OK, this is it. Last day to buy stuff in a panic before Christmas. What to do?
I suggest the bookstore. Who doesn’t like books? And it just so happens I have a few to recommend.
Death from the Skies!
You may not know this, but I wrote a book. Nothing says holiday cheer like a trillion ton asteroid barreling down on the Earth at 45,000 kph. And it has a happy ending! The entire Universe dissolves.
This book may not save Christmas, but it might save your life. All your friends need copies. Even strangers. Buy 50.
Don’t Be Such a Scientist
This book, by Randy Olson, is a primer for how scientists and science-types should communicate with the public. As someone whose job it is to do that, I found it readable, funny, and of great use. I chuckled a lot reading it, seeing many people I know being described in its pages. Not specifically, of course, just in general.
At first I was thrown a bit by his comparison of science to Hollywood, but it soon became clear that the lessons Olson learned in Tinseltown really do need to translate to the way we talk about science, at least on TV and in movies. Books are still books, and blogs still blogs, but if we science supporters want to reach millions of people all at once, then we could do a lot worse than heed Olson’s advice when we’re on camera or in front of a microphone.
And if his name is familiar, it’s because he created the mockumentaries "Flock of Dodos" and "Sizzle, A Global Warming Comedy". If you’ve seen those, you know what the book will be like! If you’ve ever been in a conversation with someone and you’ve tried to explain something scientific, this book is a good one for you.
Unscientific America
Speaking of communicating science to the public, my Hive Overmind co-bloggers Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum wrote Unscientific America as a call to arms for scientists everywhere. This book doesn’t complain about how the public doesn’t get science, it actually has advice — good advice — for how people can take up this charge.
It’s aimed at science lovers, but also at scientists themselves. Chris and Sheril are careful to show just where things have gone wrong: a public with a short attention span, media all too willing to make that worse (and to screw up science every chance they get, through ignorance or greed), antiscience promoters, but also scientists themselves. I see a whole lot of scientists trying to communicate science, but honestly not that many are good at it. That should be self-evident, even to scientists themselves; some are theorists, some experimentalists, some field workers, and so on; the point being we all have our areas of expertise. Not everyone is good in front of a camera, and we need to find the ones who are and groom them.
Chris and Sheril took a lot of heat from scientists about this claim, most of which I found ridiculous and unfair. Scientists need to accept our share of the burden of blame for where we are in America right now — we do own part of it, folks — and we need to shoulder that blame and do something about it. Also, there is a section in the book taking the so-called "New Atheists" to task for fanning the religious flames in America. Although the situation is pretty complicated, I think there is truth to what Chris and Sheril wrote, and I also think that this part of the book should be read by skeptics and atheists very carefully. I won’t go into details here — I’ll save it for a lengthier post sometime — but I think what they’ve written is salient and should be considered by everyone.
Atheist’s Guide to Christmas
Speaking of which, this is a good book for the non-believer in your circle of friends and family. I’ll simply point you to my previous exhortations about it and remind you that all proceeds go to the UK HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, a secular group that provides information, advice, and support for HIV positive people in the UK.
[UPDATE: The outspoken ZOMGitsCriss has put up a video plugging Atheist's Guide, and says very nice things about my essay in the book. Thanks Criss!]
Why Does E=mc2
Regular readers know about my friend Brian Cox, a particle physicist with CERN who has dastardly plans to destroy the Earth using the LHC is charming, funny, and an excellent spokesman for science. This book is a wonderful explanation of relativity, one of the best I’ve read. It was inspired by his awesome wife Gia, who asked him the title question one day.
You’ll need to think while reading this; it’s not a breezy beach thriller. But I found it to be a very enjoyable and fascinating primer on, exactly, why energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. It explains things in ways that hadn’t occurred to me before, and I found myself nodding my head as I suddenly understood concepts that had always bugged me (like, why do massless particles travel at the speed of light, and just why is that the ultimate speed limit of the Universe?). It’s a great book, and I highly recommend it.
