1 comments about Jane Goodall: A Biography.

1. The book is not very in depth, but perfect for a young grade school child who needs someone amazing to report on. It might even inspire them to read up and research her even more to get a more detailed account of what she has done and is currently working on.

5 comments about Stephen Hawking's Universe.

1. I was fullly please with my order... My expectations have been met in every angle.



2. Stephen Hawking's Universe by John Boslough is an introduction to the life and works of one of the most remarkable scientists of our time, Stephen Hawking. Boslough, whom has delved deep into his life, depicts Stephen Hawking in the book as a man, and not as a brilliant scientist. This depiction also sets the tone for the rest of the book as Boslough uses his own personal, creative flair to explain scientific theories surrounding such topics as quasars, quarks, black holes, the Big Bang, and the universe into easily understandable terms. For the large task given, Boslough's attempt is quite admirable as he uses a series of everyday examples to simplify the technical jargon for the half-enthused readers, such as myself. Boslough's explanations give the readers truly wonderful insights into the subject of cosmology, a subject that was otherwise likely never to be comprehendible to me. Boslough has created a biography that is both humble and flattering of Stephen Hawkings for his discoveries are always connected to the forbearers of the field such as Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, whose contributions are all discussed within the book. After reading the book, it is not hard to tell why John Boslough was compelled to recount the story of Stephen Hawking. The scientific breakthroughs that have come from a man confined to his wheelchair will alter anyone's ignorant perception of the universe and isolated thinking of the world. I recommend this book to anyone who is not already an expert on cosmology and looking to indulge one's mind into the intricacies of the universe without overly complex reasoning. Plus, a reader may come across a very interesting individual in doing so.



3. This is one of those very FEW books that I have actually read more than half a dozen times (yes, call me crazy)! A good book is difficult to put down, but a great book is difficult to not re-read!

   I have always had an interest in Physics, particularly cosmology, black holes, and the Big Bang theory. This is one of the first books I've ever read on such topics. Boslough has a way of presenting his material in a concise, enjoyable, interesting way. This is one of the best science/physics books (for the layperons) I've ever read! This is THE book that got me hooked on further and continued readings about physics, cosmology, the Big Bang, quantum theory, and so on. Were it not for this book, I'd still be dreading the physics classes I took in college more than 15 years ago!

   This book also laid a lot of the foundation work for my research into black holes in preparation for the writing of my science fiction novel "Temporal Armageddon".




4. This small book, originally written in 1984, was and is still revealing.
   Firstly, on a personal level, Hawking admitted already at that time that "As far as theoretical physics are concerned, I'm already ... quite far over the hill'.
   Secondly, it gives an excellent explanation of Hawking's contribution to theoretical physics (black holes and their similarities to the beginning of time).
   Thirdly, Hawking has outspoken opinions about the anthropic principle (against), the universe of Eastern mysticism (an illusion), the many universes theory (not meaningful) or determinism ('Even if we do achieve a complete unified theory, we shall not be able to make detailed predictions in any but the simplest situations').

   This booklet offers also excellent examples for the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics and contains Hawking's Inaugural Lecture 'Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics?'

   Although this book is, from a theoretical point of view, out of date (no superstrings), it should not be missed.




5. As a non-science-type-person I read this book with the sense of shame and guilt that was customarily heaped upon purchasers of "Cliff Notes" by our school English teachers. This is a layman's guide to Hawking for people who are too intimidated to read Hawking, but as such it is a very good piece of work, and the discussion of the Big Bang, black holes, pulsars and quasars are well interspersed with aphoristic comments by Hawking himself.

2 comments about Always, Rachel: The Letters of Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman, 1952-1964 - The Story of a Remarkable Friendship (Concord Library).

