edelstein's reviews
33 reviews

The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson

informative slow-paced

2.0

It is almost impressive that in an autobiography, a format biased towards whoever is writing it, the person we follow throughout the book is still so unlikable. The book follows Watson's journey through the field of science as an undergraduate up to his discovery of the double helix structure in DNA, and the race between him and other biologists in the field to find the truth. Yet, the path is often muddied by the constant sexism, droning on about irrelevant parts of daily life, and an expectation of the reader to have intimate knowledge of biology coming in. Throughout the book, a fellow biologist named Rosy is constantly portrayed as an emotional antagonist to the boy's research despite seeming like she just wanted to do work without being bothered by the protagonist. Nonetheless, she is framed as actively working against them, and in reference to her, he states that "the only place for a feminist like her is outside of the lab,". Only in the epilogue does he concede the slightest bit of gratitude to her after she passed away early, even though the backbone of his scientific ideas seemed to be inspired by her work. All in all, if you want the story of a glorified frat boy who is hopelessly a product of his time finding out an incredible aspect of biology, this it the book for it.

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

A reflection on modern masculinity and the negativity it casts on our society, Bell Hooks offers some amazing insights on the emotional lives of boys; a life that is constantly ignored and shoved down. Her analysis is detailed and intricate, examining not just the negative effects of the patriarchy but walking readers through the formation and maintenance of it as a whole. She does not vilify men nor women, but instead shows how we are hurt by the system and how even people with the best intentions uphold it. In doing so, she offers paths to reconnect with our emotions and realize the painful existence it is to shove them away. Although I disagree with her at times throughout the book, one cannot deny how thoughtful and insightful she was to the world around us.

Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan

dark hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

It has been years since I found myself so enraptured in a book that I read it in a single setting. This book, which I happened to stumble across through a comment of TikTok of all places, has been one of the most engaging, heart-wrenching, and hopeful stories that I've read about loss. All of the characters grow and change in believable ways in reaction to the plot, yet retain their original charm that we were introduced to. The only flaw of this book comes at the ending, where a plot point is resolved out of nowhere due to a character

hiding that they had access to a large fortune in saving despite making them and their kids live out of a garage for the majority of the book

, but this does not detract from the strong characters and themes throughout the rest of the novel.