I picked up a copy of Bad Advice by Paul Offit a few months ago but have only now started to give it a proper read. Offit is a paediatrician and vaccine specialist, but the focus of this book is to discuss the importance of science and science communication. Offit is funny, and I learned quite a lot about the science of vaccines too – but the real eye-openers are the war stories he shares about his experience trying to communicate scientific ideas on network television in the US – and in particular, dealing with militant anti-vaxxers. Recommended.
Blackwells (UK) – Powells (US) – Amazon
Because I believe in delayed gratification, I’ve put off reading The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin, having caught up on the original Earthsea trilogy and the fifth (?) book Tales from Earthsea. I haven’t been disappointed. Le Guin ties together the themes of the original trilogy – particularly The Farthest Shore – while staying true to themes she later felt were underdeveloped, such as the perspective of women. While Tehanu (Book 4) was a brutal, painful change of emphasis – to the extent almost of rejecting her earlier work – here Le Guin manages to balance both the earlier and later visions of Earthsea. Spellbindingly good. I am inspired!
Blackwells (UK) – Powells (US) – Amazon
My NEW book How To Make The World Add Up is OUT NOW!
Details, and to order signed copies from MathsGear, or from Hive, Blackwells, Amazon or Waterstones.
“Fabulously readable, lucid, witty and authoritative.” – Stephen Fry
“Powerful, persuasive, and in these truth-defying times, indispensable” – Caroline Criado Perez