The_Hibernator's Non-Fiction

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The_Hibernator's Non-Fiction

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1The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:00 pm

Ohh! This looks like fun! I just discovered this group!

A little about me: I'm a biomedical scientist in Columbus, OH. Until recently, I studied the effects of the immune system on spinal cord injury. Right now, I'm looking for a new job (but hopefully that status will change soon!) I love reading a huge variety of books and like to keep a balance between heavy reading and light reading. Especially since I read sooo many scientific journal articles. I also read magazines. Currently I have subscriptions to The Economist, Time, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Science News, Scientific American, and Discover. Yes, I'm behind on my magazine reading at the moment. :) I like a variety of non-fiction books, and it will be nice to keep a separate count on them here.

2The_Hibernator
Editado: mayo 13, 2012, 4:01 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 1: The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester (1/24/2012).

The Professor and the Madman is about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, and the “dangerous lunatic” that was a major contributor of entries to the dictionary. It was a fascinating narrative—well told with an interesting and educational topic. I think there were parts where Winchester waxed a bit dramatic or put in theories based upon conjecture rather than fact…but that is what journalists do, after all. :) Quite worth the read. 4.5/5 stars.

3The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:02 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 2: The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (1/25/2012).

The Emperor of All Maladies is a sweeping “biography” of cancer covering archeological/ancient history to present-day. It is very well-informed, well written, and thorough. Definitely worth a read for anyone who is interested in the history of cancer or medicine. Well-deserving of the Pulitzer Prize it won in 2011. I think it was written with the popular reader in mind (he DOES tell us what DNA is at the beginning of the book), but the book quickly delves into terminology and topics that I suspect would be very heavy to someone who doesn’t already know a little about biology/medicine. This is especially true in the second half of the book. Mukherjee also is SO thorough that the book becomes extremely long, which is difficult for those of us with a short attention span. Also, I got great amusement out of his formulaically inserted personal patient pieces. It was good that he had them (they broke up the difficult scientific passages) but I could tell that they were written by a scientist and not a journalist (i.e. they were comprised of literal rather than emotive descriptions). Being a scientist myself, this made me chuckle (alas! an emotion). However, I think the personal patient pieces were interesting and elicited enough emotion to engage the readers. They worked for me, anyway. 4/5 stars.

4The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:02 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 3: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (1/27/2012)

Wow, this was an awesome book! It discusses the life of Henrietta Lacks, the donor of the tumor that was used to develop the immortalized cell line HeLa. The narrative alternates between the story of Henrietta’s family and a scientific discussion of the HeLa’s huge contribution to modern medicine. This is by far the most human story of science/medicine I’ve ever read. Everyone should read it! Additionally, the audiobook won the Audie Award because of its excellent performance. 5/5 stars.

5The_Hibernator
Editado: Jun 25, 2012, 2:21 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 4: Catch Me if you Can, by Stan Redding (2/1/2012)

This is the autobiography of Frank Abagnale, Jr. a con-man and counterfeiter who made millions passing fraudulent checks all around the world and, meanwhile, posed successfully as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatrician, and a lawyer. I enjoyed the movie based on this book so I hoped the book would be better. Although the book certainly provided more information about the scams and how he got away with it, Abagnale himself was much less charming in the book. He was too much of a womanizer and a…well…con-man. Emotions weren’t expressed (other than relief at escaping one or another of his women), making it difficult to empathize with him. Also, the adult Abagnale (who took part in writing the book) didn’t seem to feel much remorse about his activities. He rationalized: “I never conned a square John out of money,” but ignores the emotional strain that he must have put on many of his victims. Also, I am a little skeptical of the “true” part of this “true crime” story. I believe that the basic idea is true, but there were just too many convenient coincidences for his story to be entirely accurate. He must have taken bits and pieces of different escapades and pasted them together into a unified story, and over-emphasized his own cleverness. Clearly, he’s a genius, but I still would have liked a little more “oops, that was stupid” in his story. It would have humanized him. Not even a genius can be clever all the time! 3/5 stars

6The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:04 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 5: The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (2/7/2012)

Reason for reading: I wanted to read a YA book with Muslims in it, though this turned out to be neither YA nor to have very much about the Muslim faith. But it was still enjoyable.

Personal note: I am currently reading The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika and I keep coming across the word "satrap," which is the title of a governor of a provence in ancient Persia. So it was very amusing to me to come across the modern Persian name Satrapi. I feel like I've made a connection. :)

My Review: 4/5 stars
Persepolis is a graphic memoir about Marjane Satrapi, a young “modernized” girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Due to the trials of being an outspoken modern girl in this oppressive regime, she must leave her family and live alone in Austria to finish her education. There, she loses herself before finally coming to terms with her own identity. It was a heartbreaking memoir. The story and art were very dark, but humorous as well. I thought this book would be for young adults, but feel it would appropriate only for a VERY mature teenager. It has topics such as torture, rape, violence, and drugs. It was very educational about the revolutionary regime, though I don’t know how biased it is.

7The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:04 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 6: Physics of the Impossible, by Michio Kaku (2/12/2012)

Reason for Reading: Because it was there

My Review: 3.5/5 stars
Physics of the impossible explores common themes in science fiction, and explains in simplified physics whether such things are possible soon, or far in the future. Kaku has an engaging writing style, and his physics is basic enough that most popular readers would be able to follow. However, I don’t think people who follow physics regularly would enjoy the simplified science. I enjoyed this book, though I have one major complaint: Kaku would give examples of science fiction phenomena from popular novels. Apparently assuming that everyone has read all of these books, he almost always tells the ending of the book. I hadn’t read several of these books and was quite annoyed since telling the end of the book did not add any merit to his own arguments. The book lost star-points because of this problem.

8The_Hibernator
Editado: Jun 25, 2012, 2:21 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 7: The Genesis of Science, by James Hannam. (2/21/2012)

Reason for Reading: 75ers group read

My Review 3.5/5 stars
Hannam makes the argument that the development in philosophical thinking and study of the natural world in the middle ages is the cornerstone on which science was built during the later “scientific revolution” and that the role of the Catholic Church and medieval philosophy in the development of science is undervalued today. Hannam is a fantastic writer, in that he provides an engrossing history of the middle ages—especially providing interesting biosketches of the important philosophers of the time. Therefore, I recommend this book to popular readers of medieval history, history of science, or church history. However, Hannam’s book is not thorough enough to be considered a good academic history. He tends to provide the most interesting stories, ignoring the fact that some of his stories are controversial. Hannam also has a slightly defensive tone about the role of the Catholic Church during the middle ages. To most popular readers, I think the shortcomings of this book can be ignored, since it is a smooth and interesting read.