1. You don't have to have read any of Rachel Carson's books in order to fully appreciate the letters she wrote to her best friend. These letters (nearly 3/4 written by Rachel) show the love and intensity of her friendship with Dorothy Freeman; they offer a glimpse of what life was like in the 1950s and 1960s - particularly the world of publishing and environmentalism; they show her fear and courage during her fight with breast cancer. She doesn't go into much detail about the writing process she went through with "Silent Spring," but it's clear that the fact that she wrote it and published it at all is something close to a miracle. Her fight against breast cancer would be an inspiration to anyone. Even with everything that goes on within these letters, what is paramount is her love for Dorothy. Few of Dorothy's letters were saved, but the few that were included in the book show why she and Rachel were such good friends. These letters bring to life many emotions: fear, grief, euphoria, anticipation, dread, anger, confusion, apprehension, appreciation and love.
   
   This book is a narrative of what friendship should be.
   
   Also, the footnotes are absolutely wonderful! Instead of being at the back of the book or at the end of the letters, they are in the margins - so there's no inconvenient flipping back and forth. It's a small detail, but it was one I really appreciated.



2. I loved this book. It gives an inside look into the life of Rachel Carson. You get a sence of who she was and her passion for nature. I recomend it.

2 comments about Erasmus Darwin: A Life of Unequalled Achievement.

1. Just about all that I knew about Erasmus Darwin before reading this book was that he was Charles Darwin's grandfather and was the author of Zoonomia, a precursor to Charles' theory of evolution. Desmond King-Hele does an excellent job of putting together this comprehensive biography of Erasmus Darwin, basing much of his work on newly-donated material in the British Library. Erasmus was not merely a precuror to his more famous grandson. He was a productive scientist in his own right. One wonders what else Erasmus might have produced if he had not been obliged to work for his living as a physician. His grandson Charles lived off inherited wealth, but his output was limited by his mysterious illness. Not only was Erasmus an accomplished physician and scientist, but he also maintained contact with a wide circle of intellectual friends. And on top of all that he was a brilliant poet, cited as a precursor to the Romantics Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, and others. Erasmus Darwin was a truly remarkable man and this biography does him fine justice.



2. Charles Darwin was an indifferent divinity student when he was upbraided by Dr. Robert Grant for overlooking his family's tradition of evolutionary thought, presumably Charles had bespoke himself of some Genesis convention. Erasmus Darwin was one of the great English intellectuals of the past 1,000 years, far surpassing the achievements of his grandson. His ideas were surpressed during the paranoid period of the Napoleon Wars. King-Hele's book takes some of the myth out of Darwinism finding that the modern convention is actually closer to Erasmus's theory than Charles's theory. Charles wrote a biography of Erasmus giving him his due but this was edited by Charles's daughter Henrietta. A very interesting tale about a seminal issue in modern science. This book is the cornerstone for reaching an understanding that Darwinism is a social movement not an intellectual movement, and is not about to be overthrown by historical facts. This book will not likely do well in the market since the educated public loves the old stories and trash science like the Selfish Gene. It is also interesting to note that Freudism, equally out of date, is also impossible to eradicate, even though it is under general attack. Strange business this.

No comments about Herbert A. Simon: The Bounds of Reason in Modern America.

5 comments about The Cloud Garden: A True Story of Adventure, Survival, and Extreme Horticulture.

1. A fast paced, rousing read to satisfy the thirst for adventure and curiosity.
   
   Two young men, one looking for bold undertakings the other for orchids, attempt traveling through the improbable and perilous Darien Gap between Panama and Columbia.
   
   This is a story of being kidnapped and held for ransom by a revolutionary Columbian guerrilla group for nine months in a most inhospitable environment. Their day to day existence in this bug-ridden, disease-infested jungle amid these radical insurgents is a page turner.
   Conveyed with wit, sensitivity and anxiety, Dyke and Winder's escapades make for a riveting read.



2. The Cloud Garden came to my attention through a review in Outside Magazine. True adventure books make for an excellent break from novels and heavier literary works. This one is a perfect example. The story is gripping, the characters are likeable, and the book is hard to put down. The bad guys are painted honestly and roundly as real people. No one is all good nor all bad. This is a story about survival, wits, humanity and the romantic ideals of adventure of which so many of us dream. Find your synopsis elsewhere.



