Category: Writing

author: Simon Singh
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2009/06/07
date added: 2009/06/08
shelves: health, history, non-fiction, science
review:
My tongue-in-cheek instinct is to say that I’m posting spoilers, but not really: acupuncture might work for nausea & pain; homeopathy is BS; chiropractic might work for lower back pain; and herbal remedies are a mixed bag, some quite effective, others not so much.

More seriously, I like the detailed approach to these fairly common "alternative" techniques. The authors start with a history of evidence-based medicine and the application of the scientific method to human health, before going on to each of the modalities in particular. And throughout they introduce and reinforce scientific techniques for evaluating proposed remedies. Plus they personalize science by describing how the techniques evolved and the people involved. (It had never occurred to me, btw, that placebo also boosts the benefits provided by truly effective techniques.)

I’ve not been much for alternative medicine, but even I was surprised at the evidence in some aspects. (Except for homeopathy. The whole idea of it makes me giggle.) Chiropractic in particular — some years back I saw a chiropractor for overpoweringly bad and frequent headaches. My regular doctor hadn’t been a lot of help: I had some medication that provided symptom relief, but whacked me out and didn’t reduce either the severity or the frequency.

To his credit, the chiropractor suggested massage (which I think gave genuine relief) and didn’t encourage me to keep going after the headaches started to trail off. But after reading this, I have to wonder about my crazy popping neck, which didn’t used to do that at all. Ultimately, it’s my take that the headaches were somewhat psychosomatic, and were eventually "cured" with therapy and later antidepressants. (But anecdote != data and all that.)

In any case, very engaging and thought-provoking. Includes an appendix with quick reviews of a couple dozen other modalities.

Caveats: I’m not sure how effective this would be with someone who was really into alternative medicine, except that one of the authors is a former homeopath. The tone occasionally tips into LOLcrackpots! territory. For US readers, a lot of the data is UK-centered, although I didn’t find that to be a huge barrier.

author: Tom Zoellner
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2009/06/05
date added: 2009/06/08
shelves: environmentalism, history, non-fiction, politics, science, technology
review:
Excellent wide-ranging history of uranium. Less about the science — and C notes that some of the science is over-simplified — than about its meaning historically, particularly over the last 100 years.

Sort of chronologically organized, but often jumps from the historical moment in question (Manhattan Project, 70s, etc.) to the present day, or loops back to earlier sections. I didn’t get lost very often, though, so I’d consider the technique successful.

Lots of weird anecdotes, which is exactly the sort of thing I like: the word "dollar" originated with the name of the town where uranium was first discovered (discovered probably not being quite the right word, but a useful simplification); 2/3 of the uranium for the first bomb came from a single mine in the Congo; when it was built, the Oak Ridge facility was the largest building on earth; a uranium enrichment facility was almost built in a town called Homer, etc., etc. Plus a rich cast of characters, particularly the nutty miners of the postwar period.

Ends on something of an up note for uranium-based power production, which is surprising to American ears, or at least mine…although after reading Science of Fear I’m maybe a bit less surprised. The science of assessing the hazards of nuclear power is probably a lot more complex than most people think.

author: Thomas Robisheaux
name: Elaine
average rating: 2.83
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2009/05/29
date added: 2009/05/30
shelves: history, psychology, religion, sociology
review:
A curious and very detailed history of the last witch-burning in part of Germany, in 1672. The time period — in an overlap between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern era — provides for a strange treatment of the problem of witches. In places it reads like a murder mystery, although we never actually get to find out whodunit. In places, it’s a treatise on early modern law and medicine. I also learned a bit more about the Thirty Years War and the Treaty of Westphalia. (That last is a bit of an injoke at MetaFilter, so it’s nice to get some context!) Writing can be a bit dense in places.

author: Martin E.P. Seligman
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at: 2009/05/19
date added: 2009/05/22
shelves: non-fiction, psychology, self-help, wishlist
review:
A thoughtful and yes, upbeat book. Worth it for the self-help style quiz at the beginning, which for me gave me a bit of a boost, because I could see how my biking & weight loss experiences, along with my work with CBT, have actually changed how I think about things. Although I gotta say my natural inclinations are still pretty damn pessimistic. It’s gonna have to go back to the library shortly, although I still haven’t finished all the exercises.

There’s a thought log technique that’s similar to the main one in Feeling Good, and interestingly enough, I’m finding that just approaching it with a slightly different method has helped me through a few rough moments (nothing huge, really) just this week. There’s a special chapter on optimism at work, with a slightly different take on the exercise from the earlier chapter, which I’m looking forward to taking on soon.

The most thought-provoking aspect of the book, for someone with my history, is the very deliberate examination about flexible optimism. He recognizes that there are times where pessimism is actually a realistic and even useful stance, and outlines a few of the differences in the situations. But then he goes on to really promote the idea of mindful pessimism and optimism, rather than just blindly following your unconscious tendencies.

Two drawbacks for me personally: a big focus on kids and schooling, which I get is part of his mission to improve society in general, but which don’t mean much for me; and the dated edition. I got the ’98 edition, which didn’t have a lot of changes from the ’91 edition. The historical bits are entertaining, with the USSR & Dukakis and all. On the other hand, there were a few sections where I think the scientific understanding/consensus has changed, especially around how the brain actually works. (Nothing jumps out at the moment.) If I were to get my own copy, I’d be looking for the most up to date version, which looks to be a 2006 edition.

author: Daniel Gardner
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2009/05/11
date added: 2009/05/13
shelves: economics, environmentalism, history, marketing, politics, psychology, science, sociology, technology
review:
A sharp little book on the death of Homo Economicus and the problems of understanding risk with our crazy crazy brains, plus a wonderful reminder that we actually live in the best of times in many ways. (He recommends a little tour of an old graveyard, should you doubt this.)

author: Courtney Humphries
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2009/03/12
date added: 2009/04/16
shelves: environmentalism, non-fiction, science, sociology, urban-studies
review:
This was book was rad! It’s been about a month since I read it, so some of the details are fuzzy, but it was totally enjoyable. Read it on the plane/in the airport, and my biggest complaint is that it’s so quick & short that I ended up having to buy a book for my return trip. (I read both this and the Ida Tarbell book on the trip out.)

Covers the pigeon as a historical, scientific, and cultural phenomenon, including both pigeon fanciers (like Darwin!) and pigeon mothers (people who feed urban birds), plus Skinner’s attempt at guided missiles. Makes the case for the urban pigeon as a special case in the animal kingdom: neither wild nor domesticated, but evolved to co-exist in proximity to human settlement. (Will the same prove true of raccoons in North America?) Lots of interesting characters met along the way.