9The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:05 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 8: The Spiritual Brain, by Mario Beauregard (2/24/2012)

Reason for Reading: I'm interested in science vs. medicine debates

My Review: 3/5 stars
Beauregard’s thesis is that mystical/spiritual experiences have effects on the brain that are too complex to be generalized down to a “God Gene,” a “God Switch,” or a section of the brain dedicated to religiosity. His evidence for this thesis is pretty strong—specifically, he summarizes his own neuroscience research with Carmelite nuns. This thesis does not take an entire book to prove, however, so he spends the rest of the book discussing other aspects of spirituality and neuroscience. Problem is, he’s not an exciting writer, so I really can’t remember any of his other points. I don’t recall any objectionable arguments he made…it’s just that the book is rather forgettable. Maybe worth a read if you have a specific interest in the area—but there are better books out there for casual popular reading.

10The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:07 pm


2012 Book Non-fiction 9: A Preface to Paradise Lost, by C. S. Lewis (2/29/2012)

Reason for Reading: Wanted to better understand Paradise Lost. I'm not very good at poetry.

My Review: 4/5 stars
In this preface, Lewis first outlines what an epic poem is and what Milton was trying to do with Paradise Lost. Then he discusses his views on how Milton's theology played a role in this epic. Lewis debunks the view that Milton had compassion for Satan. It was a good introduction, which I read before the poem because I thought it might help me comprehend the poem while I'm reading it. It was helpful, though it managed to make me more skeptical that I'll comprehend Paradise Lost.

11The_Hibernator
Editado: mayo 13, 2012, 4:10 pm


Non-fiction Book 10: New Scientist ed. 25Feb - 2Mar 2012

New Scientist is a weekly science news magazine much like Science News, except that New Scientist targets scientists, not lay readers. Science News is short and could be understood by an intelligent teenager pretty easily. New Scientist is sort of like the reading level of Scientific American--except that New Scientist has only a couple feature-length articles and is mostly little blurbs as a weekly update.

I don't have the time to make lengthy notes on everything, but here's what I found interesting:

*Someone hacked into the Heartland Institute (a Libertarian think-tank) and leaked a bunch of their plans to push for a more "balanced" review of the climate change controversy in schools. New Scientist is a British magazine, and they lean quite a bit to the left. They were horrified at the idea that US kids might have to sit through lectures about a non-existent controversy. Personally, I feel that they don’t give enough credit to our kids. If our kids are never taught both sides of the argument, they won’t feel like they came to their own conclusions. Furthermore, if they’re exposed to the arguments of the opposition, they will be more prepared to address these arguments in a real-life situation.

* About 166 million years ago the Y chromosome had a little accident so that it could no longer recombine with X during meiosis. Since Y almost never comes into contact with another Y chromosome, it has collected mutations and shrunk. It is generally believed that Y will just shrink out of existence in another 4.6 million years (after donating all its important genes to other chromosomes). There is, in fact, a species of rat that has no Y chromosome at all. However, a recent finding shows that the human Y chromosome matches very closely to the macaque Y chromosome, suggesting that it has not changed for the past 25 million years—so maybe it’s safe after all.

*The feature article about stem cell research in the heart suggests that the hope in the healing power of non-specialized stem cells in healing the heart after injury is fizzling out. The stem cells will merge to the heart, but they won’t beat in the correct rhythmic pattern or with enough strength. However, new research has found stem cells on the outer layer of the heart which have the potential of becoming useful heart cells.

12The_Hibernator
Editado: mayo 13, 2012, 4:11 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 11: A History of the End of the World, by Jonathan Kirsh (3/10/2012)

Categories: Other (it COULD count as "history," but I'm low on "other." And, anyway, I learned very little history from it.)

Reason for Reading: Out of a vague interest in eschatology. And by that, I mean I'm interested from a sociological point of view why everyone is so fascinated with the end of the world.

My Revew 3.5/5 stars
This book surveys how the Book of Revelation has influenced culture throughout time. It provides a basic idea of how apocalyptic rhetoric has been used and developed with time. However, I didn’t learn much history from this book. In fact, Kirsh mostly assumes that the reader is either familiar with the history or willing to look up the interesting bits elsewhere. It is also very dense, since much of the text is direct quotes or paraphrases from other writers. Kirsch has a strong bias against apocalyptic rhetoric, and his book implies a direct influence of Revelation on pretty much everything bad that has ever happened. Personally, I think the case is over-stated. Apocalyptic rhetoric certainly impacts everyone’s lives in the same way as Shakespearian rhetoric does, but Kirsh implies a more active influence. I had the uneasy feeling that Kirsh was quoting people out of context; and I noticed one time he left important facts out of a historical example, thus misleading the reader. Kirsh also has a distinctly un-Christian leaning (I’m GUESSING he’s a secular Jew), and his views might offend conservative or fundamentalist Christians. Overall, I’m happy I read the book because it provided a broad survey. But I’d like to read others to get a more in-depth look at specifics.

13The_Hibernator
Editado: mayo 13, 2012, 4:12 pm


Non-fiction Book 12: Discover ed. April 2012

Target Audience: Discover's reading level is a little easier than Scientific American, but above Science News. I'd say an intelligent high schooler could probably read it without too much difficulty.

Again, I’m just commenting on some of the articles that I thought were particularly interesting. There’s lots more!

*There were a couple articles on the brain (I believe March is Brain Awareness Month). One of them was about Sabastian Seung’s project to use computer graphics to map all of the synapses in a brain. He’s doing it by obtaining ultrathin slices of brain and systematically staining each one and digitizing an image. Then, lucky grad students and post-docs go through each picture and color the neurons so that they can follow each neuron’s axons as it progresses through a sequence of pictures. Once the entire brain is finished, they’ll have a map of every synapse. Unfortunately, this process takes a very long time, so he’s trying to get the help of the general public by making an internet game out of it. Such a feat would be amazing progress in the neuroscience field, since in the future we might be able to distinguish between the synapses of a healthy brain vs. a schizophrenic brain (for instance).

