Some of my favorite books
Cosmos - Carl Sagan. A tour d'force of history and philosophy, with some science tossed in. Evidence trumps beautiful ideas ... and it's better to admit that we don't know something than to stick with a wrong idea.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee. Atticus Finch is a model for parents everywhere. I aspire to his calmness, dignity, and compassion.
The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank. Relieved to find that I was not the first or only angsty teenager, nor the first one with esoteric interests.
The Eighth Day of Creation - Horace Freeland Judson. This comprehensive book is about the people who figured out how life works at its most basic level. Lots of juicy gossip, as well as really well explained science.
Pioneer Germ Fighters - Navin Sullivan. - The author's first name is Navin! A terrific book for kids, although the science is a bit dated (book came out in the late 50s), but not that dated. Stories about the people who discovered that germs cause disease, that vaccines can prevent diseases, and that a messy desk and a prepared mind is what it takes to discover antibiotics. After starting grad school, I re-read it and found that the building I was working in was named for one of the guys (Wendell Stanley) featured in the book. He moved from Rockefeller to Berkeley; I ended up doing the reverse.
Disney's Wonderful World of Knowledge - multiple authors. This collection of 20 books from early 80s covered all sorts of topics at just the right level for a curious 3rd-6th grader. Most of what I know about history, art, science, and literature builds on the base these books built. Very little "Disney" - much more informal textbooks about various topics. The collection is still at my folks' house; when we have more space, I hope Henry will enjoy them and find them informative. It was one of the best investments my book-buying-but-never-reading dad ever made.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume. I liked Blume's Fudge books, so I thought I'd read the rest of her books. Confused the heck out of me as a 9 year old boy, and had me checking my underwear obsessively until I looked up "teenager" or "adolescence" in the encyclopedia (life pre web or wikipedia!)
Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain - Issac Asimov. Despite the title, not a sequel to the 1960s classic movie "Fantastic Voyage." Asimov wrote the novelization of the movie, but felt that it wasn't really his story. This one is. Not one of his most famous works, but fun nonetheless.Dry wit throughout; Asimov clearly had fun with this book. Spies, saboteurs, a hapless kidnapped American scientist, a secret underground Soviet miniaturization lab that can shrink a submarine to molecular sizes, what's not to love?!?! Perfect for a geeky tween in age of glasnost and perestroika!
Homegrown Democrat - Garrison Keillor. A feisty little manifesto that came out in the darkest days of the Bush II reign, this book is a great reminder of why I am a liberal Democrat. When Henry asks me, "Daddy, why are you and Mommy liberal Democrats?" I'll give this to him.
A Book on C - Al Kelley and Ira Pohl. I got this programming text when I was a freshman. Explains C programming very clearly, with lots of examples. For better or for worse, much of my programming style comes from this book. Not quite a Strunk and White for coding, but I treat it as such.
Cosmos - Carl Sagan. A tour d'force of history and philosophy, with some science tossed in. Evidence trumps beautiful ideas ... and it's better to admit that we don't know something than to stick with a wrong idea.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee. Atticus Finch is a model for parents everywhere. I aspire to his calmness, dignity, and compassion.
The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank. Relieved to find that I was not the first or only angsty teenager, nor the first one with esoteric interests.
The Eighth Day of Creation - Horace Freeland Judson. This comprehensive book is about the people who figured out how life works at its most basic level. Lots of juicy gossip, as well as really well explained science.
Pioneer Germ Fighters - Navin Sullivan. - The author's first name is Navin! A terrific book for kids, although the science is a bit dated (book came out in the late 50s), but not that dated. Stories about the people who discovered that germs cause disease, that vaccines can prevent diseases, and that a messy desk and a prepared mind is what it takes to discover antibiotics. After starting grad school, I re-read it and found that the building I was working in was named for one of the guys (Wendell Stanley) featured in the book. He moved from Rockefeller to Berkeley; I ended up doing the reverse.
Disney's Wonderful World of Knowledge - multiple authors. This collection of 20 books from early 80s covered all sorts of topics at just the right level for a curious 3rd-6th grader. Most of what I know about history, art, science, and literature builds on the base these books built. Very little "Disney" - much more informal textbooks about various topics. The collection is still at my folks' house; when we have more space, I hope Henry will enjoy them and find them informative. It was one of the best investments my book-buying-but-never-reading dad ever made.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume. I liked Blume's Fudge books, so I thought I'd read the rest of her books. Confused the heck out of me as a 9 year old boy, and had me checking my underwear obsessively until I looked up "teenager" or "adolescence" in the encyclopedia (life pre web or wikipedia!)
Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain - Issac Asimov. Despite the title, not a sequel to the 1960s classic movie "Fantastic Voyage." Asimov wrote the novelization of the movie, but felt that it wasn't really his story. This one is. Not one of his most famous works, but fun nonetheless.Dry wit throughout; Asimov clearly had fun with this book. Spies, saboteurs, a hapless kidnapped American scientist, a secret underground Soviet miniaturization lab that can shrink a submarine to molecular sizes, what's not to love?!?! Perfect for a geeky tween in age of glasnost and perestroika!
Homegrown Democrat - Garrison Keillor. A feisty little manifesto that came out in the darkest days of the Bush II reign, this book is a great reminder of why I am a liberal Democrat. When Henry asks me, "Daddy, why are you and Mommy liberal Democrats?" I'll give this to him.
A Book on C - Al Kelley and Ira Pohl. I got this programming text when I was a freshman. Explains C programming very clearly, with lots of examples. For better or for worse, much of my programming style comes from this book. Not quite a Strunk and White for coding, but I treat it as such.
