Advance Copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

For this column, NASW book editor Lynne Lamberg asks NASW authors to tell how they came up with the idea for their book, developed a proposal, found an agent and publisher, funded and conducted research, and put the book together. She also asks what they wish they had known before they began working on their book, what they might do differently the next time, and what tips they can offer aspiring authors. She then edits the A part of that Q&A to produce the author reports you see here.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines to submit your report.

Publication of NASW members' reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of their books. NASW welcomes your comments and hopes this column stimulates productive discussions.

Rectangular photo of Brad Wolgast’s office bookshelf showing books on sleep for sleep specialists and the public. Photo credit: Brad Wolgast

Brad Wolgast—Gold Medal Sleep: The Everyperson's Guide for Restful Nights, Energetic Days, and a Healthy Life

Becoming a champion sleeper takes practice. It doesn’t involve medications or costly equipment, Brad Wolgast writes in Gold Medal Sleep: The Everyperson's Guide for Restful Nights, Energetic Days, and a Healthy Life. Give your brain a break near bedtime, he suggests, a useful tactic for journalists. Set your phone to grayscale, curb phone use, and leave your phone outside your bedroom overnight.

For bookshelf photo: Rectangular photo of Roberta Kwok’s office bookshelf showing works on continental drift, animal life, astronomy, uranium mines in Navajo lands, and other topics addressed in Kwok’s book, as well as books on writing and editing a book.

Roberta Kwok—Lost in Curiosity: Field Notes from Scientists' Adventures into the Unknown

“Researchers spend most of their time in the ‘messy middle’ of science—the opposite of a Eureka moment,” Roberta Kwok writes in Lost in Curiosity: Field Notes from Scientists' Adventures into the Unknown. A curious reporter herself, Kwok provides a close-up view of that shambolic space, drawn from interviews with teams of scientists in nine disciplines who describe their research as it unfolds.

Rectangular photo of Siri Carpenter’s office bookshelf showing works on writing, particularly science writing, and examples of outstanding books by science writers including NASW members Christie Aschwanden, Deborah Blum, Rebecca Boyle, Dan Fagin, Ben Goldberg, and Ferris Jabr. Photo credit: Siri Carpenter.

Siri Carpenter—The Best Science Stories and How They Work: A Collection with Commentary

Seeing a story deconstructed as you read it can help you both appreciate compelling science reporting and acquire new skills, Siri Carpenter notes in The Best Science Stories and How They Work: A Collection with Commentary. With 11 stories by top science writers, commentary on each by an astute reader, and chats between each pair, this book provides a master class for students, pros, and teachers.

Rectangular photo of Terra Ziporyn’s office bookshelf showing works on the history and nature of sleep and circadian science, including three books by other NASW authors: Kenneth Miller, Lisa Lewis, and Lynne Peeples. Photo credit: Terra Ziporyn.

Terra Ziporyn (NASW Member) and Amy Wolfson—Educating the Exhausted: Adolescent Sleep and the Struggle for a Later School Start

Hundreds of US high schools have adopted healthy start times for adolescents—8:30 a.m. or later—but 1000s have yet to do so. In Educating the Exhausted: Adolescent Sleep and the Struggle for a Later School Start, Terra Ziporyn & Amy Wolfson report scientific evidence supporting later start times, their benefits for teens’ academic performance, & hurdles to raising public awareness & changing policy.

Rectangular photo of Rebecca E. Hirsch’s office bookshelf showing books on terrorism and its aftermath, examples of resilience, such as the restoration of the flag that flew at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and tree-planting projects. Photo credit: Rebecca E. Hirsch.

Rebecca E. Hirsch—150,000 Trees: Growing a Memorial for 9/11's Flight 93

Flight 93’s 9/11 crash further scarred Pennsylvania land blighted by decades of mining. To honor the 40 passengers and crew who gave their lives to prevent the plane’s crash into its likely Washington DC target, their families, area residents, and others focused on healing and growth. They planted a forest. In 150000 Trees: Growing a Memorial for 9/11’s Flight 93, Rebecca Hirsch tells their story.

Rectangular photo of Margie Patlak’s office bookshelf showing multiple works with the word “insects” in the title, and several on specific types of insects, including bees, crickets, ants, and moths. Photo credit: Margie Patlak.

Margie Patlak—Insect Safari: Exploring the Wondrous World of Everyday Bugs

Bees can count and ants can recognize themselves in mirrors. That degree of surprising detail abounds in Margie Patlak’s Insect Safari: Exploring the Wondrous World of Everyday Bugs. Patlak observed, photographed, and delved into the lives of hundreds of insects in her Maine garden and Philadelphia courtyard. She invites readers to join in. Her last chapter: “If you plant it, they will come.”

Rectangular photo of Helen Pearson’s office bookshelf showing works on such topics as evidence-based medicine, using evidence, evidence-based management, principles of medical statistics, testing treatments, users’ guides to the medical literature, and how to read a paper. Photo credit: Helen Pearson

Helen Pearson—Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works

In medicine, doctors make decisions based on rigorous studies that test whether treatments work. Evidence from research benefits other fields, e.g., schools, social policy, & conservation, Helen Pearson reports in Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works. “Evidence rarely provides certainty,” she notes. “But it can reduce uncertainty and improve decisions—and that can be life-changing.”

Rectangular photo of Lorraine Boissoneault’s office bookshelf showing works on disabilities, living with chronic illness, immunity, empathy, catastrophes, and works of poetry. Photo credit: Lorraine Boissoneault.

Lorraine Boissoneault—Body Weather: Notes on Chronic Illness in the Anthropocene

In Body Weather: Notes on Chronic Illness in the Anthropocene Lorraine Boissoneault likens variations in symptoms of her autoimmune illnesses to encounters with hot and cold weather, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, and other climate extremes. "Illness has taught me determination, creativity, resilience, and the importance of community," she says, "knowledge we all need to foster a healthier planet."

Rectangular photo of Elizabeth Preston’s office bookshelf showing works on topics that include the evolution of parental care, Mother Nature, Father Nature, biology as ideology, social instincts, mating systems, and Charles Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle. Photo credit: Elizabeth Preston.

Elizabeth Preston—The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care

“The tools for caring have been woven into our DNA,” Elizabeth Preston writes in The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care. From spiders to bats to whales, nature on land and sea is replete with examples. Humans and other animals’ shared biology and brain circuitry not only enable caring for our young, she says, but also living together in societies.