*The other article was about memory. The elusive engram has finally been located in the brain. The word engram was coined in 1904 in Richard Sermon’s book The Mneme. An engram is a “permanent change wrought by a stimulus.” For instance, a mouse can be taught to fear black tiles because it has learned that it will get shocked if it steps on one. This fear response in the mouse is the result of an engram. Teams of researchers have located the black-tile-engram by quantifying the uptake of CREB in neurons (an indication of an activated memory). They then specifically killed those neurons using a rather elegant approach. Viola! The fear response to the black tile disappeared. This research has potential for development of a PTSD treatment (though much work would have to be done to develop in a human model).

Personal note: I originally came across the word engram in Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. I always thought it was a Scientology term. It amuses me to learn that he merely adopted it (with correct meaning) into his religion, which centers around using psychotherapy to remove engrams created by awkward life events (starting at conception…maybe even before conception?).

*There was an interesting article about a rare surgery in which a heart is removed, its tumor was extracted, the wall of the heart was repaired using bovine tissue, and the heart was put back in again. This is more dangerous than a transplant because during a transplant, the replacement is ready to throw in the moment the damaged heart is removed.

14The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:13 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 13: Vampires, Burial, and Death by Paul Barber (3/16/2012)

Reason for Reading: Interest in folklore and popular culture about vampires

My Review 3.5/5 stars
In Vampires, Burial, and Death, Barber differentiates between vampires of folklore and those of popular fiction (with a very strong emphasis on those of folklore). He proposes that the folklore of vampires arose due to people’s fear of dead bodies. He rigorously notes the common traits of folklore vampires (blood at the mouth, bloating, groaning when staked, red face, etc.) and points out that all of these things could occur naturally in a decaying body. The content of this book is very interesting, and Barber’s thesis is quite logical. However, the narrative was a little drier than necessary. I enjoyed learning, but wished it could have been a little more engaging!

15The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:14 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 14: New Scientist ed. 10Mar - 16Mar 2012

*There was an interesting article about the electrical forces that are natural within our bodies. For instance, bone has a piezoelectric field (possibly to sense force and stimulate bone formation or resorption), the spinal cord and skin have a pyroelectric field (possibly to sense temperature for purposes of thermoregulation), and arteries have a ferroelectric field (possibly to help dissapate heat in response to the mechanical stretch of blood pumping through).

*Of course there were a couple of articles on nuclear power--a theme that is very popular for the week of March 10 due to the anniversary of the crisis in Japan. I didn't really spend much time reading them because nuclear power doesn't interest me and I've read too much about it this week.

*One powerful limiting factor to the amount of memory future computers will have is the amount of heat that is released due to deletion of data. Silicon technology is expected to reach its limit in 20-30 years.

*XXY mice and mice with two X chromosomes and the Y genes incorporated into other chromosomes are more sexually active than their XY or X_ (with Y genes incorporated) counterparts. This suggests that the "inactivated" X extra chromosome isn't fully inactivated and probably has an impact on expression of genes from the Y chromosome. Apparently, this could explain why XXY men get more action. If they can determine how the extra X chromosome is affecting the Y chromosome, this might prove useful for libido-increasing treatments.

*Bonobos will go out of their way to rescue an injured male from a trap, whereas most ape species will desert injured males. This could be because Bonobos are a matriarchal species—and the females rely on males to help them raise their young. Most ape species are patriarchal.

*A grizzly bear was filmed using a rock as a tool to comb off its molting fur. It was clear the bear knew what it was doing, because it picked up a rock, turned it around in its paws, dropped it, picked up another rock, turned it around in its paws, and then started combing itself. The rocks had barnacles attached that would have helped remove molting fur and scratch the itchy skin beneath. This is the first example of a bear using a tool.

*Snakes on a sloping plane Snakes can keep traction on a plane by changing the angle of each scale individually.

* David Bainbridge wrote the article about middle age based on his new book Middle Age: A Natural History. His thesis is that middle age is an evolutionarily developed stage of life that is vital to our survival and culture. Humans are the only animals with such a long post-reproduction phase (although orcas undergo menopause as well). Middle age may have developed with our advanced intelligence and culture. In hunter-gatherer societies as well as modern societies, middle aged individuals are necessary to teach the young adults. Effectively, they run the world. That’s good, because (if all goes well) I’ll be middle aged in 10 years, and I want my chance to run the world.

*A 13th century bishop by the name of Robert Grosseteste had a very modern perception of color. Whereas most early writings on color portray it as a linear change (like a rainbow), Grosseteste had already determined that color is actually a three-dimensional concept with three prime colors that could combine under different hues and saturations to create the seemingly infinite variety that we perceive on our high definition 70” flatscreens. Apparently the dark ages weren’t so dark after all.

16The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:15 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 15: New Scientist ed. 17Mar - 23Mar 2012
*Neuroscientists are studying the navigation system of mice by looking at how the neurons fire while the mice navigate a virtual reality “maze.” The maze isn’t very complicated yet. :)

*A small amount of alcohol consumption increases people’s speed and accuracy while performing a test which involved linking groups of words with a single concept. This study supports the idea that people who are less focused on a task are better able to make creative connections, as described in the new book Imagine: How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer (a book which I hope to read sometime this year!).

*There was an interview with Noam Chomsky, whose work I have always been fascinated with even though I’ve never read any of his books. :( But this interview made me more eager to get on the ball!

*An article listed a bunch of particles quantum physicists are currently looking for, and briefly described what each one was. Do we really believe all these particles exist? It seems like they make them up to fit some weird mathematical quirk in their wave equations.

*About half of this edition was about “The God Issue.” There were 4 feature-length articles about science and religion and one interview.

-The first article was about Justin Barrett’s theory that humans are born with an instinctive belief in supernatural explanations. This is because we have a tendency to explain events we don’t understand with “agents,” (things that act upon their surroundings). So, for instance, if a ball goes flying through the air, a child will assume that someone acted upon the ball to make it move. This “agent” explanation continues throughout life, but as we get older we tend to explain things with rational thought rather than intuitive thought. Barrett has a book out called Born Believers: The Science of Children’s religious belief which goes into depth about this theory. I’ll probably try to read it sometime.

