Science & Technology

Baur, founder and president of Farm Sanctuary (www.farmsanctuary.org), recounts his experiences in becoming an animal advocate and offers a comprehensive account on the treatment of farm animals. Although Baur is a self-proclaimed vegan, his tone is not overly sanctimonious. He places blame for the current state of factory farming not on the farmers but on an industrial, capitalistic system that pushes for a more technologically advanced way to mechanize procedures at a cheaper rate. Baur is simply asking the reader to look at this process from the animals' points of view. As the head of a farm-animal protection organization with locations in New York and California providing shelter to farm animals, Baur is competent to opine on the sentience of these creatures. Each chapter ends with a profile of a Farm Sanctuary resident. With an ample listing of applicable resources, references, and notes, this book is recommended for both public and academic libraries.—Diana Hartle, Univ. of Georgia Science Lib., Athens

Approaching equine care from the horse's perspective, Budd, a horse show competitor for more than 15 years and author of 13 books on horse care and behavior, notes that wild horses have fewer health problems than domesticated horses. They eat high-fiber, low-calorie food, grow heavy winter coats, and roll in dirt and mud to avoid insects. Arranging her guide by season, she describes what a horse in the wild would do to adapt to each season and what a horse owner can do to make the life of a domestic horse more closely emulate that of its wild cousin. As an experienced horse owner, Budd knows both what the rider/horse owner needs from the horse in order to fulfill goals and what the horse needs to be fit and happy. While Colin J. Vogel's Complete Horse Care Manual covers more material, Budd's title is perfect for someone who needs quick access to information on seasonal issues. Recommended for medium to large public libraries.—Patsy E. Gray, Huntsville P.L., AL

The enormous task of examining the diverse and sometimes speculative side of religious ethnobotany is well executed here. Musselman (botany & biological sciences, Old Dominion Univ.; Jordan in Bloom) has dedicated the last 20 years to the study of virtually every plant expressly mentioned in the Bible and Quran. After a foreword by Garrison Keillor, Musselman states in his introduction that he will avoid technical terms in favor of plain language. Although the book is organized alphabetically by common plant name and rich with color photographs, it is less of a field guide than a narrative of how ancient societies came to refer to particular plants in their religious texts, how our own names for those plants may not refer to the original plant in question (e.g., under "Apple," Musselman explains that Eden's forbidden fruit was likely an apricot, but there is no cross-reference from, or listing for, "Apricot"), and how these cultures used plants in everyday life. While Musselman is admittedly more familiar with biblical text (both OT and NT), he has studied extensively in the Middle East and was commissioned by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan to write his previous book. This historical botanical study of the region (its approach is not religious) appears to be the only work published to date to include both the Bible and the Quran. Recommended for all libraries with medium to large religious or armchair gardening collections.—Tracy Mohaidheen, M.L.I.S., West Bloomfield, MI

As with her first book, Paws and Reflect: A Special Bond Between Man and Dog (coauthored with Neil Plakcy), Sakson here turns her attention to the meaningful human-canine relationship and thoughtfully illustrates the therapeutic value of dogs. She offers intriguing snippets of information about dog domestication, the evolution of ancient and modern breeds, canine behavior, and animal-assisted therapy. Drawing on incidents from her personal life and the collected testimonies of therapists, war veterans, disabilities advocates, and patients coping with life-threatening or chronic diseases, she shows several examples of successful human-canine partnerships. Sakson profiles earnest, hardworking dogs that offer their owners unwavering companionship, therapeutic support, and a raison d'être. Although her thesis is hardly groundbreaking, her thoroughly readable stories are largely inspiring and warmly told, and they persuasively point to the depth of the human-dog bond. An appendix with FAQs (on service animals in places of business) and a list of suggested web sites complete the book. Recommended for public library pet collections.—Miriam Tuliao, NYPL

The dog man of the title is Morie Sawataishi, famed breeder and champion of akitas. While working as an engineer for Mitsubishi in far northern Japan during World War II, he became fascinated by this hardy dog breed, one of the oldest in the world. Because of wartime shortages (many of the dogs were eaten or used to make fur vests for the military), the breed had dwindled to just a few animals. Sawataishi illegally kept one hidden, and, as soon as the war ended, he began working to strengthen and expand the breed. His fame and that of his dogs soon spread, and his champions were winning dog shows around Japan. After retirement, Sawataishi continued working and living with his dogs, hiking in remote mountains, and even hunting bears. Vanity Fair and Esquire contributor and novelist Sherrill (The Ruins of California) offers great insight not only into one man and his dogs, but into an older, rural way of life unfamiliar to Westerners for whom Japan symbolizes fast-paced urban life and the latest technology. Recommended for pet and Asian studies collections in public and academic libraries.—Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green

