The Inside Reader: Ginn Hale
Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends - Silas Weir Mitchell
What I like most of the Inside Reader series is that, in each list, you can really see the author. Some of them are classical, some innovative, some particular... Ginn Hale's list is something absolutely out of the ordinary, like her books. I think that many of you will look to these books, even if they are not exactly your usual cup of tea!
Ten of my Favorite Non-Fiction Books from Ginn Hale.
I realized that there was no way could pick just ten of my favorite novels-there are simply too many excellent authors out there-and many of the books I would cite have already been listed by other authors numerous times. Though, I would say that most readers will have a good time with works from, Josh Lanyon, Nicole Kimberling, Astrid Amara, Jim Grimsley, and the lovely Marjorie M. Liu. But, for the sake of variety I thought I would mention some titles that are often missed on top ten lists, but which I feel are great reads.
1) Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. Thanks to Adams´ humor and grace, a book documenting what may be the last days of many strange and beautiful species is a pleasure. And unlike other books, it inspires a reader instead of simply leaving one feeling hopeless in the face of impending extinctions. It´s also worth noting that a re-visit to the book and its subjects has come out under the same title, (Last chance to See), though this time the charming Stephen Fry has taken up Adams´ role as co-author to Mark Carwadine. Both are well worth your time.
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 13, 1992)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345371980
ISBN-10: 0345371984
ISBN-13: 978-0345371980
Amazon: Last Chance to See
"Very funny and moving...The glimpses of rare fauna seem to have enlarged [Adams'] thinking, enlivened his world; and so might the animals do for us all, if we were to help them live." --THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD. Join bestselling author Douglas Adams and zooligist Mark Carwardine as they take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures. Hilarious and poignant--as only Douglas Adams can be--LAST CHANCE TO SEE is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth's magnificent wildlife galaxy.
2) A Gap In Nature by Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten. This is a book of astounding illustrations, depicting recently extinct creatures. The original paintings were life-size and the printed images are grand and beautiful. It´s almost impossible to look through the pages of this book and not feel as if you are visiting an alien world, filled with laughing owls and marsupial tigers. And of course it´s heartbreaking to realize that such an exotic world was once our own. Nothing will bring these lost species back to us but I could not imagine a more moving memorial for them.
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (October 7, 2001)
Publisher Link: http://www.groveatlantic.com/#page=isbn9780871137975%20
ISBN-10: 0871137976
ISBN-13: 978-0871137975
Amazon: A Gap In Nature
A fantastic visual voyage showcasing the animals we have lost from the planet over the last five hundred years, written by the acclaimed author of Throwim Way Leg and The Eternal Frontier, and illustrated by the internationally renowned wildlife artist Peter Schouten.
3) Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl. One the face of it, this enormous book is simply a compilation of thousands of naturalists´ field notes and photos documenting homosexuality in the animal kingdom. The essays and interviews vary from quite dry, to wildly speculative, but it isn´t the people that make the book worth owning; it´s the animals. Engaging in behaviors that are at turns romantic, sleazy, savage and hilarious, animals show themselves to be, above all things, individual and unique... And did I mention hilarious? No matter how bad your day is going there´s no way you can´t laugh at the photo of a walrus lounging on a beach, pleasuring himself with a flipper.
Paperback: 768 pages
Publisher: Stonewall Inn Editions; 1st edition (April 10, 2000)
Publisher Link: http://www.echonyc.com/~stone/Features/BioExIntro.html
ISBN-10: 031225377X
ISBN-13: 978-0312253776
Amazon: Biological Exuberance
A Publishers Weekly Best Book. One of the New York Public Library's "25 Books to Remember" for 1999. Homosexuality in its myriad forms has been scientifically documented in more than 450 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and other animals worldwide. Biological Exuberance is the first comprehensive account of the subject, bringing together accurate, accessible, and nonsensationalized information. Drawing upon a rich body of zoological research spanning more than two centuries, Bruce Bagemihl shows that animals engage in all types of nonreproductive sexual behavior. Sexual and gender expression in the animal world displays exuberant variety, including same-sex courtship, pair-bonding, sex, and co-parenting-even instances of lifelong homosexual bonding in species that do not have lifelong heterosexual bonding. Part 1, "A Polysexual, Polygendered World," begins with a survey of homosexuality, transgender, and nonreproductive heterosexuality in animals and then delves into the broader implications of these findings, including a valuable perspective on human diversity. Bagemihl also examines the hidden assumptions behind the way biologists look at natural systems and suggests a fresh perspective based on the synthesis of contemporary scientific insights with traditional knowledge from indigenous cultures. Part 2, "A Wondrous Bestiary," profiles more than 190 species in which scientific observers have noted homosexual or transgender behavior. Each profile is a verbal and visual "snapshot" of one or more closely related bird or mammal species, containing all the documentation required to support the author's often controversial conclusions. Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, filled with fascinating facts and astonishing descriptions of animal behavior, Biological Exuberance is a landmark book that will change forever how we look at nature.