-The second article was about Ara Norenzayan’s theory that organized religion developed as small hunter-gatherer groups banded together in larger, non-nomadic cities. Hunter-gatherers tend not to have moralistic religions because they are in small groups with which they share many genes (and therefore have genetic push towards altruism). According to Norenzayan, moralistic religions developed when groups of people became so large that each individual was exposed mostly to people who were not related. Since the genetic push for altruism no longer worked in this society, they needed a moralistic (organized) religion to keep people playing nice with one another. This theory is described in a book which is soon to come out The Making of Big Gods, which I will try to read as soon as it’s released.

-The third article was Robert McCauley’s idea that humans are naturally inclined to religion because the intuitive explanation is easier to come by than a rational explanation. Science is more difficult than religion because it requires a rigorous explanation of things that can often not be explained. Theology is kind of like science because it takes religion out of its intuitive state and tries to create rational explanations that often don’t make sense or contradict themselves. His new book is Why Religion is Natural and Science is Not.

-The fourth article is by a scientist who seems to think that because science has not proven that God exists that God must not exist. It wasn’t really that interesting to me because it seemed a little meaningless.

-The interview was about Alain de Botton’s new book Religion for Atheists which is about why humans need religion and what aspects of religion atheists should try to adapt to their own philosophies in order to benefit from this essential need. I am definitely going to read this book soon, too.

17The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:16 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 16: The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith (3/22/2012)

Reason for Reading: I like to read scripture books from a variety of religions because I am interested in how they compare and what sort of message they relay. This book was given to me by a couple of Mormon elders who knocked on my door last year. "Elder," by the way, means that they were 20 year old boys who weren't allowed to enter my home without having an older male as an escort because apparently I am a threat to their innocence. Ah! I feel so sophisticated now! The fact that the escorts were meant to protect THEM and not me. ;)

My Review 3/5 stars
Although I think it’s a good idea to educate oneself on other religions (especially those religions which have an undeserved bad reputation), I’m not sure reading the Book of Mormon is the best way to learn about LDS. It was dense, difficult reading. It starts out with some wanderings in foreign lands, then they have lots of wars, then Jesus comes and saves them all, then they have a bunch more wars. Half the sentences begin with “And it came to pass that…” There are some passages of uplifting spirituality, but these passages were few and bogged down by a lot of unexciting depictions of war. Personally, I think the best way to learn about LDS is to talk to some missionaries and THEN (once you’ve gotten a good idea of what the religion is about) read the Book of Mormon if you’re still interested. But that’s just my humble opinion.

18The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:16 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 17: Columbine, by Dave Cullen (3/31/2012)

Reason for Reading: It was there

My Review 4.5/5stars
Cullen provides an in-depth look at the events leading up to and following the tragic school shooting at Columbine. He fleshes out the personalities of the people involved, especially focusing on the two shooters. He debunks the myths that confounded the Columbine story for years. This is an amazing work of journalism, as well as a moving narrative. Tears came to my eyes several times while reading. My only qualm about this book is that at the very end Cullen provided some gory details that weren’t necessary. I’m not squeamish, but I think providing those details wasn’t necessary to emphasize how tragic the events were, and gore is much more disturbing when you’re thinking about the real people involved. However, this was only a very short section of the book…and I guess journalists will be journalists.

19The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:17 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 18: New Scientist ed. March 31 - April 6

*There were three articles in this edition about antibiotic use. The first mentioned that the FDA has now banned the use of some farmyard antibiotics, and is undergoing pressure to expand the ban to include all non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics. The concern is that antibiotic resistant bugs will develop in farm animals and then jump to humans.

*The second article was about how a gradual change in gut bacteria over generations in US might be partially responsible for the rise in obesity. Modifying the gut bacteria in mice with antibiotics increases the weight of the mice. A study following babies in Denmark showed that children that had received antibiotics in the first 6 months were more likely to be overweight, regardless of the weight of the parents. Since gut bacteria are likely picked up from the mother during birth and from the hospital environment immediately following birth, increased sterility and use of antibiotics might have led to a gradual change in gut bacteria to a more unhealthy set than we originally evolved.

*The third article was about bacteria that have developed the ability to go into hibernation when antibiotics are present. The fact that they are not replicating makes most antibiotics useless on them in this hibernation state. Then, when the antibiotics are gone, the bugs wake up again. This phenomenon has been recognized for over a decade, but the hibernating bugs are difficult to study because they can’t be grown on plates with antibiotics (which is how antibiotic resistant strains are studied), and if their environment is modified by scientific manipulation, they just wake back up again. However, a new drug that kills bacteria by attacking their ribosomes, or a drug which wakes the bugs back up again are being developed.

*Global warming is helping (rather than hurting) the endangered killer whale (Orca). Because there is less ice in the Arctic regions, they are better able to travel around. They are, however, further endangering other marine life in the area, because they are predators.

20The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:18 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 19: Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet (4/22/2012)

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 4/5 stars
This is a coming-of-age memoir about a high-functioning autistic savant who also has synesthesia. It is rare for a savant to be as high-functioning as Tammet, therefore this memoir provides a unique and fascinating look into Asperger's, savantism, and synesthesia. It was endearing to watch Tammet metamorphose from an awkward child into a much more secure adult. The story is insightful and inspiring...I imagine it would be especially so for teens with Asperger's who are concerned that they will never be able to function in the "real world."

21The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:18 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 20: The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels (4/24/2012)

Reason for Reading Am interested in reading a few of Pagels' books, and I thought this was the best place to start

My Review 4/5 stars
Pagels objectively introduces the subject of the Gnostic Gospels—she describes the history of the texts, some basic differences between Gnostic beliefs and Orthodox beliefs, and then summarizes by saying that Christianity would have developed quite differently (or perhaps even fizzled out like other mystic fad religions) if Gnosticism had survived. She supports neither Orthodoxy or Gnosticism in this book, but provides an objective historian’s view on the two faiths. This is a fantastic introduction to Gnosticism, and it lacks the sensationalism of many Gnostic scholars today. Highly recommended.

22The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:19 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 20: Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin (4/25/2012)

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 4/5 stars
In Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin describes how her autism helps her discover how animals perceive the world. She compares an autistic person’s perceptions with animals’ perceptions, and contrasts them with how non-autistic people think. She also gives her own ideas about how domesticated animals can be treated/trained in order to provide them with the best environment possible. Overall, a very interesting book...It changed my perception of how autistic people and animals think.

