Book Review - Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth

I am a big fan of biographies, history, science, and technology. I'm also a big fan of science fiction becoming science fact. It's not often these five areas come together in one story.

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. This book tells the story of a woman who is bitten by a racoon, her arm becomes severely infected to the point it has to be amputated, and then a new, never-before-performed surgery restores sensation and motor functions to the art. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story.

Telling. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well.

Technology. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact.

The Bad

Stops too Soon. This book stops too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I really want to know what happens next. Does the main character get a new prosthetic, and does it work like a real arm?

Overall

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact. This book does stop too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale. Overall, it is a fascinating story. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

Book Review - The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug by Thomas Hager

I love history and the development of art, music, technology, and science. It always nice to find an author who did his homework.

The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug by Thomas Hager is a nonfiction historic look at the development of drugs and antibiotics focusing mostly on the sulfa drugs of the 1930s and 40s. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Information. The author did his homework. This book does an excellent job presenting the development of sulfa drugs, explaining what they were and how they work, and their effect on the world at the time. He also discussed the developments that came before it that paved the way for the sulfa drugs to exist and briefly covered what came after to replace them, completing the story.

Presentation. The story is well paced, very interestingly told, and has the right mix of scientific information and anecdotal diversions to hold the readers' interests and present the topic in a complete manner.

The Bad

Conclusion. It's a shame the author had to make a political statement at the end of the book. It did not fit the message or tone of the other 99.9% that came before it. It's more of a soundbite you'd hear on a talk show as opposed to the well researched scholarship of the rest of the book. It's little more than pandering to some uninformed audience who probably won't even pick up this book because it is too scholarly and well researched for that group's taste.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I was left not wanting.

Overall

The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug by Thomas Hager is a nonfiction historic look at the development of drugs and antibiotics focusing mostly on the sulfa drugs of the 1930s and 40s. The author did his homework. This book does an excellent job presenting the development of sulfa drugs, explaining what they were and how they work, and their effect on the world at the time. He also discussed the developments that came before it that paved the way for the sulfa drugs to exist and briefly covered what came after to replace them, completing the story. The story is well paced, very interestingly told, and has the right mix of scientific information and anecdotal diversions to hold the readers' interests and present the topic in a complete manner. It's a shame the author had to make a political statement at the end of the book. It did not fit the message or tone of the other 99.9% that came before it. It's more of a soundbite you'd hear on a talk show as opposed to the well researched scholarship of the rest of the book. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Book Review - Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

Years ago I had read a couple of books that discussed expert achievement and the 10,000 hour rule to achieve greatness. I was really impressed with the ideas. I didn't realize the authors were misquoting and misrepresenting the research.

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool is a nonfiction book discussing research conducted on several performers who reached the top of their field. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Information. This book presents a lot of information and several studies about how those at the top of their fields reached their field. It describes the studies and also lists the limitations and deficiencies of the science and research.

Presentation. This book is well written with all the information clearly laid out and presented in an easy-to-understand manner that isn't trying to talk down to anyone.

The Bad

Speculation. The research covered very few different disciplines, and the authors speculated on a whole lot more based on the little research. While their speculation sounds reasonable, so do the ideas their research refutes.

Author Conclusions. The authors offer some conclusions and possible implications of this research, but they are very limited in their scope and ignore the fact that greatness takes a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of focus, and most people aren't capable of that even if they are capable of learning the the skills for greatness.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I would have enjoyed more research. The studies were very limited to just a few categories.

Overall

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool is a nonfiction book discussing research conducted on several performers who reached the top of their field and how they did it. It refutes the notions of innate talent, the idea you must be born with the ability to reach greatness, and the 10,000 hour rule Maxwell Gladwell mistakenly took from their research. The studies are laid out and the information is clearly presented. The main weaknesses are the small number of areas that have been studied and the authors' limited view of what the ramifications of their research could be. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Book Review - The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford

I really enjoy business books, and I enjoy well written drama. Who knew the two could be combined into one story? I suppose anyone who's read The Goal: A Business Graphic Novel by Eliyahu Goldratt.

The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford is a guide to better IT and implementing DevOps disguised as a workplace drama. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Concept. The idea of exploring better IT practices thru a workplace drama is brilliant. Not only is it interesting, but the value and need for the practices is immediately obvious.

Story. The story is solid. A failing company only has a short amount of time to turn things around or it will cease to be a going concern when and expert is brought in to mentor the one man who is in the best position to save the company. There is plenty of drama, set backs, and successes.