4) The Ghosts of Evolution by Connie Barlow. This book is less about the "ghosts"--long extinct species ranging from ice age megafauna to dinosaurs--than it is about the botanical partners and puzzles they left behind. What animal could possibly have dispersed the huge seeds of avocados, or swallowed the whole seedpods of honey locust trees? And how do these now anachronistic plants continue to survive? The writing here is not academic, but curious and delighted and it´s hard not to be charmed by both the discoveries and the author.
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (February 28, 2002)
Publisher Link: http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/basic/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0465005527
ISBN-10: 0465005527
ISBN-13: 978-0465005529
Amazon: The Ghosts of Evolution
A new vision is sweeping through ecological science: The dense web of dependencies that makes up an ecosystem has gained an added dimension-the dimension of time. Every field, forest, and park is full of living organisms adapted for relationships with creatures that are now extinct. In a vivid narrative, Connie Barlow shows how the idea of "missing partners" in nature evolved from isolated, curious examples into an idea that is transforming how ecologists understand the entire flora and fauna of the Americas. This fascinating book will enrich the experience of any amateur naturalist, as well as teach us that the ripples of biodiversity loss around us are just the leading edge of what may well become perilous cascades of extinction.
5) The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks. Twenty-four case histories of neurological injuries and disorders should have made for the most depressing, or exploitative of books, but instead the author presented each subject with such humanity and honesty that the book as a whole feels almost spiritual-a deeply humane and enlightening read.
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Touchstone (April 2, 1998)
ISBN-10: 0684853949
ISBN-13: 978-0684853949
Amazon: The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat
In his most extraordinary book, "one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century" (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Oliver Sacks's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales remain, in Dr. Sacks's splendid and sympathetic telling, deeply human. They are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity, and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired, to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine's ultimate responsibility: "the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject."
6) Next of Kin by Roger Fouts. This book too, could have been oppressive, dealing as it does with the lives of laboratory primates. But, because the author is an active player in these animals´ lives and because they are so involved in his own, what cold have been a tale of abuse and remorse quickly develops into a story of how two families, one human and one primate, save each other. Moving, inspiring and uplifting--there isn´t much more I could say except that it deserves to be read.
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (September 1, 1998)
Publisher Link: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780380728220/Next_of_Kin/index.aspx
ISBN-10: 0380728222
ISBN-13: 978-0380728220
Amazon: Next of Kin
For 30 years Roger Fouts has pioneered communication with chimpanzees through sign language--beginning with a mischievous baby chimp named Washoe. This remarkable book describes Fout's odyssey from novice researcher to celebrity scientist to impassioned crusader for the rights of animals. Living and conversing with these sensitive creatures has given him a profound appreciation of what they can teach us about ourselves. It has also made Fouts an outspoken opponent of biomedical experimentation on chimpanzees. A voyage of scientific discovery and interspecies communication, this is a stirring tale of friendship, courage, and compassion that will change forever the way we view our biological--and spritual--next of kin.
7) Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. Here you can find all the makings of a great horror film: sixty foot long tapeworms, elephantiasis, brain rupturing cysts, and parasites that overwhelm their host´s mental faculties so completely that they alter their behavior to suit the parasite´s needs. But for all the sensationalism, there is also a measured and important question about how our own bodies cope without the parasites that our immune systems have evolved to combat for millions of years.
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Free Press (September 11, 2001)
ISBN-10: 074320011X
ISBN-13: 978-0743200110
Amazon: Parasite Rex
IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites. WELCOME TO EARTH. For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.
8) The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Written just a little before his death, this book involves very little astronomy but instead focuses on much more earthly matters of religion, pseudo-science, mysticism and advertising with fascinating results. Overall the book is an investigation of how our memories, desires and insecurities can lead us to believe what we should suspect to be false and, worse yet, to be afraid to question and explore the world around us. The book isn´t insulting to believers nor is it cynical-thought con artists are there to be found, instead Sagan simply and compassionately offers "science as a candle in the dark".