3. The discoveries made by eccentric British naturalists down through the years have literally turned the scientific community on its ears. But not all exploring trips have yielded spectacular results. In 2000, a young botanist set off to Central America in search of rare and beautiful species of orchids. He met up with another young explorer in northern Mexico. Where else to go but the Darien Gap, the only place where the Pan-American Highway isn't finished.
   
   Traveling through the Gap, collecting along the way, they were just hours away from the Colombian border when they were ambushed by FARC guerillas who were to hold them hostage for the next nine months. From then on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity and not just a bit of luck.
   
   The book written by this pair is a combination of travelogue, adventure store, and surprisingly not without a bit of humor.



4. I am half way through and I love it, well written, fun, exciting.



5. The book's topic caught my interest as did a good magazine review. (The copy we purchased from Amazon.com was without pages 118 to 179 so check before you begin to read. Amazon.com was great and sent us a replacement volume which also was missing the same pages. We finally found a bookstore that exchanged it for a correct version.) The story here is about two young men who choose to hike into the guerrilla held The Darien Gap between Panama and Columbia. The gap where there is no longer any Pan-American Highway. At the end of their telling (I'm not giving anything away, after all the authors wrote the book so you know they survived) the authors make the comment that the British press caught on to the story because of Tom Hart Dykes love of flowers. It was the "hook" all newspapers look for in such stories, and that is also the hook they use in telling their story. But your not going to learn much about Orchids from this story is told in parallel first person narrative which centers on their immature decision to tempt fate and danger and then tests their ability to survive. In a strange way the book reminded me of Jon Krakauer's excellent "Into the Wild" about a youth who graduates from College and ends up alone, dead in the wilds of Alaska. Both books share that same desire to decipher why some young males make such choices. Overall I would recommend the book as an interesting first person adventure, but it is strangely lacking suspense and I really was let down that we really learn nothing about the band of guerillas who hold them captive. I certainly missed that insight which is so strong in the novel "Bel Canto".

2 comments about George Washington Carver: Inventor and Naturalist (Heroes of the Faith).

1. George Washington Carver (c. 1864 - January 5, 1943) was an American botanical researcher and agronomy educator who worked in agricultural extension at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, teaching former slaves farming techniques for self-sufficiency.
   
   This biography is an incredibly easy to read book and an excellent portrait of perhaps America's most significant botanist and agricultural scientist. His story of perseverence and faith, while confronting the racial bigotry of his time, is truly inspiring. If all you know about George Washington Carver is that he invented peanut butter then you need to read this book!



2. George Washington Carver
   By Sam Wellman
   9/24/02

   This summer I read. The incredible inspiring novel called George Washington Carver, a biography written by Sam Wellman .The book was about George Washington Carver an inventor and educator. This book showed that George Washington Carver's life was very tough back in the 1870's.The book let's you see life back then, but not just anyone's life a person's life that anyone in some way can relate to.

   One non-stop turning point thought out this book was that George Washington Carver being on his own and growing up all by himself .One of most the interesting things in this book was the passage "Born the Son of Slaves, he would work with Gods Help to free the South". That was a remarkable description of what George Washington Carver meant to some people, because he believed so much in God and so did everybody else and also because he did every thing he could for the south. Thougthout the book it was very easy for me to keep track of the main character because the book was a biography. A book about someone's life. In the whole book I can really say, "It felt like George Washington Carver really played his role in history''. (1871 - 1943)

   I would recommend this book to any person looking for an exciting book,. The type of reader for this book would be a person who likes to read about other peoples history or life story, a person who can put their self in a place like George Washington Carver's and understand his point of view, or someone who is willing, and has faith in God should read this wonderful book. I liked this book a lot. And I also enjoyed it because of the fact that the author of the book wrote many other titles.

1 comments about Henry Chandler Cowles: Pioneer Ecologist.