23The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:19 pm


Non-fiction Book 21: New Scientist ed. 7Apr - 13Apr

*The UK Biobank has collected half a million DNA samples and medical record from volunteers to help pinpoint causes of disease. These data can be combined with data from a similar project in China.

*It turns out that the ages previously determined for the oldest rocks are off by millions of years. This could affect how fossil records are interpreted.

*A team led by Van Wedeen of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston had developed a model for brain circuitry suggesting that the folds in the brain structure make the wiring look much more complex than it really is. In their model, once the folds have been straightened out, the nerve fiber paths appear to be an organized grid. Some neuroscientists are skeptical, and others say "maybe, let's wait and see."

*Robin Dunbar writes an article comparing the social networks of monkeys/apes to classical human social networks to internet social networks. She says as the number of grooming partners (monkeys) or close friends (humans) an individual has increases, the individual’s immune system becomes stronger and stress levels drop. She also points out that internet social networks have not changed the number of close friends a person has, it has simply enabled people to keep in touch with less close friends and to connect with people around the world. She says that although the number of close friends has not changed, it may be detrimental to people’s mental health to communicate with these close friends mainly by internet—facial expression, tone of voice, touching, etc are required for the full benefit of friendship. It’s also possible, as far as I’m concerned, that our brains will rewire themselves to find internet social networks rewarding in a way that physical social networks are not. After all, our brains have apparently changed the way we process and recall information to better suit our internet resources. Why can’t our social needs change as well?

*The amount of phytoplankton in the sea may be decreasing due to global warming. Since phytoplankton are the major planetary contributors of photosynthetic energy, this could lead to world doom. Other scientists are skeptical. Global warming? A conspiracy!

24The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:20 pm


Non-fiction Book 22: New Scientist ed. 14Apr - 20Apr

*Babies are born with gut bacteria! (Not really news.) It was previously thought that babies were born sterile because bacteria should not cross the placenta. However, it now looks like bacteria probably do cross (more research to be done here). Pilar Francino and colleagues at the University of Valencia in Spain collected the first poo of babies (called meconium). There were two populations of gut bacteria, those that produce lactic acid like lactobacillus, and enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli. She checked up on the volunteer babies at 1 and 4 years of age and found that infants born with more lactic acid bacteria were significantly more likely to develop asthma-like symptoms, while those born with enteric bacteria were at greater risk of eczema. Women with university education (or who ate organic foods) were more likely to bear lactic-acid-bacteria children, and poorer women were more likely to bear enteric bacteria children. One might wonder if university educated women raised their children in an environment which increased chances of asthma, and that the bacteria had nothing to do with it. Just a thought. Also, after reading the March 31st edition of New Scientist (the article about how insufficient gut bacteria may increase obesity), I suggested to my father that perhaps the increasing rate of autism diagnosis in children might not JUST be an increased consciousness about autism among doctors—It could be due to something seemingly unrelated like our gut bacteria. Not that I really thought that our gut bacteria affected neurological development…I was just throwing out silly ideas. However, this edition of New Scientist made the same passing comment. Now I’m going to have to be skeptical of that! ;)

*Ants are able to fight off deadly skin fungus by licking their infected buddies to develop resistance. Ewww.

*The London subway system could be used to monitor the well-being of neighborhoods. More travel = healthier neighborhood. Faster and easier than a census.

*A computer program has been written which can recognize a memorable one-liner from a movie compared to forgettable lines in the same scene. It analyzed sentence structure, word combinations, uncommon words, etc. Now, perhaps, people writing books or movies can use the program to analyze their lines. Or, more efficiently, slogans from political campaigns could use the help of this computer program.

*New technologies are developing to increase the child-bearing age of women. This is a social revolution for working women. However, how will it impact the children?

25The_Hibernator
mayo 13, 2012, 4:21 pm


2012 Non-fiction Book 23: Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond (5/11/2012)

Reason for Reading: This has been on my reading list for years—since before I watched the documentary.

My Review 4/5stars
In this Pulitzer Prize winning book, Diamond attempts to answer the question of why the Western Civilization rose to power instead of other civilizations. His answer is that they lucked out on geography and ecology. Western civilizations were better able to domesticate animals and plants due to the varieties that they had available, and were therefore able to develop larger farming societies, allowing for development of crafts and “scientific exploration.” Also, because they were in larger groups, they were exposed at low levels to many germs, and developed immunity. Because of these factors, they were able to harness the power of guns, germs, and steel in their pursuit of world power. This was a fascinating book, and definitely worth reading even after watching the documentary. It’s just packed full of information, the writing is smooth and articulate, and the research is extensive.

27qebo
mayo 14, 2012, 12:47 pm

Nice to see you here!

26: IN PREPARATION FOR AN INTERVIEW TOMORROW
Yay for the interview. And I guess you like the reading well enough or you'd find a different line of work. :-)

28The_Hibernator
mayo 14, 2012, 12:57 pm

Yay for the interview.

Thanks!

And I guess you like the reading well enough or you'd find a different line of work. :-)

I like the ideas that I come across in scientific journal articles, though I have to admit that some scientists don't seem to CARE whether they're expressing themselves well...as long as they get published and can get citations, it doesn't matter if they can't write! On the other hand, some people are able to insert humor into their scientific paper. I always love those! :)

29banjo123
mayo 14, 2012, 9:36 pm

Thanks for the reviews! I was also very impressed with Guns, Germs and Steel.

30qebo
mayo 15, 2012, 7:38 pm

26: IN PREPARATION FOR AN INTERVIEW TOMORROW
So... ?

31The_Hibernator
Editado: mayo 16, 2012, 7:05 am

>30 qebo: :) The interview went well. I've had a couple in the last week (things are starting to pick up, perhaps due to the end of the school year?) I'm feeling good that I'll get one of these jobs...fingers crossed!

ETA: It probably has more to do with the NIH funding cycle than the school year, actually...everyone finally knows whether they'll have money next year.

32kidzdoc
Editado: mayo 16, 2012, 7:25 pm

Good luck on your interviews!