7th Son
J. C. Hutchins is a science fiction writer and podcaster. He’s among the new group of writers who serialize their fiction and give it away as audiocasts. Once an audience is built up, they can then turn their serialization into book form. I won’t give away the plot of the book, but it’s an engaging read involving some fun science fiction concepts. My only complaint is that he needs to write the sequel yesterday. Too bad it’s not a time travel book!
If you’re curious, Hugo-winning author John Scalzi has a blog post up about J. C. and the book that’ll entice you, too.
There are lots of other books I could recommend, but I’ll cut it off here. Do you have ideas? Post ‘em in the comments! I’m sure we all have books we love and would recommend. Tell us!
December 24th, 2009 at 10:53 am
So, you wrote a book?
December 24th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Didn’t some guy write a book called “Bad Astronomy” a number of years ago?
Is that still in print?
December 24th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Every year I review the books I read that year and send out the one I liked best. This year I didnt get much reading done, but I did manage to get in Simon Singhs book. So I sent out 20 copies of Trick or Treatment.
December 24th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Right! “Trick or Treatment” is great. So is Ben Goldacre’s “Bad Science”. I have a big pile of books I could’ve recommended, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Writing book reviews is hard, and whenever I do I get emails asking me to review more. I love to read (and get free books!) but the pressure to write a positive review is something I prefer to avoid, especially when it comes to books from people I know. Still, there’s no lack of great skeptic and science books to read in front of a cozy fire.
December 24th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Not science, but IMHO a very interesting book about ‘woo’ and politics is : Idiot America : how stupidity became a virtue in the Land of the Free / by Charles P. Pierce. He looks at both the history of people following ‘gut feelings’ or ‘beliefs’ rather than logical and skeptical techniques, and how that leads to ‘dumbing down’.
J/P=?
December 24th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Archaeology is a science, too. Hint. And of course, a little fiction now and then is a good thing. Hint hint. And books make terrific new year’s presents, too. Hint hint hint. Or Ground Hog’s day. Hint click name hint.
December 24th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Given the time of year, I think your book, “Death from the Skies”, would a perfect gift.
“The Demon-Haunted World” by Carl Sagan is also a good book.
December 24th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
While this is a really good selection, I’m going to disagree with your pick of Unscientific America. The authors hash out personal vendettas with atheists and during their promotional tour of the book made a spectacle of trying to sic the NCSE on PZ Myers, Jerry Coyne and Richard Dawkins. No to mention that they hold scientists just as responsible for decline in scientific education as they do the cranks and quacks by quoting anti-intellectual commentary.
And their big solution? It’s exactly what we try to do in schools today but fail because of short-sighted, uneducated politicos who rule school districts and see kids as product to be moved by meeting state test standards. Funny enough, they’re not mentioned in the book even though they’re one of the biggest contributors to scientific illiteracy today.
I would much rather see a classic like The Demon Haunted World, or a fascinating pop sci book like How To Build a Dinosaur.
December 24th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
why din’t you recomend bad astronomy its a must read I disagree with your two friends I think Bibleical Fundamentists have faned Religous flames more then Athiests have we who are religous have our share of blame .Did they mention that in many movies scientists are often the bad guys? I meen I’ve seen movies were some “mad scientist” kidnaps people ,locks them up in his or hers lab ,and performes hidous experments on them. I think that this gives science a bad name and why many in America are’t interested in science
December 24th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
For the scifi fan I heartily recommend Greg Egan’s latest, Incandescence. He’s one of the true stars in the scifi firmament.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
How about your man crush Wil Wheaton? “Memories of the Future” is a pretty good book.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I still don’t understand why that book is called “There’s Probably No God” if it’s supposed to be the atheist’s guide to Christmas. Either there’s definitely no God, or it’s an agnostic’s guide to Christmas.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
semantics. There are almost no atheists (I said almost) who claim there is definitely no god. These days agnosticism is quickly meaning that they may or may not beleive in a god and if they do they dont know which one.
December 24th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Wow thanks a lot Phil ! Never though I would see my name in here, now my Christmas is so much merrier
Happy festivus!
December 24th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
The Case for Pluto by Alan Boyle. Great book!
