More Christmas Reading Room 2011

Back to Christmas Reading Room recommendations from Sense About Science staff, trustees and advisory council.

Sense About Science's Friends 

 Gillian Slovo, author and President of English PEN, recommends…

"One of the freshest and most interesting books I read this year was Carmen Aguirre's memoir Something Fierce. Here the daughter of a Chilean revolutionary, who herself became a revolutionary, cuts through the mists of childhood to uncover the impact of her mother's half heroic, half crazy decisions. A different way of looking at the evidence of the past, and one that teaches much to the reader."

 

Professor Richard Wiseman recommends…

“My wish would be for an Tefal Toast N' Egg TT550015 Toaster, 2 Slice, Black.  I bought one of these ages ago and they are a fantastic bringing together of top-notch science and psychology. Basically, it is a toaster that poaches or boils eggs at the same time as it toasts toast. This is ace because it saves lots of clearing up, and is far quicker than making the toast and eggs separately. As a result, you start the day with a big smile on your face AND you have more time to read science books and support the Sense About Science 'Ask for evidence' campaign.  So there you have it - an eggy toaster!”

 

Derren Brown, author and illusionist, recommends...

"I have to second Professor Wiseman's recommendation of the Tefal Toast 'n' Egg. It's magnificent. And I hope this means I get a free one as I've lost a bit from my old one. (I don't think he should get a new one as he's not as famous. He can get my old one with the bit missing). Book-wise this year I've really enjoyed Richard Mason's History of a Pleasure-Seeker. It's a saucy picaresque tale, like a rude Thomas Mann and I loved it."

 

 

…from Science 

Dr Ben Goldacre recommends…

"If you want to learn stuff, then Testing Treatments is the best pop science book I've read on evidence based medicine (I wrote the foreword for the second edition, where I say the same thing!). For dark comedy you can't beat Satan Wants Me by Robert Irwin, about a PhD student at LSE in the sixties doing participant observation work among the satanic sects of north London. And for kicking your feet up righteously in front of the telly, then Yes Men Fix The World on DVD is perfect."

 

 

John Durant, Director of the MIT Museum, recommends…

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

“It is the outstanding science book for general readers of the past couple of years; for anyone who’s been living under a rock and hasn’t heard, this is a very moving account of one family whose (grand)mother’s tumour cells came to populate research laboratories around the world.”

 

The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution by Carl Zimmer

“It is quite the best general introduction to evolution of our time; though pitched as a textbook, it’s very well written and is at a level where everyone, from biologists to general readers, can expect to learn something.”

 

 

Natalie Kuldell, MIT, recommends…

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
“Driven by curiosity and guided by logic, this book captures the fun and creativity of solving puzzles. Characters think hard and work together to be better than any one person could be alone and to accomplish an important goal.”

 

 

 

Lindsay Hogg, Senior Investigator Scientist, MRC, recommends…

"I read The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath earlier this year and found it a real page turner. It's a biographical account of a real murder trial that gripped Britain in the early 1900s, and not only is it an excellent thriller, I also found the author's portrayal of early pathology and forensics fascinating."

"This year I am hoping to find Lisa Randall's Knocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World in my stocking. The author looks at some of today's biggest scientific questions and explains why the research at the Large Hadron Collider may be able to provide the answers."

 

Dr Margaret McCartney GP recommends…

"The Murderous Maths series by Kjartan Poskitt are kids books about numbers which are funny, clever, silly and genius. We love Do You Feel Lucky (Murderous Maths) in particular – hilarious statistics about risk and chance. And Oliver Twist, Dickens. I read this for the first time this year. I had a sense of Dickens the court reporter, acting as a responsible, thoughtful journalist court reporter should – revealing poverty to people who hadn’t heard it. A reminder about what good observational journalism can, in the end, achieve."

 

 

Dr Andy Lewis, quackometer.net, recommends...

"My Christmas book this year is Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked into an Intellectual Black Hole by Stephen Law. We are taken through a philosophical look at why people get stuck in thinking dead ends and why it is so hard to climb out of them once there. Whether this be religious or superstitious beliefs, conspiracy theories or alternative medicine, the book highlights the warning signs that suggests we may be approaching an event horizon of delusion."

 

 

Paula Kirby, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (UK), recommends...

"My recommendation - this year and every year! - would always be Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind, by Gary Marcus.  This witty, accessible and succinct book is enormously enlightening about just how limited our reasoning powers are in practice and the formidable barriers to rationality posed by our haphazardly evolved brains.  Even if, like me, you pride yourself on your commitment to rationality, I suspect you will recognise some of the ways in which your brain sabotages your best efforts - I certainly did!  This book is important in helping us to understand not only ourselves, but also why others often find it so difficult to respond rationally even when presented with compelling evidence. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the human mind, but especially to anyone who has an interest in educating, persuading or influencing others."

 

Professor David Colquhoun, UCL, recommends...

"The Politics of Evolution is not a new book, but I rarely encounter people who’ve read it.  It’s an account if that very exciting period at the beginning of the 19th century which led to the passing of the first Reform Act of 1832, by Bertrand Russell’s grandfather in the teeth of opposition from the Duke of Wellington.  It relates the scientific ferment that was going on at that time to the simultaneous political ferment.  The conservatives in science were Oxford, Cambridge and the Royal Colleges of medicine.  The radicals were those who overthrew their hegemony and formed new ideas about the origin of species, some imported from France via Scotland.  Foremost among these were Robert Grant, and those who founded the University of London (soon to become UCL), where Grant was the first professor of comparative anatomy, and beautifully outspoken Thomas Wakley who founded the then radical journal, the Lancet. More on my blog."