The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, producer of Our Bodies, Ourselves, has created a separate, superlative guide focusing on pregnancy and birth. It includes current information on making health-care decisions (e.g., choosing a provider and a birth setting), nutrition, labor and delivery, Cesarean birth, recovery, feeding an infant, and life as a new mother. It also addresses special situations such as prenatal testing and pregnancy loss. As with all of the books in this series, a group of contributors made up of health-care providers, academics, and mothers prepared the articles. The information goes beyond the usual pregnancy self-help material by placing childbearing and parenting within a psychosocial and political context. Quotations from women documenting their experiences add depth, and final chapters on advocating for better maternity care and for mothers and families provide both resources and a call for action. A resource guide offers information about books, web sites, and organizations for mothers. This is an excellent book for public and consumer health library collections; highly recommended. [See the collection development article on pregnancy on p. 54.—Ed.]—Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L.

Until the early 20th century, few people made it to age 50; today, the average life expectancy is 77 and will continue to grow as science finds new ways to extend life, writes gerontologist Butler, founder of the National Institute on Aging and author of the Pulitzer Prize—winning Why Survive?: Being Old in America (1975). Longevity, however, is of little value in the absence of quality of life, he argues in this densely written series of discussions on the challenges of increasing longevity. Butler predicts more physical and mental illnesses and significant changes in family structure, economics, long-term care, and health care, as well as reviews the evolution of longevity, the politics of aging, and the threats of a longer life span. Despite the attraction of increased longevity, he is not convinced that a long life is always a better one. Charts, graphs, and tables, along with extensive bibliographies and detailed footnotes citing published and unpublished materials, support his points. This remarkable book demonstrates Butler's extensive knowledge of all aspects of aging. Recommended for large academic and aging collections. [See the Q&A with Butler in LJ 2/1/08.—Ed.]—Karen McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland

Several recent books—e.g., Arnold Relman's A Second Opinion and Laurence Kotlikoff's The Healthcare Fix—have proposed various ways to reform America's ailing health-care system. This easy-to-read, straightforward book by former U.S. senator Daschle ranks as one of the best. With decades of experience on Capitol Hill, Daschle clearly knows the politics of health care—he crafted numerous pieces of health-care legislation and worked with President Clinton to develop a national health-care program. Here, Daschle describes the various problems of the present system, before going on to discuss the many failed attempts by different presidents to reform the system. He proposes the creation of a Federal Health Board, modeled loosely on the Federal Reserve System, which would develop standards of care and evaluate the efficacy and overall benefits of new drugs and medical technologies compared to those in current use. The board would also regulate all health-care organizations and providers receiving federal funds. Daschle believes such a board would make complex medical decisions and resist political pressure from special-interest groups. His proposal appears to be realistic and politically feasible. Highly recommended for all academic and public libraries.—Ross Mullner, Sch. of Public Health, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago

Heart surgeon Steven Gundry takes an evolutionary and gene-based approach in this challenging but intriguing diet and nutrition guide, which was initially designed to improve the heart health of his seriously ill patients. With a friendly and enthusiastic tone, Gundry explains his view that eating a healthy diet can "turn off" genes in the human body that lead to weight gain and chronic disease. Gundry's rather complex three-phase diet plan focuses on reducing or eliminating grains and sugar, in favor of lean protein and large amounts of vegetables. The initial phases of Gundry's eating plan bear some similarities to the Paleolithic or caveman diet, as presented in books such as Ray Audette's NeanderThin or Loren Cordain's The Paleo Diet. While the strict requirements of Gundry's plan may be too extreme for some, and Gundry's explanations of his theories are occasionally confusing, this thought-provoking nutrition guide will likely appeal to open-minded dieters facing health problems that require a major lifestyle change. Suitable for larger public libraries.—Ingrid Levin, Salve Regina Univ. Lib., Newport, RI