Characters. The characters are so well conceived and developed. They fell like actual people, and they probably are in some companies based on the book reviews.

Information. This book presents really good information, not just about IT practices, but general principles one can apply to any aspect of business or even life. And it doesn't just give you the answer but helps lead you to it.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford is a guide to better IT and implementing DevOps disguised as a workplace drama.The idea of exploring better IT practices thru a workplace drama is brilliant. Not only is it interesting, but the value and need for the practices is immediately obvious. This book presents really good information, not just about IT practices, but general principles one can apply to any aspect of business or even life. And it doesn't just give you the answer but helps lead you to it. The characters are so well conceived and developed. They fell like actual people, and they probably are in some companies based on the book reviews. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Audible Original Review - The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel by Erin Macdonald

One of the many fun things about science fiction is its ability to explore and inspire. So many of the common, everyday technologies we use today were dreamt of and explored in science fiction of the past.

The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel by Erin Macdonald is a look at the science behind popular science fiction. It is available as an Audible exclusive Audiobook and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Explanations. The author does a great job breaking down concepts in an understandable way without sacrificing the science.

Scope. This book covers some of the more useful and popular subjects of science fiction such as transporters, warp drive, and time travel. She uses more up-to-date scientific theories than most books on this topic and covers several experiments that have actually been performed that may lead to making this science fiction science reality.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel by Erin Macdonald is a great look at the science behind science fiction: what fits current theories and what doesn't; where science is in its progress to achieve science fiction dreams; and what science fiction shows provide the best examples of new and old theories. The author also narrates this book and does a really good job. She's fun to listen to and breaks down concepts in an understandable way without sacrificing the science. She uses more up-to-date scientific theories than most books on this topic and covers several experiments that have actually been performed that may lead to making this science fiction science reality. I highly recommend this audiobook and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Audiobook Review - Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I am fascinated by the whole culture that has grown around this drug, similar to cultures that grow around any drug. I wasn't sure whether this book would reveal anything of interest, or if the author--who is a coffee addict--would be honest about all aspects of caffeine or just gloss over the less savory ones.

Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan is a history and analysis of caffeine, it's rise and spread as something humans consumed throughout history, and its benefits and harms. It is available as an Audible exclusive Audiobook.

The Good

Honesty. The author readily admits that coffee is a drug, that people who drink it (including himself) are addicts, and that while there are a few benefits from drinking caffeine (either in coffee, tea, or soda pop) there are many serious harms as well. And yet he keeps drinking it because of the how powerful the lure is and has no reservations about it despite freely admitting it is a poison further showing just how addictive it is.

History & Insights. I wasn't very familiar with the history of caffeine beyond the story of chocolate, so this was really interesting. I didn't realize how caffeine helped promote slavery both for growing plants to make hot drinks and sugar to make them palatable, the Opium Wars with China and the drug problems those created, and several class systems in history that are still going one to this day.

Narration. The author narrates this book and does an excellent job. He has a good voice and lots of character and energy.

The Bad

Understanding of Evolution. The author is amazed that caffeine could exist and tries to use evolution to explain it and while saying evolution is just chance ascribes it a deliberate conscious with a purpose.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan is a fascinating and insightful look at the history of caffeine, the positive and negative effects it has on both the individual and the development of society and business, and the personal and social harms it has caused from sleep dysfunction to slavery and the Opium Wars with China. I highly recommend this audiobook and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

 

Book Review - Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik

I love well-written science books, which are hard to find. I had read a previous book by this author and enjoyed it, so I decided to try another.

Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik is a nonfiction material science book. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Storytelling. The subject of liquids, or any material science, could get pretty dry and pretty academic pretty quickly. The author used a trip in an airplane across the ocean and discussed the different liquids he encountered to form an interesting narrative.

Information. This book has a lot of good information presented in an interesting and easily digestible form.

The Bad

Sidetrips. The book is pretty short, and yet the author wastes a lot of time on side trips that don't relate to the subject but the author wanted to talk about anyway. I wish he'd used the time to discuss more liquids.

Narration. The narration was good, but not great.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the author would have stuck to the subject matter instead of drifting off onto unrelated topics.

Overall

Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik is an interesting look into liquids, their properties, and how humans use them. The author uses the framing device of an airplane trip across the ocean to move from liquid to liquid, which was pretty clever. The author can't help but push his Climate Change biases down the reader's throat even though they have almost nothing to do with the subject of liquids, which was kind of annoying. If you are interested in learning more about liquids in a random order, I recommend this book and give it 4 out of 5 eReaders.