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 25, 1997)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345409461
ISBN-10: 0345409469
ISBN-13: 978-0345409461
Amazon: The Demon-Haunted World
"A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought." --Los Angeles Times. "POWERFUL . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing." --The Washington Post Book World. How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. "COMPELLING." --USA Today. "A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity." --The Sciences. "PASSIONATE." --San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle.
9) Eyewitness to History edited by John Carey. A compilation of various letters, diary entries, reports and publications by first hand observers, spans thousands of years and documents wildly divergent happenings. While some entries depict immense occurrences such as the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, the great London fire, battles at Waterloo, the Indian mutiny, the battle at Gettysburg, the Blitz, D-Day, and many many more, it also contains a scattering of more intimate and human remembrances, from Whirling Dervishes and Turkish Bathes to Green Children and fiery salamanders, that bring the whole thing to life. Even if one entry is dull to you or the author seems off-putting there are dozens more that will delight and entertain. My personal favorite is an entry by Richard Hillary, describing the hours after his plane was shot down in a dogfight as he drifted in the North Sea.
Paperback: 752 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (August 1, 1997)
Publisher Link: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780380729685/Eyewitness_to_History/index.aspx
ISBN-10: 0380729687
ISBN-13: 978-0380729685
Amazon: Eyewitness to History
Imagine. . . Witnessing the destruction of Pompeii. . . Accompanying Julius Caesar on his invasion of Britain. . . Flying with the crew of The Great Artiste en route to dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. . . Civilization's most momentous events come vibrantly alive in this magnificent collection of over three hundred eyewitness accounts spanning twenty-four turbulent centuries -- remarkable recollections of battles, atrocities, disasters, coronations, assassinations and discoveries that shaped the course of history, all related in vivid detail by observers on the scene.
10) Ken´s Guide to the Bible by Ken Smith. This is the only book on my list that I think could offend anyone, but it´s just too funny not to mention. On top of that it´s short and to the point. Ken goes through the Bible, pointing out passages of weirdness, gender bashing, extreme violence and "family values" that make the Manson family seem well balanced. Oh, and he also points out the sex, so no more time wasted flipping through Leviticus!
Paperback: 143 pages
Publisher: Blast Books (September 18, 1995)
ISBN-10: 0922233179
ISBN-13: 978-0922233175
Amazon: Ken´s Guide to the Bible
In Ken's Guide to the Bible Ken Smith merrily brings to light the strangest, most embarrassing, and most flabberghastingly bizarre stories within the world's best-known book-the Bible. Ken's Guide to the Bible takes literalists to task by pointing out everything in the Good Book that is totally weird. Ken's Guide to the Bible is written for people who don't have the time to read the Good Book but who suspect that it shelters a lot of absurdity between its covers. Ken's Guide to the Bible spotlights all the naughty, cool, fun parts of Bible, free from the indulgent interpretations of the faithful.
About Ginn Hale: Ginn Hale spent her early childhood living in a small cabin above a California commune utterly unaware of the modern world only fifty miles away. Upon discovering technological miracles of electricity, running water, the flush toilet and tape she swore never to forsake them-though she admits that, like an occasionally lapsing alcoholic, she sporadically drifts from civilization to live like a wild thing.
She attended the University of Northern Colorado as well as Denver University and has tramped through all 31 states of Mexico on botanical expeditions. Later she plunged through the wilds of Heathrow Airport, discovering the locations of nearly every bookstore while hunting elusive and often overbooked flights to Paris. She now lives in Bellingham Washington where she writes fantasy and science fiction and donates blood just for the fun of it.
Wicked Gentlemen is Ginn´s first novel. It was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and won the 2008 Spectrum Award for best novel.
Hell Cop 2 by Astrid Amara, Nicole Kimberling & Ginn Hale
Publisher: Loose Id
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Hell-Cop-2.aspx
ISBN: 978-1-59632-948-5
Cover Artist: April Martinez
Series: Hell Cop; Previous Book: Hell Cop
Genre: LGBT Science Fiction/Fantasy Paranormal Suspense
Length: Anthology
Amazon: Hell Cop 2
Blurb: Such Heights, by Ginn Hale
Photojournalist James Sparks fled to the exotic Storm Palace to escape his relationship troubles. But soon he's witness to a murder, and the man he least wants to deal with -- his lover, Detective Ben Moran -- is on the case.