Brain injuries are too common, with as many as 5.3 million Americans—two percent of the population—living with a disability resulting from a head injury. Through 12 narratives of traumatic brain injury (TBI), Mason, a professional brain-injury case manager, makes real just how devastating TBI is to survivors and their families. Readers meet Cheyenne, an aspiring actor whose snowboarding accident has led to grand mal seizures that tear muscles and lacerate skin; Brian, a six-year-old suffering a brain tumor and violent fits of rage; and Julie, a car accident survivor who cannot retrieve memories. Mason also demonstrates how painfully inadequate treatment facilities and services are. Ironically, as medical advances improve TBI survivor statistics, resources for treatment are ever more strained, and, with the types of injuries that terrorism and the Iraq War make commonplace, Mason reports that the severely brain injured are being neglected, misplaced, and isolated. The facts of TBI are grim, but Mason succeeds in giving a strong voice and profound humanity to its victims. This unusually well-written, disturbing book is highly recommended for public libraries and health collections.—James Swanton, Harlem Hosp. Lib., New York

For women struggling with fertility, motherhood can seem "as far away as the moon and just as hard to reach," to quote the yoga instructor authors. Quinn and Elisabeth Heller have both taken their own fertility journeys, and they made it their mission to pass along their experience using yoga to "pull down the moon." They, along with the input of acupuncturist Jeanie Lee Bussell, outline a 12-week program based on the idea of integrative care for fertility, or ICF. The program includes advice on diet, exercise, sleep, relaxation, and other aspects of life that impact fertility. Each chapter provides an activity for the week designed to introduce various yoga postures or other mind/body/spirit recommendations like journaling. The photographs and personal stories from women trying to conceive make the book accessible and easy to follow even for those who are not familiar with yoga. Likely to find an audience among women who are open to the mystical and spiritual nature of yoga, acupuncture, meditation, and prayer; suitable for public libraries that cater to that crowd.—Mindy Rhiger, Minneapolis

In this beautifully designed book, McIlhenny Company historian and curator Bernard chronicles the McIlhenny family of Avery Island, LA, and the origin of their ubiquitous pepper sauce. Originally intended as a companion book for the Tabasco Museum in New Orleans (a project temporarily shelved after Hurricane Katrina), this volume contains primary-source documents from the company's archives (both black-and-white and color photographs) and more than a dozen historical recipes from handwritten family cookbooks, along with updated versions. The text and accompanying illustrations are exquisitely laid out, and numerous detailed sidebars add a lot of flavor to an already colorful narrative. The historical photographs depict not only generations of the McIlhenny family but also Avery Island, New Orleans, and cultural artifacts. For additional insight into this hugely successful business and remarkable family, one might want to check out Jeffrey Rothfeder's McIlhenny's Gold: How a Louisiana Family Built the Tabasco Empire. Recommended for all libraries and specialized collections.—Christine Holmes, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA

Cornbread lovers rejoice! Dragonwagon (Passionate Vegetarian) explores the surprisingly vast world of all things cornmeal in her latest cookbook. Her passion for this humble foodstuff spans nearly 400 pages and over 200 recipes for not only cornbread but also muffins, tortillas, crackers, rolls, spoon breads, fritters, and more. Cornbread is particularly loved in America, and there are many regional differences that are conveniently delineated in a chart; southern cornbread, for example, consists primarily of cornmeal, whereas northern cornbread is generally half cornmeal and sweetened with sugar. The author also explores the global appeal of cornmeal, including recipes for Mexican-style corn spoon bread, tortillas, Latin American arepas, Greek cornbread, and Indian griddle cakes. Other chapters include recipes for yeasted cornbreads, pancakes, and side dishes and a section on how to use leftover cornbread. Numerous sidebars contain fascinating tidbits of history, sample menus, and cooking tips; a glossary and index are included. Although this title focuses solely on one the ingredient, the recipes are tempting and diverse, and the writing engaging. Recommended.—Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR

Playwright Machado (The Cook) was sent to the United States in 1961, during Operation Peter Pan, and has spent most of his life hungry for a connection to his past. It is at a paladar, a word used in Cuba for a home-based restaurant, called Gladys's House that he finds it. Gladys's specialty is Garlic Chicken roasted in mojo, sour orange juice, and oregano, and, thankfully, Machado provides the recipe that unlocked his childhood. Each chapter ends with at least one recipe, and many Cuban favorites are featured, e.g., Vaca Frita, authentic Croquetas made with a béchamel base, and Tostones with Mojo, as well as more personal recipes such as his grandmother Cuca's Newspaper Soup, so named because it was torn out of a newspaper without the topmost section featuring the actual title, and a unique recipe that reveals the exile's struggle to make sense of a new land in heartbreaking simplicity, Garbanzos with Spam "Chorizo." The recipes are easy to follow, with engaging notes about preferred ingredients, serving methods, and settings. Machado's beautiful and evocative memoir is highly recommended for public and academic libraries.—Rosemarie Lewis, Broward Cty. P.L., Fort Lauderdale, FL

