Reviews

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014 by Tim Folger, Deborah Blum

toniclark's review

4.0

A wide-ranging collection that represents many different science and nature topics. Most of these were interesting and well-written, though not every grabbed me. And a couple of times, I found myself thinking, “Yes, it’s an important issue, but is this the best science and nature writing?”

I especially enjoyed the essays on anesthesia, Hansen’s disease, O-rings, genetic genealogy, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, genetic engineering, and de-extinction (bringing extinct forms back to life).

I’ve bought these Best American collections for many years. This time, after taking a look at the book in a store, I opted for an ebook, since I’m nearsighted and the typeface is pretty small.

balletbookworm's review

5.0

Less basic "science-y" than previous collections in this series. The included essays are on the balance more personal and often include the writer as participant rather than simply researcher or observer. Standouts include Nicholas Carr, Sarah Stewart Johnson, Elizabeth Kolbert, Maryn McKenna, Rebecca Solnit, and David Treuer. The Barbara Kingsolver piece was lovely, but not science-enough for inclusion, IMO, and the Fred Pearce piece (which seems to obliquely advocate for "message" based TV programming since it seems to have correlated with decreased birth rates in areas of the world; interesting but....eh?) felt out of place.

swoody788's review

5.0

Usually I can only read so much about climate change and endangered species and rare diseases without becoming depressed, but this collection was absolutely riveting. With the exception of maybe one or two, I experienced true joy and wonder as I read each article, fascinated by the things I learned and excited with their correlation with what I've retained from other science-y things I've been reading lately. Genealogy-based genetic testing, living in Antarctica, the rise of fire ants, modern-day leprosy, trapping otter, bioethics, soap operas as birth control around the world, waking up from anesthesia during surgery, the chaos of our solar system.... With each piece I just kept thinking, "How cool is it to be a human on earth right now and learn all of these things that we have already and are currently figuring out?" I can't tell you how much I love reading something that just makes me want to learn as much as I can about the subject being discussed, so hats off to these authors for writing in a way that made their stories so compelling.

wagmore's review

3.0

Okay, but not overwhelming

bakudreamer's review

just read some of

acejolras's review

informative medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this collection. A couple essays were a little too lyrical for me (especially Kingsolver’s), but the majority were very well-written science journalism. Despite being 8 years old, nothing felt out of date. This was a great way to learn about a bunch of topics of interest that were better as magazine articles than full books.

brizreading's review

2.0

What a bummer! This series is usually my go-to for good science writing; I've read the previous editions with great joy and fascination. And sure, as with any collection of essays, it can be hit and miss. But the hits are usually big hits! With the 2014 collection, I was just... meh. A serious case of the science blahs. Everything was just sort of... OK. I appreciated the pretty heavy topics (mortality, the good death, apocalyptic climate change, other various woes). But nothing really stood out. It felt like a slog. Sadness.

Maybe the best essay was about the Ojibwe trapper; it was surprising, meditative, naturey, touching, fun/funny, and pretty damn deep. The rest though: the science blahs.

What do I do!? Back to Michio Kaku!?

jeremy_bearimy's review

4.0

I found most of these stories very thought provoking and well written. I only gave up on one article out of the entire bunch after slogging through its first few pages. I agree with other reviewers that this collection includes a lot of depressing topics, but I think that's an accurate reflection of the environmental and ethical challenges that we're facing versus a contrived attempt to bum us all out. I appreciated the diversity of topics and added the 2018 edition to my "want to read" list.

cpa85's review

4.0

Excellent collection of contemporary science writing (save for Barbara Kingslover's obnoxiously overwrought piece). Nearly every story introduces concepts and questions worth plenty of thought to accompany the facts and details provided. Excellent read for anyone with a general interest in science, particularly current issues.

harrietnbrown's review

5.0

I'm a fan of this "best of" series, but it can be uneven. This volume, curated by Deborah Blum, works both as a sequence and as a collection of individual pieces. Each stands on its own, but Blum has also organized them in a way that makes them work together. The best essay collections are more than the sum of their parts, and this one is all that.