What I like most of the Inside Reader series is that, in each list, you can really see the author. Some of them are classical, some innovative, some particular... Ginn Hale's list is something absolutely out of the ordinary, like her books. I think that many of you will look to these books, even if they are not exactly your usual cup of tea!
Ten of my Favorite Non-Fiction Books from Ginn Hale.
I realized that there was no way could pick just ten of my favorite novels-there are simply too many excellent authors out there-and many of the books I would cite have already been listed by other authors numerous times. Though, I would say that most readers will have a good time with works from, Josh Lanyon, Nicole Kimberling, Astrid Amara, Jim Grimsley, and the lovely Marjorie M. Liu. But, for the sake of variety I thought I would mention some titles that are often missed on top ten lists, but which I feel are great reads.
1) Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. Thanks to Adams´ humor and grace, a book documenting what may be the last days of many strange and beautiful species is a pleasure. And unlike other books, it inspires a reader instead of simply leaving one feeling hopeless in the face of impending extinctions. It´s also worth noting that a re-visit to the book and its subjects has come out under the same title, (Last chance to See), though this time the charming Stephen Fry has taken up Adams´ role as co-author to Mark Carwadine. Both are well worth your time.
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 13, 1992)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345371980
ISBN-10: 0345371984
ISBN-13: 978-0345371980
Amazon: Last Chance to See
"Very funny and moving...The glimpses of rare fauna seem to have enlarged [Adams'] thinking, enlivened his world; and so might the animals do for us all, if we were to help them live." --THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD. Join bestselling author Douglas Adams and zooligist Mark Carwardine as they take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures. Hilarious and poignant--as only Douglas Adams can be--LAST CHANCE TO SEE is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth's magnificent wildlife galaxy.
2) A Gap In Nature by Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten. This is a book of astounding illustrations, depicting recently extinct creatures. The original paintings were life-size and the printed images are grand and beautiful. It´s almost impossible to look through the pages of this book and not feel as if you are visiting an alien world, filled with laughing owls and marsupial tigers. And of course it´s heartbreaking to realize that such an exotic world was once our own. Nothing will bring these lost species back to us but I could not imagine a more moving memorial for them.
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (October 7, 2001)
Publisher Link: http://www.groveatlantic.com/#page=isbn9780871137975%20
ISBN-10: 0871137976
ISBN-13: 978-0871137975
Amazon: A Gap In Nature
A fantastic visual voyage showcasing the animals we have lost from the planet over the last five hundred years, written by the acclaimed author of Throwim Way Leg and The Eternal Frontier, and illustrated by the internationally renowned wildlife artist Peter Schouten.
3) Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl. One the face of it, this enormous book is simply a compilation of thousands of naturalists´ field notes and photos documenting homosexuality in the animal kingdom. The essays and interviews vary from quite dry, to wildly speculative, but it isn´t the people that make the book worth owning; it´s the animals. Engaging in behaviors that are at turns romantic, sleazy, savage and hilarious, animals show themselves to be, above all things, individual and unique... And did I mention hilarious? No matter how bad your day is going there´s no way you can´t laugh at the photo of a walrus lounging on a beach, pleasuring himself with a flipper.
Paperback: 768 pages
Publisher: Stonewall Inn Editions; 1st edition (April 10, 2000)
Publisher Link: http://www.echonyc.com/~stone/Features/BioExIntro.html
ISBN-10: 031225377X
ISBN-13: 978-0312253776
Amazon: Biological Exuberance
A Publishers Weekly Best Book. One of the New York Public Library's "25 Books to Remember" for 1999. Homosexuality in its myriad forms has been scientifically documented in more than 450 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and other animals worldwide. Biological Exuberance is the first comprehensive account of the subject, bringing together accurate, accessible, and nonsensationalized information. Drawing upon a rich body of zoological research spanning more than two centuries, Bruce Bagemihl shows that animals engage in all types of nonreproductive sexual behavior. Sexual and gender expression in the animal world displays exuberant variety, including same-sex courtship, pair-bonding, sex, and co-parenting-even instances of lifelong homosexual bonding in species that do not have lifelong heterosexual bonding. Part 1, "A Polysexual, Polygendered World," begins with a survey of homosexuality, transgender, and nonreproductive heterosexuality in animals and then delves into the broader implications of these findings, including a valuable perspective on human diversity. Bagemihl also examines the hidden assumptions behind the way biologists look at natural systems and suggests a fresh perspective based on the synthesis of contemporary scientific insights with traditional knowledge from indigenous cultures. Part 2, "A Wondrous Bestiary," profiles more than 190 species in which scientific observers have noted homosexual or transgender behavior. Each profile is a verbal and visual "snapshot" of one or more closely related bird or mammal species, containing all the documentation required to support the author's often controversial conclusions. Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, filled with fascinating facts and astonishing descriptions of animal behavior, Biological Exuberance is a landmark book that will change forever how we look at nature.
