Best Reads of 2010 for Us
In one of the last issues of Inside Higher Education for 2010, Scott McLemee raised the question, what was the best reading of this year? Presumably, he was asking from the point of view of higher education. You can read the responses here or by going to http://www.insidehighered.com/views/mclemee/mclemee319 . One of the books mentioned is Rebecca Scloot's book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which we have discussed here and here. It was chosen by Lila Guterman, a senior editor at Chemical and Engineering News.
I wonder what you'd pick, women in science and friends? What books of 2010 or thereabouts have impressed you, moved you, shaken you up? Do you agree that the history of HeLa cells was compelling? I certainly found it disturbing to realize how differently the cell line had fared compared to the woman from whom it was originated.
Another book I'd like to put forward personally is Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, written by Nicholas Kristof and his wife WuDunn. It came out towards the end of 2009, but it seems to me like its impact has increased and spread during 2010.
Cheers,
Laura
A side note on Rebecca Skloot: she does have her lecture/travel schedule posted on her web site in case you want to try to hear her when she speaks near you. Also, her popularity has evidently grown so much that she has to convert her Facebook page to a fan page (there appears to be a limit of 5000 friends for a regular page).
cheers,
Laura Hoopes
Hi Laura,
It's not just that Young did such a good job of evaluating all the evidence, but she chooses such clear, good ways to describe things. I really liked her "three ply yarn" image for sex, gender, and sexuality, three aspects that gender researchers often assume are all aligned but they need not be.
Hi Scifeminista,
I agree about Rebecca Jordan-Young's book Brain Storm. I got to hear her speak this week at the conference I attended, and her talk was also impressive. She did evaluate all the evidence, but sadly the review in Science was inaccurate in suggesting she just selected the bad papers. She took it all, and the sum of it was a tiny set of conclusions.
cheers,
Laura
I would vote for Rebecca Jordan-Young's book Brain Storm, which we discussed earlier on this site. She really looked at everything, all the evidence, and decided most of it didn't really support anything strongly because of hidden assumptions, circular logic, lack of meaningful connection with other human research, etc. So we have an almost clean slate for human sexuality research after all the expense and hype!
Okay, I read the reviews on Amazon of the new book on Marie and Pierre Curie. I'd strongly suggest you do that too before you decide if you want to read it or not. It's not your usual science book/biography.
cheers,
Laura
Hi Helen,
Thanks for finding out that title. It sounds really interesting. I enjoyed Eve's biography of her mother (with coauthor) earlier too. I believe Eve herself won the Nobel prize.
cheers,
Laura
Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss
I assume that's the book. Thanks - it's on my amazon wish list now. I enjoyed Eve Curie's bio of her mother, which I read years ago. That would be this book:
Madame Curie: A Biography by Eve Curie and Vincent Sheean
My friend Jennifer Ball wrote an entertaining novel, Catalyst, about a true incident in a lab.
That's an interesting question, SciFemXX. I've talked with various agents and publishers about the biography of two women molecular biologists I'm writing, and they often ask if I'd be willing to make it YA. I'm saying no, I think this reading is for everyone.
cheers,
Laura
Yes, I loved Skoot's book and hope to hear her speak sometime in 2011. I guess her book would be my pick for most influential of 2010.
I haven't read it yet, but there is a new biography out on Marie and Pierre Curie that I want to read. And I finally got around to Linda Lear's big fat bio of Rachel Carson in 2010 but it has been around for years. I have a question, though. Quite a few good biographies of women in science have been published recently in Young Adult books, but not in adult books. Is reading about women scientists only for kids??