1. While Cassidy's introduction to Cowles is interesting, the original
   writings are fascinating. The book would have a 5 star review if the
   author had included the figures and photos refered to in Cowles text.

No comments about Enough for One Lifetime: Wallace Carothers, Inventor of Nylon (History of Modern Chemical Sciences) (History of Modern Chemical Sciences).

3 comments about Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age.

1. Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age, by J.A. Wheeler is a fascinating book documenting the extraordinary life of an aspiring woman scientist whose life was filled with adversity. Surviving both World Wars and gender discrimination, Meitner was a pioneer at the forefront of her discipline involving the study of radio-elements and nuclear fission. At the University of Vienna and the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, Meitner was inspired to study experimental physics with a focus on atomic structure by her two most memorable professors Boltzmann and Planck. Meitner's major discovery was her work with Hahn and the splitting of the atom (nuclear fission). This monumental discovery led to the invention of the atomic bomb, which drastically changed warfare. Besides her accomplishments Meitner was a truly inspiring woman for her strength and personal conviction. Meitner barely escaped from Nazis Germany only to be isolated in Sweden from the international scientific community. She helplessly watched her lifetime of dedication and achievement be overlooked by the Nobel Prize Committee countless times, only to have Hahn receive all the credit. In the face of the immanent destruction of her career and life by the Nazis she experienced the pain of being abandoned by close colleagues. Rising above her obstacles she dedicated her life to helping victims of the Holocaust and refusing to work on chemical warfare or nuclear bomb research, but instead working towards awareness of the moral responsibilities scientists needed to have in this new nuclear age.



2. While there has been a recent renewed interest in the life of Lise Meitner, and a number of biographies have appeared, this I believe is the first one to focus on physics, as opposed to personalities. I may add that the authors do weave together an entangled web of scientists, their thoughts (through correspondence), their ambitions, and their (in many cases) flawed judgments. And the narrative is captivating!
   
   Lise Meitner was born in Vienna in 1878, and she started her career in the turbulent times of the First World War, at a time when Germany was a clear leader in physics research, in the Golden Era of physics. Yet, Lise Meitner was the first woman German scientist; first PhD in physics. When she started her studies, German universities were almost entirely closed to women; and especially so in the sciences.
   The authors bring to life the turbulent events in modern history which shaped Lise Meitner's career. A central theme in the book is the physics community's reaction to the first use by the USA of a fission bomb over Japan in 1945.
   
   In Berlin, building on a decade of research by Meintner and Otto Hahn, in 1938, the three Lise Meitner, Hahn, and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission. The Nobel Prize went to Hahn alone, and Lise Meitner has until recently been largely forgotten. In this interesting book, the authors examine why. Readers may find that the reasons are different from what we might have guessed.
   
   Many of the German scientists in the 1930ties were Jewish, or partly Jewish, and they were dismissed by Hitler in 1933, or in the years up to the war. The year before the outbreak of war in 1939 was the last chance to escape, and the entire physics community dispersed as German scientists had to flee, --- some chose to escape. A small number went to neutral Sweden, and others who had left earlier ended up in the USA, and became leaders in the Manhattan project, the secret Los Alamos team of scientists, led by Oppenheimer, the team which built the first atomic bomb. There were some German scientists, Otto Hahn among them who didn't have to flee. They included Lise Meitner's research collaborators, Hahn, and Strassmann, plus Max von Laue, Werner Heisenberg. At the end of the war, their relationships resumed, and an examination (in the book) of private letters reveals some fascinating new insight. Palle Jorgensen, October 2005.



3. Patricia Rife has made a scientific subject meaningful in the comprehensible biography: "Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age." This is a well researched and an acknowledgement of a woman's contribution to peace and medical technology. Lise Meitner devoted her life to research and was denied many Nobel Peace Prize awards because of her sex. This book is for every young woman, public library, high school library or anyone interested in an outstanding book of historic subjects. Special accolades to the author, Patricia Rife, for her professional treatment of this manuscript.