4) The Ghosts of Evolution by Connie Barlow. This book is less about the "ghosts"--long extinct species ranging from ice age megafauna to dinosaurs--than it is about the botanical partners and puzzles they left behind. What animal could possibly have dispersed the huge seeds of avocados, or swallowed the whole seedpods of honey locust trees? And how do these now anachronistic plants continue to survive? The writing here is not academic, but curious and delighted and it´s hard not to be charmed by both the discoveries and the author.
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (February 28, 2002)
Publisher Link: http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/basic/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0465005527
ISBN-10: 0465005527
ISBN-13: 978-0465005529
Amazon: The Ghosts of Evolution
A new vision is sweeping through ecological science: The dense web of dependencies that makes up an ecosystem has gained an added dimension-the dimension of time. Every field, forest, and park is full of living organisms adapted for relationships with creatures that are now extinct. In a vivid narrative, Connie Barlow shows how the idea of "missing partners" in nature evolved from isolated, curious examples into an idea that is transforming how ecologists understand the entire flora and fauna of the Americas. This fascinating book will enrich the experience of any amateur naturalist, as well as teach us that the ripples of biodiversity loss around us are just the leading edge of what may well become perilous cascades of extinction.
5) The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks. Twenty-four case histories of neurological injuries and disorders should have made for the most depressing, or exploitative of books, but instead the author presented each subject with such humanity and honesty that the book as a whole feels almost spiritual-a deeply humane and enlightening read.
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Touchstone (April 2, 1998)
ISBN-10: 0684853949
ISBN-13: 978-0684853949
Amazon: The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat
In his most extraordinary book, "one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century" (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Oliver Sacks's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales remain, in Dr. Sacks's splendid and sympathetic telling, deeply human. They are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity, and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired, to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine's ultimate responsibility: "the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject."
6) Next of Kin by Roger Fouts. This book too, could have been oppressive, dealing as it does with the lives of laboratory primates. But, because the author is an active player in these animals´ lives and because they are so involved in his own, what cold have been a tale of abuse and remorse quickly develops into a story of how two families, one human and one primate, save each other. Moving, inspiring and uplifting--there isn´t much more I could say except that it deserves to be read.
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (September 1, 1998)
Publisher Link: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780380728220/Next_of_Kin/index.aspx
ISBN-10: 0380728222
ISBN-13: 978-0380728220
Amazon: Next of Kin
For 30 years Roger Fouts has pioneered communication with chimpanzees through sign language--beginning with a mischievous baby chimp named Washoe. This remarkable book describes Fout's odyssey from novice researcher to celebrity scientist to impassioned crusader for the rights of animals. Living and conversing with these sensitive creatures has given him a profound appreciation of what they can teach us about ourselves. It has also made Fouts an outspoken opponent of biomedical experimentation on chimpanzees. A voyage of scientific discovery and interspecies communication, this is a stirring tale of friendship, courage, and compassion that will change forever the way we view our biological--and spritual--next of kin.
7) Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. Here you can find all the makings of a great horror film: sixty foot long tapeworms, elephantiasis, brain rupturing cysts, and parasites that overwhelm their host´s mental faculties so completely that they alter their behavior to suit the parasite´s needs. But for all the sensationalism, there is also a measured and important question about how our own bodies cope without the parasites that our immune systems have evolved to combat for millions of years.
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Free Press (September 11, 2001)
ISBN-10: 074320011X
ISBN-13: 978-0743200110
Amazon: Parasite Rex
IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites. WELCOME TO EARTH. For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.
8) The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Written just a little before his death, this book involves very little astronomy but instead focuses on much more earthly matters of religion, pseudo-science, mysticism and advertising with fascinating results. Overall the book is an investigation of how our memories, desires and insecurities can lead us to believe what we should suspect to be false and, worse yet, to be afraid to question and explore the world around us. The book isn´t insulting to believers nor is it cynical-thought con artists are there to be found, instead Sagan simply and compassionately offers "science as a candle in the dark".