I've saved the article about the blood PCR test for MRSA, which I'll look at later this week. My partners and I treat hundreds of cases of MRSA skin and soft tissue infections and several dozen invasive MRSA infections, usually osteomyelitis, myositis or lymphadenitis, every year, some of whom are also bacteremic. The majority of the patients with skin, soft tissue and musculoskeletal infections from whom we recover an organism are infected with MRSA, so we treat them empirically with vancomycin or clindamycin, rather than using a first generation cephalosporin or an extended spectrum penicillin. I'd be interested to see if this test would change my management of a patient with or without staphylococcal bacteremia.

Almost forgot; excellent reviews! I'll look at them more closely this weekend.

33The_Hibernator
mayo 17, 2012, 8:13 pm

Thanks Darryl! I'm glad to know someone appreciated my scientific journal selections. :) Those papers were written by the people who interviewed me (I was trying to get an idea of what sort of work went on there). My area is more basic science research in the innate immune system, so the papers were a bit over my head. It would be an interesting change, though, to work on clinical applications...

34The_Hibernator
mayo 25, 2012, 10:13 am


2012 Non-fiction Book 24: In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote (5/24/2012)

Reason for Reading: Murder and Mayhem in May

My Review 4/5 stars
In Cold Blood is a first-of-its-kind true crime book where journalism was written in novel-form. In a small Kansas town in 1959, four members of the Clutter family were brutally slaughtered in their home. The book begins by personifying the members of the Clutter family and laying out the last couple days of their lives. It also brings to life (disturbingly) the two murderers, outlining their histories and motivations. This is a work of genius in real-life characterization. The author clearly had compassion for at least one of the murderers, so much so that he was accused of being "obsessed." I don't find this obsession as shocking as some people, I suppose, because I understand that psychopaths are generally EXTREMELY charming and are able to manipulate people into feeling empathetic towards them. I wonder, though, if Capote knew as much about the diagnostic criteria of psychopaths back then as a good journalist-doing-his-job would have today, would he have portrayed the two men the same way? While reading, I kept saying, "these men are psychopaths, and yet they are portrayed as having (very tiny!) consciences..." If the book were written today, I don't think it would be the same book. Regardless, I think it's a classic that will stay with us forever simply BECAUSE it portrays a world that was perhaps less complex and more innocent than today's.

35The_Hibernator
Jun 17, 2012, 9:03 am


Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation, by Elaine Pagels (6/17/2012)

Reason for Reading: General interest in Church history and apocalyptic literature

My Review: 4/5 stars
In her newest book, Pagels explores the history of John of Patmos' Book of Revelation. She outlines what we know about John of Patmos, what he was trying to say with his preaching, and how contemporaries may have responded. The second half of the book covers the history of Christianity in the first two centuries C.E., with emphasis on Pagels' favorite topic of disparate beliefs among early groups. She completes the book with a description of how the Bible Cannon was chosen, with some suggestions about why John of Patmos' Book of Revelation was the only apocalyptic literature included. Pagels' writing is clear and interesting, though a bit repetitive--especially if you've read some of her earlier works. If you're interested in early church history, especially the disparate groups of Christians, then this is the book for you. If you're interested in apocalyptic literature in early Christian history, then the first half of this book, and the tail end, is for you.

36The_Hibernator
Jun 25, 2012, 2:05 pm


Complete Triathlon Guide, compiled by USA Triathlon (6/17/2012)

Reason for Reading: LibraryThing ER book. I'm training for a triathlon and was hoping this book would provide some useful tips--but it was for athletes more advanced than I.

My Review 4/5 stars
This is a comprehensive guide to training and competing in triathlons. It begins by covering the basics of creating a yearly training regime, then describes training strategies and technique drills, it discusses techniques to use prior to and during races, and finally discusses injuries, nutrition, choosing gear, and choosing a coach. Although this book is advertised for triathletes of all levels, it would be most helpful to experienced (or very determined) athletes or for coaches. This is not a book for beginners or for people who just want to train for triathlons simply "for fun" or to get into good shape.

37The_Hibernator
Jun 25, 2012, 2:06 pm


Religion Explained, by Pascal Boyer (6/24/2012)

Reason for Reading: Science, Religion, and History group read with the 75ers

My Review 2/5 stars
The intent of this book is to use anthropology and cognitive science to "explain" why religious beliefs developed (and are still common) in humans. I started reading this book with the expectation that it was intended as popular science; but it assumed that the reader already had a background in anthropology and cognitive science. Boyer made his explanations using terminology that was unnecessarily complex; and although the meaning could be discerned from the context, it made the narrative into very heavy reading. Furthermore, he made many bold statements without providing evidence, possibly because he figured his readers had a background in this area and knew where he was coming from. The examples he did provide often fell short for me as a scientist--I felt there were too many obvious loopholes to the experiments described, and it was unclear whether these loopholes were addressed. Overall, I think this book may be interesting to someone who has already read a lot of literature in this field, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone with a casual interest, nor as introductory material.

38The_Hibernator
Editado: Jun 25, 2012, 2:20 pm


Cro-Magnon, by Brian Fagan (6/24/2012)

Reason for Reading: Interest in the evolution of humans

My Review 4/5 stars
Cro-Magnon, by Brian Fagan introduces what is currently known (and speculated) about Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals. Fagan spices up his narrative with imaginative vignettes of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons as they may have lived. I imagine such vignettes would appeal to most everyone in the general public, including teens, though they may be a little irritating to a hard-core scientist who isn't interested in imaginative speculation (just a guess...I loved them!). Another excellent feature of this book is that it has incorporated historic scientific discoveries about prehistoric peoples with modern science like mitochondrial DNA tracing. Again, this feature would be of interest to most of the general public, but isn't meant for experts--there are a lot of simplifications for the sake of clarity. I think this book is an excellent introduction to prehistoric peoples that could be enjoyed by both adults and teens (even precocious pre-teens).

39qebo
Jun 25, 2012, 2:16 pm

FYI: Cro-Magnon touchstone is picking up the wrong book.
Added to the wishlist, though I'm currently bogged down in plant evolution and realizing that I need a serious education in botany. Simplifications for the sake of clarity sound rather attractive.

40The_Hibernator
Jun 25, 2012, 2:20 pm

Thanks Q! I forget that I have to change that EVERY time. :)

41qebo
Jun 25, 2012, 2:20 pm

37: I got Religion Explained for the group read, but haven't yet begun it, and nobody is making it seem very appealing, so it'll likely be gathering dust for some time.

