overall trials and successes of the USA space program: Christopher Columbus Kraft, Jr. A bonus was the success story of a small-town boy with no connections to become the most televised flight director in mission control of NASA, then he moved higher in the ranks of NASA.
   Here the politics of our space program, budget cutting as soon as the first moon landing succeeded (if not sooner), according also to the lack of success of the USSR, are all in here. The selection of astronauts, and the surprising problems with a couple of them, and the fights with panicky flight surgeons in approving any spaceflights at all are all in here. The lack of courage of some NASA officials who were so afraid of blame should there be an accident that they almost killed the program is all in here. As it turned out, the Apollo fire did not kill the program, and pols and press were reasonable about it. Bureaucratic overkill got its just desserts.
   The willingness of so many contractors to bid on limited-term projects was an inspiration, as was their desire to innovate and make the space program go ahead was an inspiration, but the tales of shoddy workmanship and design flaws even late in the program was not.
   The antipathy of some old NASA personnel, Kraft included, toward the Germans under Wernher von Braun was revealed, which slowly diminished. Kraft seemed to acknowledge that without the German effort in the USA to produce the big Saturn V and other boosters, the Apollo program could not have been accomplished in any reasonable period. And to this day, nobody has made such powerful boosters.
   This book was the most inspiring I have ever read on the moon landing program, with all its interim steps, and the reason for each flight. Very well written, fast reading, much thanks to James Schefter. Thankfully, much less sanitized than the early astronauts' efforts. Has index. I could not recommend it more.



4. Very few books on this period, biographical or not, are quite like this one. The information and personal details give a very complete view of NASA from the very beginning, and give some detail to the management evolution of the organization. It also gives some interesting insights into how development of mission-critical / real-time organizations and management should function.



5. What a great book. Chris Kraft has really catured those glorious years when man ventured out into the unknown whilst competing with the Russians. Really easy to read and understand. The book took me back to those early years of the space program and Chris lets you experience the development of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions as if it is happening real time. What a great read