Since the number of families raising only one child has doubled in the past 20 years, many books have been written about the plight of only children—their self-centeredness and critical perfectionism, for example. Here, Pickhardt (The Connected Father: Understanding Your Unique Role and Responsibilities During Your Child's Adolescence) covers much of the same ground. He identifies 15 dynamics—e.g., attention, sensitivity, willfulness, and attachment—that can create issues in raising an only child. For each dynamic, he allots a chapter, describing the pros and cons and furnishing measures to prevent potentially unfavorable outcomes. While the book offers a unique focus on possible long-term effects should these dynamics be left unaddressed, some of Pickhardt's conclusions are questionable in their subjectivity: e.g., he claims sensitivity in an only child can lead to hypersensitivity and excessive seriousness. Consider purchasing for public libraries with extensive parenting and/or psychology collections.—Krista Bush, Univ. of New Haven Lib., West Haven, CT

In this delicious, diverse, and satisfying book, there is something to suit every appetite and pique readers' interest. A wide range of authors are represented, from the familiar A.J. Liebling and M.F.K. Fisher to the piquant Anthony Bourdain and the delightful Calvin Trillin. Those seeking an introduction to fiction and nonfiction food writing would do well to graze this work; seasoned readers will enjoy the nostalgic places and tastes depicted, and the quintessential New Yorker cartoons are a delightful addition. The fiction portion of the anthology adds an unusual twist; the stories provide an excellent illustration of the darker sides of hunger and the lengths that people will go to, to satisfy it. John Cheever's "The Sorrows of Gin" and Roald Dahl's "Taste" convey perfectly the pitfalls of greed and addiction. This collection is warmly recommended for public libraries and libraries with strong culinary collections.—Shelley Brown, New Westminster P.L., B.C.

Readers should not approach this book thinking that its recipes will adhere strictly to traditional New Orleans cooking. Spicer, the noted chef and proprietor of two New Orleans restaurants, offers much more than regional favorites. Organized cooks will especially savor the "Spicer's Pantry" section, featuring her favorite pantry items, often with the brand she feels most confident using frequently. Many of the recipes are complicated and for adventuresome cooks. However, the Turkish Stuffed Eggplant with Spicy Lamb and Rice, for example, can be made more simply and quickly with some easy fine-tuning; the original recipe isn't difficult, but it involves separate items to be made and then assembled. The photographs present a clean and appetizing look at the outcome of the recipes. On the whole, this collection of complex and delicious recipes based on the culinary traditions of the famed Louisiana city will be a welcome addition to any public library cookbook collection.—Claire A. Schaper, Franklin Inst., Philadelphia

In describing the intellectual vigor that Isaac Newton applied to developing mathematical models of the physical world, to alchemy, to spiritual questions, and to his work with the Royal Mint, as well as his fierce defense of his status as a leading scholar, novelist and accomplished biographer Ackroyd draws a finely detailed miniature of the man renowned for his genius and for his ambition. In this third book of his "Brief Lives" series (after Chaucer and Turner), the author provides his portrait with a richly drawn background of the scientific culture of 17th-century Britain that includes the Royal Society of London and Cambridge University. Those looking for fuller treatments of Newton may be directed to Gale E. Christianson's In the Presence of the Creator, James Gleick's popular Isaac Newton, which includes illustrated discussions of some of Newton's mathematics (Ackroyd steers clear of the math), and The Cambridge Companion to Newton (edited by I. Bernard Cohen and George E. Smith), an accessible collection of essays by Newton scholars. Ackroyd's book is recommended for public libraries and undergraduate collections.—Sara Rutter, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa Lib., Honolulu

Early in this wonderful exploration of the brain and central nervous system, Bainbridge (clinical anatomy, Cambridge Univ.; Making Babies: The Science of Pregnancy) clarifies his anatomist's bias, stating that the best way to understand the brain is through its structure. As he guides readers through the central nervous system from the base of the spine to the front of the brain, Bainbridge explains how the central nervous system develops during the embryonic stage, and then he discusses the adult brain. Writing in prose that is precise, descriptive, and engaging, he offers vibrant depictions of neuroscientists' discoveries and the brain's evolution. Moving from structure and evolution to the senses, engineering, and wiring of the brain, the author eloquently describes the functioning of the central nervous system and then briefly examines the connections between the brain and the mind, along with more esoteric functions such as memory and consciousness. Within these descriptions, Bainbridge discusses some of the diseases and issues the brain can encounter during early development and in its adult form, from spina bifida and meningitis to Parkinson's and synesthesia. Highly recommended for all collections.—Candice Kai, Software Engineering Inst., Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh

Actor Begley is best known for his television and movie roles (St. Elsewhere; A Mighty Wind), but if you have seen his cable show, Living with Ed, on HGTV, you know that his true passion is environmentalism. This companion book serves as a cheat sheet to all things green. In six chapters, plus a workbook, Begley covers nearly everything a human could do to lessen one's impact on the environment. His tips are organized by three levels of effort—"Little Changes" (cost: free to $50), "Not-So-Big Changes" ($50-$500), and "Big Changes" (over $500)—which makes them financially realistic to the reader. The author's wife, Rachelle Carson-Begley, comments throughout the text as the voice of the masses, offering less ugly alternatives to "big and orange" rain barrels and joking criticism of Begley's obsessive thermostat programming. Although the book lacks an index, and the organization of the topics is erratic within the chapters, it is a witty and easy-to-use manual to environmentally friendly living. Recommended for all public libraries and for school libraries looking for great Earth Day activities.—Jaime Hammond, Naugatuck Valley Community Coll., Waterbury, CT

Science journalist Bowen (Thin Ice: Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in the World's Highest Mountains) tells the story of Dr. James Hansen, a climate scientist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and his suppressed attempts to warn the public about global warming and climate change. Bowen details how NASA's press office, under pressure from the Bush administration, censored or toned down press releases and prevented scientists from speaking to the media. In rambling and digressive detail, the author recounts how a Bush political appointee redacted scientific reports to describe global warming as an unproven theory. This work is partly a biography of Hansen and partly an explanation of climatology, and it shows what goes wrong when science and politics mix. The bleak subject matter—global warming and censorship—makes for depressing reading. Bowen's seemingly endless descriptions of NASA's office politics beg for editing, and his text, which is not organized chronologically, reads as if it were stitched together from shorter pieces. Recommended only for larger research libraries. [For better accounts on the Bush administration's attacks on science, see Chris Mooney's The Republican War on Science and Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle over Global Warming.—Ed.]—Jeffrey Beall, Univ. of Colorado at Denver & Health Sciences Ctr.

Los Angeles-based animal-rights activist Dawn's opinion pieces have been published in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times; she is presently the author of the daily e-newsletter DawnWatch (www.DawnWatch.com). Sensitive and informative, her first book, while encompassing all aspects of animal rights, focuses on animal exploitation. Dawn's view is not only uniquely free of overt sensationalism but factual. She covers cultural differences, historical practices, and a balance of divergent views on the ways animals are raised and used. Sections include "Slaves to Love—Pets," "All the World's a Cage—Animal Entertainment," "Zoos—It's No Jungle in There," "Fashion Victims," "Deconstructing Dinner," and "Animal Anonymous—On Animal Testing." Dawn manages, despite the seriousness of the subject matter, to intersperse bits of humor throughout, primarily through cartoons. A riveting text you'll be sure to want to read; highly recommended for public libraries and other libraries with collections focusing on animal rights.—Melody Ballard, Pima Cty. P.L., Tucson, AZ

The best science fiction writers strive to render even their most fanciful visions of future technologies consistent with known physical facts. But, in some ways, the history of science shows that what is impossible must frequently be reconceived as new discoveries are made. Physicist and renowned science popularizer Kaku (Hyperspace) classifies the impossible into three categories. "Class I Impossibilities" are those believed impossible today but violate no known laws of physics, including force fields, invisibility, teleportation, psychokinesis, intelligent robots, and starships. Accordingly, "Class 2 Impossibilities" are technologies at the far boundaries of what we know of the physical world—e.g., time travel, parallel universes, and faster-than-light travel. "Class 3 Impossibilities," those that violate known laws of the universe, constitute the smallest category and include precognition and perpetual motion machines. In these discussions, Kaku not only explores impossibilities but, in doing so, elucidates some basic physics, so this book both teaches and challenges. Finally, in the epilog, the author concedes that nobody may yet have even imagined tomorrow's impossibilities. This tour de force of science and imagination is for advanced high school students and up. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/07.]—Gregg Sapp, Science Lib., SUNY at Albany