42The_Hibernator
Jul 3, 2012, 8:13 am

Essays read in the past week: Chi in Igbo Cosmology, by Chinua Achebe; Can be found in a book of essays by Chinua Achebe Morning Yet on Creation Day.

Journal articles read in the past week: Along with a total of 13 abstracts on the role of the innate immune system in preeclampsia, I also finished one review article:

Innate immunity, coagulation and placenta-related adverse pregnancy outcomes

Ok, I didn't update my magazines last month because I was in a pissy mood right around then. So I'll update 2 months worth:

The Economist Note: My subscription went on the fritz for some reason (post office mistake), but hopefully I'll get one this week!


New Scientist I'm running behind!


Time I'm behind in these too, but I care less

43The_Hibernator
Editado: Jul 6, 2012, 11:15 am


Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff (7/4/2012)

My Review: 3.5/5 stars
Cleopatra: A Life is a light biography which is appropriate for the popular reader...not so much for historians or people who have already read a lot on the subject. There is a lot of speculation (Schiff admits as much) because there is not a contemporary information on the topic. Schiff's thesis is that Cleopatra is not the conniving seductress that historians have suggested. The first third of the book covers her early life and relationship with Julius Ceasar, but this part not well organized. Schiff's narrative jumps from subject to subject and does not do a very good job of explaining the political background. In fact, this section focuses mainly on how rich Cleopatra was and dwells in great detail on opulence. The last two thirds of the book come together in a tighter, more interesting narrative, however. This is where Schiff discusses Cleopatra's relationship with Antony and its political ramifications. This is a good book to read for the "popular" reader who does't have a specific interest in the subject. However, I 'm guessing there may be biographies that better describe her relationship with Ceasar and the political ongoings at that time.

44The_Hibernator
Jul 6, 2012, 8:07 am

I ought to be reading more articles about the innate immune system in preeclampsia in preparation for my interview today, but I seem to have some flu-like disease so I've been resting. I suppose it's a good thing that I already have a background in innate immunology, so I should do fine, regardless...(even if I had to look up "preeclampsia" when I first saw the word.)

45qebo
Jul 6, 2012, 8:22 am

Is this the Skype interview? Sending positive thoughts your way!

46The_Hibernator
Jul 6, 2012, 8:33 am

Yes, it's the Skype interview...it FINALLY got set up. :) Thanks for your positive thoughts!

47JDHomrighausen
Jul 6, 2012, 8:47 am

Hibernator, you're reading some interesting stuff. I got Pagels' book for kindle and intend to get to it soon. Keep posting!

48The_Hibernator
Jul 6, 2012, 8:57 am

Thanks Jonathan!

49The_Hibernator
Jul 13, 2012, 7:15 am


Fantasy Media in the Classroom, by Emily Dial-Driver (7/12/2012)

Reason for Reading: Early Reviewer's Book.

My Review 4/5 stars
Fantasy Media in the Classroom is a collection of essays which describe why fantasy media and popular culture are useful in the classroom. For instance students can learn the same techniques using popular fiction as they can with an old-school class, but they feel more confident in their analyses because they already feel like they are experts on popular culture. These lessons and confidence can then be extrapolated on to classical literature. Fantasy Media in the Classroom also gives examples of how popular culture can be used to design lessons. This book was written mostly from the perspective of teaching college students, but a few essays talk about high school students. It's possible these lessons could also be changed a bit and used for younger students, as well. I think this book would be useful to teachers, even if they don't plan on fully incorporating popular culture in their classrooms, because it may help them to see the benefit of popular culture references their students make during class...and how such references could be embraced as an interesting interpretation rather than brushed off. I am not a teacher, but I found this book interesting because it helped me to better understand what fantasy media says about psychology/sociology/politics.

50The_Hibernator
Jul 15, 2012, 2:27 pm


New Scientist magazine - 16 June 2012

You may carry cells from your siblings aunts and uncles, by Linda Geddes
• Cord blood from 23 newborn girls was tested for the presence of Y chromosome. Of 12 girls with older brothers, 11 had cells with Y chromosome in their cord blood. This suggests that cells from fetuses cross over the placenta into the mother, and can then cross from the mother to future children.

Neutrinos don't outpace light, but they do shapeshift, by Lisa Grossman
• After the whole neutrinos-travel-faster-than light!-Ooops,-no-they-don't,-we-just-had-leaky-fibers debacle, OPERA has announced that the have captured neutrinos oscillating from muon- to tau-type. That was the original purpose of the OPERA experiment, anyhow, so let's just forget about the whole light speed thing, shall we?

Why haven't bald men gone extinct?, by Rob Dunn
• This was an interesting article which summarized the biological reasons men go bald. Contrary to previous beliefs, baldness is not a sex-linked trait. You can blame both your mom and your dad for your baldness. The baldness is due to the effects of testosterone on the stem cells in hair follicles. Bald men have follicles that are more highly receptive to testosterone. Similarly, follicles on the temples and top of the head are more sensitive than hair on the back of the head--thus male pattern baldness. The article then asks why baldness survived as a trait? Hair protects the head from the sun and cold. Dunn proposed that baldness could be a sign of dominance (more testosterone). It's apparently easier to tell bald men are angry because their pates turn red? But then it points out that if THAT were the case, why do most of our popular politicians have a full head of hair? And why did Ceasar invent the comb-over? Personally, I suspect that it might be linked to a useful trait, much like sickle cell anemia and malaria resistance. Dunn suggested that baldness may confer an as-of-yet undiscovered superpower. Perhaps that's what he meant.

51The_Hibernator
Jul 18, 2012, 2:37 pm


New Scientist 23Jun - 29Jun

Stealthy virus that robs years of life could be beaten, by Jessica Hamzelou

• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpes-like virus related to the chicken-pox. About 70% of people in the UK over the age of 65 are infected. CMV was previously thought to be harmless in healthy adults, but it is now clear that the virus can cause damage to the immune system that can take years off a person's life. CMV hijacks the immune system so that 40% of the T-cells are trained to attack CMV, leaving only 60% of them to manage all other infections. It is possible that a regimen of antivirals could be used to wrest back those years of life. Studies are underway.

