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kitkat962's review against another edition
4.0
I slowly fell in love with this book somewhere in the middle, after I got used to her writing: a little bit of narrative, a speck of opinions, a lot of plants and the lessons they teach about life and living.
The ending chapter, and especially, the final paragraph gave me hope: "As a scientist, I am indeed only an ant, insufficient and anonymous but I am stronger than I look and part of something that is much bigger than I am. As a tiny, living part of the scientist collective, I've sat alone countless nights in the dark, burning my metal candle and watching a foreign world with an aching heart. Like anyone else who harbors precious secrets wrought from years of searching, I have longed for someone to tell"
It was truly inspiring for scientist-in-training, and encouraging for scientist-to-be. I highly recommend it: you won't see just a passionate researcher, but a person, as humane as possible, with flaws, love, and fearlessness.
The ending chapter, and especially, the final paragraph gave me hope: "As a scientist, I am indeed only an ant, insufficient and anonymous but I am stronger than I look and part of something that is much bigger than I am. As a tiny, living part of the scientist collective, I've sat alone countless nights in the dark, burning my metal candle and watching a foreign world with an aching heart. Like anyone else who harbors precious secrets wrought from years of searching, I have longed for someone to tell"
It was truly inspiring for scientist-in-training, and encouraging for scientist-to-be. I highly recommend it: you won't see just a passionate researcher, but a person, as humane as possible, with flaws, love, and fearlessness.
madjaz217's review against another edition
There's nothing extreme that made me want to stop reading, it just seems like a meandering narrative for a memoir. It's a bunch of vignettes of this scientist's life in the lab, and there's really nothing else going on. I don't see an overarching point that will make this more plot-like. If you want to know what it's like to dedicate your life to lab work, this is a great book to read. I've gotten what I wanted out of it at the 36% mark, and don't see the style or narrative changing enough from here to keep me engaged.
mdevlin923's review against another edition
3.0
Hope Jahren shares her life story and educational/professional journey as a scientist along with botanical and environmental science facts.
trin's review against another edition
3.0
I love Bill. Bill is a more interesting, complicated, weird, and intriguing character than 99% of romance novel heroes. Give me romance novels starring Bill, please.
This should not have been my main takeaway from this book, but it was.
This should not have been my main takeaway from this book, but it was.
mitskacir's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book. Every other chapter recounts an anecdote from Jahren's life, while the other chapters parallel her journey by describing stages in the life cycle of a tree. A very clever conceit that never feels forced and often gave me much deeper insight into her life than only the anecdotal chapters would have provided.
As a woman in science myself, I thought that this book would be inspiring or helpful in my own journey - however, while I loved it, I don't think it was. Jahren's account of a career in science was extremely intimidating, and she often hits rock bottom, sacrificing mental and physical health for her work. She does recount happy events in her life, and certainly conveys her deep love for science. However, as someone who already marvels at the mysteries of the natural world, I was more focused on her portrayal of the bitter gauntlet of a career in academia. I came away from this book in awe of Hope Jahren, and feeling like I don't have the personality or drive to be a successful scientist like her... but I'm still going to try anyway.
As a woman in science myself, I thought that this book would be inspiring or helpful in my own journey - however, while I loved it, I don't think it was. Jahren's account of a career in science was extremely intimidating, and she often hits rock bottom, sacrificing mental and physical health for her work. She does recount happy events in her life, and certainly conveys her deep love for science. However, as someone who already marvels at the mysteries of the natural world, I was more focused on her portrayal of the bitter gauntlet of a career in academia. I came away from this book in awe of Hope Jahren, and feeling like I don't have the personality or drive to be a successful scientist like her... but I'm still going to try anyway.