Advance Copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Daily exposure to sunlight and darkness fosters cyclic activity and rest, yet many of us live out of sync with inner clocks. Pandemic-related social isolation, work stress, family duties, and more harm health and well-being, Sara Mednick says. She explains how and why and offers tips for regaining balance in The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body's Own Restorative Systems.

When Florence Williams’ husband left her after 25 years of marriage, she felt bereft, lost 20 lbs., and had trouble sleeping. “People who have suffered lost love face an elevated risk of serious medical woes, including sudden heart attacks,” she reports. In Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, Williams explores heartbreak’s impact on mind and body and tactics that helped her recover.

Balancing two intertwined forks on a toothpick resting on the edge of a glass helps kids understand Isaac Newton’s concept of gravity. Homemade slime helps illustrate Lise Meitner’s recognition of nuclear fission. In The Kitchen Pantry Scientist: Physics for Kids, Liz Heinecke introduces young readers to 25 physicists & provides photo-illustrated guides to home experiments based on their work.

For many Tucson visitors, a trek up the 9,157-foot Mount Lemmon is the trip’s literal high point. In 1881, botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, for whom the peak is named, became the first white woman known to reach its top. She collected, identified, preserved, and painted 100s of new Southwest plant species, Wynne Brown reports in The Forgotten Botanist: Sara Plummer Lemmon's Life of Science and Art.