 

…from the media 

 Jason Palmer, BBC News online, recommends…

Bats Sing, Mice Giggle: The Surprising Science of Animals' Inner Lives by Karen Shanor/Jagmeet Kanwal

“So, animals might be much, much more switched on than we think, you may have heard. You couldn't ask for more evidence than that provided in this book, which is a continuously astounding compendium of research showing the "inner lives" of a pretty diverse slice of the animal kingdom. From predation to play, there's a lot going on that's worth looking further into. Seriously enlightening, and a good deal of fun too.”

 

Claire Coleman, freelance journalist, recommends…

"My entire family is obsessed by Scrabbleand sometimes take it far too seriously, but I do think every home should have a Scrabble board - ours contains score sheets that date back decades, recording every victory and defeat. But I have to say, I prefer Bananagrams Game- it's basically Scrabble without the board, and doesn't take days to complete a game. But, whether we're playing Scrabble or Bananagrams, there's always someone who tries to get away with some spurious made-up word.

Obviously, I always ask for evidence, and so to avoid any doubt - and any arguments - I also recommend investing in a good Collins Scrabble Dictionary."

 

 

 

Mark Henderson, Science editor, The Times, recommends…

"I've not read a better or more important book this year than Tim Harford's Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure. The subtitle might make it sound like management gobbledegook, but if you’re a fan of Harford's work for More or Less and the FT, you'll know to expect something very different. The central idea is beautifully simple, and familiar to anyone with an affinity for science. We're wrong a lot, and understanding that is the first step on the path to getting less wrong. We need to accept that we'll have bad ideas, evaluate them dispassionately so we can identify mistakes and learn from them, and arrange systems so that error needn't be fatal. From the war in Iraq to medical research and the financial crisis, Harford draws on brilliant and sometimes counterintuitive examples to make a compelling case."

 

...from Policy 

Dr Julian Huppert MP recommends...

"I recently accidentally came across Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. A somewhat surreal piece of science fiction, the main protagonists are pure mathematicians, using the power of mathematical thought to think through the problems of the world, away from secular society, which calls on their thinking only when the state is threatened. Very gripping, thought provoking ... and geeky!"

 

Chi Onwurah MP recommends...

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography, by Walter Isaacson 

"As prospects for economic growth recede, it is fascinating to read this case study in the relationship between individuality, investment, innovation and environment.  Every country wants a Silicon Valley to drive growth.  This bio of Steve Jobs gives such a vivid picture of the nascent silicon valley of 1970s  – the heady mix of sixties counter culture, solid Government defence contracts , great publicly-funded universities, intelligent & available venture capital and entrepreneurs with the desire to change the world. Over 656 pages I grew to admire Steve Jobs’ creativity, vision and determination to bind together technology and art, whilst detesting his management style.  We still need visionaries who can, in Eric Schmidt’^[1]s phrase,  cross the luvvies vs boffins divide."

George Freeman MP recommends...

In Shackleton's Footsteps, by Henry Worsley

"Worsley’s account of Shackleton’s journey from Antarctica crossing the southern Ocean in the James Caird, a small wooden lifeboat, to make landfall at S Georgia, over a 1000 miles away, crossing the island by foot and sailing back in a whaler to rescue his full crew from Elephant island. An unbelievable feat of navigation (desperately straining on the transom in 40 feet waves for a glimpse of the sun to take a midday latitude reading). An account of extra-ordinary leadership from Shackleton and heroism from the crew. And a reminder of the strategic scientific and strategic importance of the Antarctic to Britain, especially today in understanding climate change, and of the Royal Navy and Royal Geographical Society to our history of science and exploration." 

Martin Turner, Association of Medical Research Charities, recommends…

Information is Beautiful by David McCandless

"As coffee table books go this has got it all: beautiful graphics and interesting facts for you to delve in and out of during the more boring moments of post-Christmas lunch conversation. This book pleases scientists and artists alike. Some of the statistics might raise an eyebrow and prompt your brother-in-law to 'Ask for evidence', but luckily the graphs are referenced so a bit of googling will hopefully put an end to the inevitable arguments."

 

Richard Dunstan, Citizen’s Advice, recommends…

"Hitch 22: A Memoir, by my personal hero Christopher Hitchens.  A life lived in the fast lane, to very great effect.  You won't always agree with what he has to say, but you will admire his way of saying it.  And, at just over £6 for some 450 pages, Hitch 22 gives great value for money."

 

 

 

...from VoYS 

Blanka Collis recommends…

"My recommendation is The Honest Look by Jennifer Rohn. A story about a scientist in a new job, new country and facing new challenges, who suddenly finds herself the discoverer of unexpected results that could have huge repercussions for her employer and who is faced with the decision as to what to do about these. A little bit of deception, a love story on the side and a very true to heart portrayal of life as a scientist (unsurprising, since the author herself is a practising scientist as well as a budding fiction writer) certainly made for a page-turner – I would recommend this to scientists and non-scientists alike."

 

Dr Tom Crick, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, CMU, recommends:

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth

"This is a graphical novel about the life of Bertrand Russell and the quest for the logical foundations of mathematics. Not an immediate attention-grabber, I grant you, but this is a genuinely engaging (and at times funny) narrated journey that manages to do justice to the philosophical struggles with the character's own personal turmoil and the pursuit of the meaning of "truth"."

"The book is 352 pages long -- 10 pages less than what it took Russell and Whitehead to prove that 1+1 = 2 in their treatise on the foundations of mathematics, Principia Mathematica. Highly recommended!"

 

Back to Christmas Reading Room recommendations from Sense About Science staff, trustees and advisory council.

These books are personal recommendations and do not represent any endorsement by Sense About Science.

 

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