•Researchers can use CMV's unique hijacking ability to attack cancer cells. They have modified a melanoma protein just enough that the immune system will attack it, but it will still be recognized for the human protein it is. They stuck the gene for their modified protein into CMV virus, and infected cancer-riddled mice. The modified-CMV-infected mice survived for as long as they were monitored (2 months). "This is huge for mice," says Qiu, one of the scientists involved with this study.

•I was tested for CMV a few years back when I had tonsil-rot, but came up negative. Luckily, tonsillectomy fixed the tonsil-rot and all was well again. :)



What a way to go: Prehistoric turtles died during sex, by Michael Marshall

•The picture says it all.

Cruel cuts: Is breast cancer surgery necessary?, by Tiffany O'Callaghan

• In the past few decades, technology has greatly enhanced our ability to find tiny, potentially harmless, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) tumors in breasts. Because of our new ability to detect these tumors early, the number of preventative lumpectomies and mastectomies has increased (with a corresponding decrease in radical mastectomy, a deforming surgery which removes not only the breast, but quite a bit of the underlying tissue); however, we have not seen a corresponding drop in the rate of invasive breast cancer (except in 2002, when hormone replacement therapy became less popular). It is possible that the rate of invasive breast cancer does not depend upon DCIS tumors, and that women are undergoing unnecessary surgeries. Or, it's also possible that the rate of breast cancer would have increased during this period irregardless of treatment, thus skewing our data to suggest that early treatment isn't useful.

• How do we ethically test whether the lumpectomies are preventative or not? Such a change in breast cancer treatment would have to be a movement among the women, not among the physicians. The patients would have to choose between risking a possibly unnecessary surgery and risking metastasis of untreated tumors. Then, of course, the woman who chooses against treatment may be from a different demographic than the woman who elects surgery. How would we analyze such data?

•You can find a fascinating description of the evolution from radical mastectomy to lumpectomy in Siddhartha Mukherjee's Pulitzer Prize winning book The Emperor of All Maladies, which I reviewed above.

52kidzdoc
Jul 19, 2012, 1:47 pm

I'm enjoying your comments about the New Scientist articles, Rachel. I read the article about chimerism, which was fascinating to me. I'll definitely read the article about CMV, a very common cause of benign viral pharyngitis but also a potentially serious infection in the fetus, and the one about breast cancer. Dr. Bernard Fisher was a professor at Pitt, where I attended medical school, and a surgeon at Magee Women's Hospital when he conducted his research that showed that lumpectomies were superior to radical mastectomies in the surgical management of breast cancer.

The Emperor of All Maladies was outstanding.

53The_Hibernator
Jul 19, 2012, 2:13 pm

Thanks Darryl! It's good to know people read my New Scientist summaries. :D

54The_Hibernator
Jul 29, 2012, 8:27 am


I Shall Not Hate, by Izzeldin Abuelaish (7/23/2012)

Reason for Reading: Reading Globally Middle Eastern theme read

My Review
In this heartbreaking (yet strangely uplifting) memoir, Abuelaish relates his life—growing up in poverty in a Palestinian refugee camp, slaving so that he could raise enough money to go to medical school, and his rising career coincident with his growing family. Despite losing 3 daughters and a niece to an Israeli military action, Abuelaish preaches that love, not hate, is required to bring peace. Abuelaish’s story is engrossing and tragic, yet I couldn’t help but think about all of the suffering Palestinians who don’t have a voice. If life is so hard for someone who has powerful connections, what must it be like for those who have no one to help them? This is a must-read for people who think Palestinians are all about terrorism and throwing rocks—people who likely wouldn’t touch the book with a 10-foot pole. It’s also a fantastic read for someone who is sympathetic to both sides of the conflict, but who wants to hear a personal story. I DO wish I could read the story of someone who isn’t highly connected, but this is a fantastic start. And Abuelaish’s enduring message of love make a monumental memoir.

55The_Hibernator
Editado: Ago 2, 2012, 7:37 pm

July 2012 Magazines

New Scientist


The Economist


Furthermore, I posted some comments on the three newsweeklies that I've tried out on my blog:
http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/2012/07/newsweeklies-or-monthlies-whi...

I commented on an article I read in the 7Jul Economist here:
http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/2012/07/is-collection-of-biometric-da...

And on an article I read in the 14Jul Economist here:
http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/2012/07/scientific-funding-where-do-w...

Finally, I commented on an article I read in the 16Jun issue of New Scientist here:
http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/2012/07/creativity.html

56The_Hibernator
Ago 5, 2012, 8:29 am


The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East, by Sandy Tolan (8/4/2012)

Reason for Reading: I realized I know much less than I should about this politically vital conflict and am enjoying learning more about it. I read this for the Reading Globally Middle Eastern Literature theme read.

My Review
http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-lemon-tree.html

57The_Hibernator
Sep 6, 2012, 10:21 am



Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl (9/5/2012)

Reason for Reading: One of the essays in Fantasy Media in the Classroom, talked about a fusion class which combined Man's Search for Meaning and The Lucifer Effect with science fiction books like The Invisible Man and The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde where men choose "evil." I thought since I've been reading a lot of books about men who choose "evil" that I'd throw in Man's Search for Meaning. I'll try to fit in The Lucifer Effect too. It gives an interesting perspective on why some people choose "good" and other choose "evil." Frankl's message was that people can choose to be "swine" or "saints," but they make this choice over and over throughout their lives and their search for meaning is the motivation behind each decision.

My Review
In the first half of this fascinating little book, Frankl describes his years in the concentration camps (including Auschwitz) with the purpose of analyzing the behavior of people in extreme situations. He admits that someone who wasn't there can't give a very detailed or personal account, but a person who WAS there can't give a detached account because they were emotionally involved. I think he did an excellent job of viewing the situation with detachment, considering the situation. This was a really interesting little memoir. The second half of the book introduces his theory of psychoanalysis: logotherapy. Logotherapy is focused on man's search for meaning; in contrast to Freudian theory focusing on man's search for pleasure and Adlerian theory focusing on man's search for power. I think Logotherapy is the most sensible form of psychotherapy I've ever heard of. How can I argue that our happiness depends on our perceiving our own purpose? I admit I felt a little skepticism when he kept bringing up examples of how he'd "cured" someone after only one session--he must have been a particularly clever person to manage that so often. ;) But that aside, I think the technique of finding meaning in a patient's life is rather useful. :)