The author of the best-selling Science of Happiness now tackles time, approaching the topic from many angles: physiology of circadian rhythms, psychology of memory and perception of time, and physics of relativistic time. His epilog then moves toward self-help by applying the points made in the book to propose some tips for time management. Despite the breadth with which Klein addresses the subject, there is still depth to his discussions, which are well supported by cited research. There is a substantial body of work on time management and commentary on the increasing speed at which we live, but this title is unique in addressing questions such as how we perceive time and why we often feel we don't have enough of it. Recommended for all general science collections.—Carla Lee, Univ. of Virginia Lib., Charlottesville

To place an individual in the time and place in which he or she lived so that a reader can understand both the person and the period is a smooth talent. Motavalli, editor of E/The Environmental Magazine, demonstrates this skill in describing the peripatetic life of Joseph Knowles (ca. 1869–1942) and the last 30 years of his life. Knowles is best remembered, if remembered at all, for his stunt on the eve of World War I, and repeated twice more, of disappearing into the woods for several weeks, naked, without any implements to survive. During the sojourn, he would send out pictures (he was a talented painter) and notes on birch bark. It is hard to imagine how Americans were taken with this stunt. But as Motavalli makes clear, the opening decades of the 20th century were a time when Americans were puzzled by how to remain both physically strong and survive in the natural world while at the same time coexisting with the inventions (e.g., light bulbs, electricity, cars) that were making their lives easier. Adding to this puzzlement was the loss of the Wild West as a spiritual location against which to physically test oneself. This lively biography/adventure story/cultural history is recommended for all collections and, particularly, for public libraries.—Michael D. Cramer, Schwarz BioSciences, RTP, Raleigh, NC

New Yorker contributor and novelist Rosen (The Talmud and the Internet; Joy Comes in the Morning) writes engagingly of his philosophy of how bird-watching in its broadest sense influences and fits into the fabric of Western and Judeo-Christian heritage. He draws examples generously and convincingly from the works of such major figures as Henry David Thoreau, Charles Darwin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Vladimir Nabokov, Alfred Tennyson, and John James Audubon, as well as Robert Frost, D.H. Lawrence, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, E.O. Wilson, Alfred Russel Wallace, and many others. Beautifully structured, Rosen's book ties these disparate authors and thinkers together in surprising ways. In addition, he cites ancient Persian poetry and contemplates the importance of birds and nature in the Holy Land. But much of his experience transpires at New York's Central Park and, with searches for the mythic ivory-billed woodpecker, in the Southeast. The psychology of our ties to nature and differences between the sexes are also touched upon. A sort of book-length essay, this is a most thoughtful, literate, and entertaining work. The interplay between religion and science, especially evolution, comes in for much scrutiny. Highly recommended.—Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia

For his first book, Shubin (anatomy, Univ. of Chicago) has written a lively little volume for a general readership on the evolutionary legacy, bequeathed to us by our ancestors, of our bodies. The author is especially qualified to address this topic: an evolutionary developmental biologist with groundbreaking research programs in both paleontology and developmental genetics, Shubin also teaches human anatomy to medical students. One of the main players of the book is Tiktaalik, a 375 million-year-old fossil fish from the Arctic that Shubin and his research team discovered in 2004. This fish, the fish of the book title, had fins but also is the earliest known creature to have a neck and wrists, features usually associated with land vertebrates such as ourselves. Other chapters on the hand, the head, general body plans, the teeth, the sense organs, and various ailments address their evolutionary origins and the evidence of their beginnings within our bodies. This book is a wonder-filled introduction to our evolutionary heritage for lower-level undergraduates and the general public. This reviewer also hopes that Shubin will eventually write a book for more academic and advanced readers (in the manner of Sean Carroll). Highly recommended.—Walter L. Cressler, West Chester Univ. Lib., PA

Shulman (Unlocking the Sky; Owning the Future) brings a journalist's storytelling skills and a historian's persistence to this account of his year at MIT's Dibner Institute spent researching the life of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone. Or did Bell really invent the telephone? Here is where the suspense lies in this account of how "invention occurs and is remembered." Shulman meticulously studied long-forgotten patent litigation transcripts and reread Bell's laboratory notebooks, which had been almost entirely unavailable to scholars until recently. He painstakingly sifted the facts surrounding Bell's work, exploring the politics and influence underlying how Bell obtained a patent for the technology we know as the telephone. Shulman builds a strong circumstantial case for Bell and his colleagues copying another inventor's innovation and exploiting it to complete Bell's own work. With humor and intelligence, the author helps us understand how myth overtakes historical events. This title is ideal for history undergraduates learning scholarly methods; general readers will enjoy it for its engrossing descriptions of historical detective work. Recommended for all libraries.—Michael Dashkin, New York