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 25, 1997)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345409461
ISBN-10: 0345409469
ISBN-13: 978-0345409461
Amazon: The Demon-Haunted World
"A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought." --Los Angeles Times. "POWERFUL . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing." --The Washington Post Book World. How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. "COMPELLING." --USA Today. "A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity." --The Sciences. "PASSIONATE." --San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle.
9) Eyewitness to History edited by John Carey. A compilation of various letters, diary entries, reports and publications by first hand observers, spans thousands of years and documents wildly divergent happenings. While some entries depict immense occurrences such as the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, the great London fire, battles at Waterloo, the Indian mutiny, the battle at Gettysburg, the Blitz, D-Day, and many many more, it also contains a scattering of more intimate and human remembrances, from Whirling Dervishes and Turkish Bathes to Green Children and fiery salamanders, that bring the whole thing to life. Even if one entry is dull to you or the author seems off-putting there are dozens more that will delight and entertain. My personal favorite is an entry by Richard Hillary, describing the hours after his plane was shot down in a dogfight as he drifted in the North Sea.
Paperback: 752 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (August 1, 1997)
Publisher Link: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780380729685/Eyewitness_to_History/index.aspx
ISBN-10: 0380729687
ISBN-13: 978-0380729685
Amazon: Eyewitness to History
Imagine. . . Witnessing the destruction of Pompeii. . . Accompanying Julius Caesar on his invasion of Britain. . . Flying with the crew of The Great Artiste en route to dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. . . Civilization's most momentous events come vibrantly alive in this magnificent collection of over three hundred eyewitness accounts spanning twenty-four turbulent centuries -- remarkable recollections of battles, atrocities, disasters, coronations, assassinations and discoveries that shaped the course of history, all related in vivid detail by observers on the scene.
10) Ken´s Guide to the Bible by Ken Smith. This is the only book on my list that I think could offend anyone, but it´s just too funny not to mention. On top of that it´s short and to the point. Ken goes through the Bible, pointing out passages of weirdness, gender bashing, extreme violence and "family values" that make the Manson family seem well balanced. Oh, and he also points out the sex, so no more time wasted flipping through Leviticus!
Paperback: 143 pages
Publisher: Blast Books (September 18, 1995)
ISBN-10: 0922233179
ISBN-13: 978-0922233175
Amazon: Ken´s Guide to the Bible
In Ken's Guide to the Bible Ken Smith merrily brings to light the strangest, most embarrassing, and most flabberghastingly bizarre stories within the world's best-known book-the Bible. Ken's Guide to the Bible takes literalists to task by pointing out everything in the Good Book that is totally weird. Ken's Guide to the Bible is written for people who don't have the time to read the Good Book but who suspect that it shelters a lot of absurdity between its covers. Ken's Guide to the Bible spotlights all the naughty, cool, fun parts of Bible, free from the indulgent interpretations of the faithful.
About Ginn Hale: Ginn Hale spent her early childhood living in a small cabin above a California commune utterly unaware of the modern world only fifty miles away. Upon discovering technological miracles of electricity, running water, the flush toilet and tape she swore never to forsake them-though she admits that, like an occasionally lapsing alcoholic, she sporadically drifts from civilization to live like a wild thing.
She attended the University of Northern Colorado as well as Denver University and has tramped through all 31 states of Mexico on botanical expeditions. Later she plunged through the wilds of Heathrow Airport, discovering the locations of nearly every bookstore while hunting elusive and often overbooked flights to Paris. She now lives in Bellingham Washington where she writes fantasy and science fiction and donates blood just for the fun of it.
Wicked Gentlemen is Ginn´s first novel. It was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and won the 2008 Spectrum Award for best novel.
Hell Cop 2 by Astrid Amara, Nicole Kimberling & Ginn Hale
Publisher: Loose Id
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Hell-Cop-2.aspx
ISBN: 978-1-59632-948-5
Cover Artist: April Martinez
Series: Hell Cop; Previous Book: Hell Cop
Genre: LGBT Science Fiction/Fantasy Paranormal Suspense
Length: Anthology
Amazon: Hell Cop 2
Blurb: Such Heights, by Ginn Hale
Photojournalist James Sparks fled to the exotic Storm Palace to escape his relationship troubles. But soon he's witness to a murder, and the man he least wants to deal with -- his lover, Detective Ben Moran -- is on the case.