Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Support Your Local Geneticist

In honor of A Free Man's hosting of Mendel's Garden which features the absolutely adorable photo of the dashingly handsome men in my life, I give you the top five favorite NATUI "science" books. Add them to your Christmas/Hanukkah list. I promise you won't be sorry.

1. On Giants' Shoulders, Melvyn Bragg
I got heavy usage out of this book when teaching history in Sweden. I consider this to be a bit of a "bathroom" book as each chapter features a different scientist and is therefore easy to pick up and put down. A good book to learn a lot about historically important scientists and how they changed their world at the time.

2. Mengele, The Compete Story, Gerald L. Posner
This book was fascinating. I did a paper on the Eugenics movement (who said history and science don't mix?). Highly recommended!

3. Darwin, His Daughter and Human Evolution, Randal Keynes
This one I started and never finished for one reason or another. I believe I purchased it on a flight overseas. It is next on my reading list. I remember being fascinated when starting it, but life got in the way.

4. Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC, Joseph B. McCormick and Susan Fisher-Hoch
Another book that rocked. After having lived near a P4 lab for many years, reading the history of how they came to be built and the fight to have one built in Europe was eye-opening. If you live in Atlanta, get this book!!

5. The majority of my books are packed up, so I am going to have to reflect on #5.

Now, go forth and shop!

3 comments:

A Free Man said...

I've never read any of these! Will have to check them out. Thanks for the link and glad that you flogged a mug!

Coal Miner's Granddaughter said...

Oooo! The Virus Hunters book sounds awesome! That's going to be for me and for my friend Chip who can't get enough of germs! :)

Gypsy said...

Science doesn't like me.