Dennis McDonald’s BOOK REVIEWS Section
This section contains my occasional book reviews. You can find my movie reviews here.
- A complete index of my book reviews is here.
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Entries in Science (10)
Oliver Sacks' SEEING VOICES: A JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF THE DEAF
This 3-part book by Oliver Sacks from 1989 reviews the history of deaf education and language, the neurological underpinnings of language acquisition and deafness, and the student uprising at Gallaudet College in 1988.
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science
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Evelyn Fox Keller's THE CENTURY OF THE GENE
Cloning, evolution, and the Human Genome Project are often in the news. One of my 2008 New Years’ Resolutions was to learn more about genetics and molecular biology. I had resolved to “get smarter” about DNA and its role in evolution and in generation-to-generation stability and inheritance.
Dennis D. McDonald
in Non Fiction, Science
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Lisa Jardine's INGENIOUS PURSUITS: BUILDING THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
Late 17th Century London and the Royal Society provide the setting for this book. It concentrates on the “great men” who lived, worked, and created modern science.
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science
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Stephen Jay Gould's ROCKS OF AGES
Scientist Gould in this short book attempts to demonstrate both (a) how Science and Religion can learn to co-exist and (b) how efforts to control Science through Religion-imposed limits are prime examples of the two “magisteria,” as he refers to Science and Religion, transgressing on each other’s territory.
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science, Philosophy, Religion
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Michael Carlowicz and Ramon Lopez' STORMS FROM THE SUN
Many years ago my dad and my brothers and I would take our telescope out to the back yard during the day and point it at the sun. Holding a white card about a foot away from the eyepiece we would watch sunspots projected on the card, the easily visible evidence of massive solar magnetic storms.
Dennis D. McDonald
in Non Fiction, Science
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Freeman Dyson's THE SCIENTIST AS REBEL
This collection of essays and reviews by the physicist/mathematician Freeman Dyson makes for fascinating reading. The range of topics is broad and the style of writing is clear and approachable. Topics include religion, hydrogen bombs, Isaac Newton, the relative roles of technology and ideas in the advancement of science, the future of humanity in space (think: comets), and the role of amateurs in scientific research.
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science
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2 Comments
Gerard J. DeGroot's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
As a longtime fan of the U.S. space program my current lack of interest in the International Space Station and the recently announced Lunar Colony comes as a bit of a surprise to me.
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science
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Jill Jonnes' EMPIRES OF LIGHT
This is a popular history about three “giants” of electrification — Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla. Along the way we learn a lot about the commercialization of electricity in late 19th century America and the role that large corporations played in the spread of this technology. We also see how important patents — and patent protection — were in enabling a few powerful individuals to control the spread of the new technology.
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science
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Richard Rhodes' DARK SUN: THE MAKING OF THE HYDROGEN BOMB
Yikes, this is a scary book. I had either never known or had forgotten about the awfulness of the times when huge proportions of our GNP were devoted to developing strategic weapons and the means to deliver them.
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science
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1 Comment
Walter A. McDougall's THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH: A POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE SPACE AGE
This 1985 book by Walter A. McDougall is a real eye opener, especially if all you know about the early space program is the famous excerpt from John F. Kennedy’s speech
Dennis D. McDonald
in History, Non Fiction, Science, War
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