December 24th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Thanks for the advice, Phil. The book by Brian Cox seems interesting… I like that kind. My 21 year old college son recently bought a hardcopy version of “Death”. Guess we raised him right. Besides, I wasn’t about to give him mine!
December 24th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I came in here to whine about the suggestion of Unscientific America, but I see Greg Fish stole my thoughts with his magic rocks.
December 24th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Greg (#8), Sheril and Chris specifically say in the book that scientists need to be active in politics to make sure legislation gets passed that does some good.
December 24th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Not really Bad Astronomy material, but Richard Dawkins’ book, The Greatest Show on Earth is quite readable for those who are new to biology and evolution. It isn’t a polemic rant, it isn’t as heavy as An Ancestor’s Tale, but it is an informative book even for a biologist such as myself who has been on both sides of the evolution-creation debate. If you were turned off by Dawkins last book, you should give this book a try. He’s reaching out, trying to educate and is not being insulting.
In places, he sounds like your favourite uncle who wants to tell you a story, a story that you just know will be fascinating and worth listening to. There’s a bit of a charm to it.
btw, I know I have The First Four Billion Years, and Why Evolution is True showing up under the tree tomorrow. Sorry Phil, there doesn’t appear to be any Death from the Skies under the tree…if I keep bumping the tree looking at presents I may get Death from the Skies when the tree falls on me and punctures me with various icicle ornaments.
December 24th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
[...] Last time pass heritage advice, Part 2: books! | Bad Astronomy … [...]
December 24th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
[...] Last time pass heritage advice, Part 2: books! | Bad Astronomy … [...]
December 24th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I gave your book to my aunt for christmas, Phil, take it as you’re christmas gift
December 25th, 2009 at 3:08 am
I just bought “the 7th Son” on your recommendation, and read the first chapter, which starts with a 4 year old kid assassinating the president. I look forward to reading it (when I finish Stephen King’s “the Dome”, the idea for which I think he got from “the Simpsons’ Movie”). “Death from the Skies”? Dunno. Is it any good?
December 25th, 2009 at 6:17 am
[...] Last time pass heritage advice, Part 2: books! | Bad Astronomy … [...]
December 25th, 2009 at 9:50 am
7th Son is on the way. Should get here by new years. I love discovering a new author for the new year.
Thanks, Phil.
GAry 7
December 25th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I read “Death…” when it came out. Then on TV there was Dr. Michio Kaku talking about all the astronomical things that could kill us – it was, like, WORD for WORD!!! Thanks for the book recommendations!
December 26th, 2009 at 2:46 am
I have two of these for Christmas, Your’s and Brian and Jeff’s. Now which one to read first??????
December 26th, 2009 at 7:55 am
One of the coolest (audio)books ever:
A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson.
I listened to that, “In A Sunburned Country”, and “Notes From a Small Island” on a couple of of 25 hour road trips I made last summer and all three books made the heat and dirt just a bit more bearable.
Can’t recommend any of them enough
December 26th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Phil,
Late to the party here on books because I’ve been out with the family, but I think that the “Don’t Be Such a Scientist” book is an interesting choice. One of the reasons I also took a degree in journalism in addition to studying astronomy was so I could communicate astronomy –but just as importantly, help other scientists communicate it, too. I see a younger generation of scientists coming up a bit more media savvy, but not always. And, to be fair, it’s not in their job description… that’s why people like me are here, to help them tell the story. How well it works? Well… sometimes it does; sometimes not so much. But, we keep working on it — I work with several observatories in this area… and the attention is well-spent.
Anyway, good recommendations!
December 26th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Another latecomer here… I’m cautious about recommending something I haven’t read, but I want to suggest two books in that category. Based on who the authors are, I have no doubt they will be good reading.
Both are newly published, both are about climate change and the perils of trying to communicate with the public about that.
The first is Storms of My Grandchildren by James Hansen
The second is Science as a Contact Sport by Stephen Schneider
December 31st, 2009 at 10:18 am
[...] here. We are also of course psyched that our fellow Discover blogger Phil Plait also recently gave Unscientific America an Xmas-time plug, [...]
January 9th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
I can see I’ll have to get Cox’ book. With a cat on the front page it can’t be bad.