Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Ghost Map reads like a detective story. Johnson tells the story of Dr. John Snow and his unrelenting quest to challenge the dominant theory of disease in 19th Century England. Leading scientists of the time were blinded by their devotion to the theory of miasma, or the theory of airborne causes of disease. As Johnson so engagingly documents this blindness led to misguided public health policy that actually exacerbated the Cholera outbreaks that plagued 19th Century cities. Readers interested in history, science and just a well-told story will be gripped by this book. Highly recommended.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

I am currently reading...




Sarah Vowell's book, The Partly Cloudy Patriot which consists of a collection of essays of her observations about historical happenings, life and her unique view of the world. In places, it is laugh out loud funny. In others, it is deeply thought-provoking.

From editorial reviews on Amazon.com:

"Sarah Vowell travels through the American past and, in doing so, investigates the dusty, bumpy roads of her own life. In this insightful and funny collection of personal stories Vowell -- widely hailed for her inimitable stories on public radio's This American Life -- ponders a number of curious questions: Why is she happiest when visiting the sites of bloody struggles like Salem or Gettysburg? Why do people always inappropriately compare themselves to Rosa Parks? Why is a bad life in sunny California so much worse than a bad life anywhere else? What is it about the Zen of foul shots? And, in the title piece, why must doubt and internal arguments haunt the sleepless nights of the true patriot?

Her essays confront a wide range of subjects, themes, icons, and historical moments: Ike, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton; Canadian Mounties and German filmmakers; Tom Cruise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; twins and nerds; the Gettysburg Address, the State of the Union, and George W. Bush's inauguration.

The result is a teeming and engrossing book, capturing Vowell's memorable wit and her keen social commentary."