BOOKS BY AND FOR MEMBERS

by Ruth Winter

Love At Goon Park: Harry Harlow and The Science of Affection by Deborah Blum (NASW), published by Perseus Books (in the US); Wiley (in the UK).

Deborah Blum, a freelancer and journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin, has written a biography of Harry Harlow. He was, according to Blum, a frustrated poet—sarcastic, work-obsessed, and alcoholic—and yet he was a brilliant psychologist who helped lead a revolution in the understanding of relationships and connections. His most famous—infamous to animal-rights activists—experiment involved finding out whether baby monkeys need to cuddle by replacing their mothers with cloth and wire substitutes. He continued those types of experiments to explore aspects of love from the best—warm and nurturing—to the worst. The book is both the story of Harlow as an unexpected revolutionary and the story of that revolution in the way psychology defines love. Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at MIT, says that this is one of the great untold stories of twentieth-century intellectual history. He adds, “Blum has written a gripping biography with intelligence and warmth.” Blum can be reached at Dblum@facstaff.wisc.edu and 608-263-3395. The publicist is Lissa Warren, lissa.warren@perseusbooks.com.

Strange Matters: Undiscovered Ideas at the Frontiers of Space and Time by Tom Siegfried (NASW), published by Joseph Henry Press.

Tom Siegfried is longtime science editor of the Dallas Morning News. Strange Matters, his second book, explores the strange ideas about how the universe works that percolate in the minds of imaginative theoretical physicists—ideas that may someday be proven correct if the experimental technology can catch up with them. The book mixes the past with the future, including stories of discoveries that theorists of the past imagined before the observers and experimenters actually saw them. Each chapter examines a different step along the twisted path scientists have walked to attain their rudimentary understanding of the universe, incorporating historical examples of successful “prediscoveries” with current stories that relate brand-new ideas. Author and Los Angeles Times science columnist K.C. Cole says, “With the seasoned authority of Dan Rather, the dry wit of Mark Twain, and a prescience that puts astrology to shame, Tom Siegfried makes the perfect guide on this rollicking good ride to the frontiers of truly weird science—and beyond.” Siegfried, who divides his time between Dallas and southern California, can be reached at siegfried@compuserve.com. The publicist is Robin Pinnel, rpinnel@nas.edu.

Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat of Species Invasions by Yvonne Baskin (NASW), published by Island Press/Shearwater Books.

Yvonne Baskin, a freelance ecology and environmental writer from Bozeman, Mont., has written about the degradation of the world’s unique plant and animal communities by invasive species. She explores the extent of the problems and investigates the solutions that will help preserve the natural heritage, health, and productivity of working lands and waters. She points out that 98 percent of U.S. food production, valued at $800 billion, comes from non-native species, including corn and cattle. Globally, 67,000 pest species threaten crops and 20 to 70 percent are non-native to a given region. Baskin reports that 20 new insects invade Hawaii each year, and a new pest arrives in California every 60 days. Pests destroy 50 to 60 percent of global food production, either in the field or in storage. Sixty-two thousand commercial vessels dump 79 million tons of foreign ballast in waters along the coasts at a rate of two million gallons per hour, Baskin writes. Anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 species, from cholera bacteria to zebra mussels, are on the move in ballast tanks on the world’s oceans each day. One of her most frightening statistics is the estimate that commingling of all the world’s species could lead to a loss of two-thirds of all land mammals, half of the birds, and three-quarters of the flowering plants. Baskin can be reached at 406-587-9708 and ybaskin@aol.com. The publicist for the book is Taryn Roeder, 202-232-7933, x20, troeder@islandpress.org.

RISK: A Practical Guide for Deciding What’s Really Safe and What’s Really Dangerous in the World Around You by David Ropeik (NASW) and George Gray (NASW), published by Houghton Mifflin.

It is something of a risk to be a science writer in today’s economy, but two NASW members have bravely written about both real and imagined dangers. David Ropeik is director of risk communication at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. George Gray is a New Jersey freelancer. The authors say their aim is to empower readers to make educated decisions about 50 topics commonly regarded as potential perils, including biological weapons, radon, hazardous waste, breast implants, genetically modified foods, and solar radiation. Their sources, from the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and Harvard School of Public Health, provide tools for assessing the dangers people encounter on a daily basis. The issues are complex; there are not only risks to be weighed, but also benefits. For example, a hot topic of late has been whether to restrict cell-phone use by motorists, due to the visual, cognitive, and biomechanical distractions caused by use. But what about the fact that nearly 144,000 emergency calls are placed daily by drivers on mobile phones in the United States? There are no simple answers, Ropeik and Gray point out. Ropeik is a regular commentator on NPR in Boston and was a working reporter and news anchor on WCVB specializing in coverage of environmental issues. The publicist for the book is Megan Wilson, 617-351-3377, meganjwlson@hmco.com.

Women Astronauts by Laura S. Woodmansee (NASW), published by Apogee Books/C.G. Publishing.

Laura Woodmansee is a southern-California freelance science writer who specializes in space exploration. Women Astronauts, her new book and video CD set, includes biographies of every woman who has flown in space, as well as those of female astronauts currently waiting to be assigned to a space mission. She points out that although in 1963 Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space, few people know that several American women also tried to get into space in the early 1960s but never qualified as NASA astronauts. She describes how attitudes toward women in space changed with the 1978 selection of six women astronauts. Interviews in the book include Eileen Collins, Shannon Lucid, Ellen Ochoa, Sally Ride, and many others. An entire chapter is dedicated to the medical issues of women astronauts. Woodmansee says much of this information has never before been published in the mainstream press. There is also an extensive human space-exploration timeline and a CD-ROM packed with video interviews and videos of women in space. Woodmansee says, “I wrote this book to inspire people to get involved in space exploration. Originally, my publisher felt that the book would appeal to girls and young women interested in space. But, we’ve found that people of all ages and both genders are enjoying Women Astronauts.” You can read excerpts from the book at www.woodmansee.com/womenastronauts. Woodmansee can be reached at astronaut@woodmansee.com. The publisher can be reached at 905-637-5737.

Hungry Gene: The Science of Fat and the Future of Thin by Ellen Ruppel Shell (NASW), published by Atlantic Monthly Press.

Ellen Ruppel Shell, associate professor and co-director of the Knight Center for Science and Medical Journalism at Boston University, takes a look at the spreading obesity pandemic. She guides readers through the ongoing quest to unravel the genetic and behavioral bases of this vexing scientific mystery. She has researched a wide range of investigations, from a laboratory in Maine where super-obese mice were bred more than 30 years ago, to Rockefeller University in New York, where scientists worked around the clock to isolate the gene that causes obesity. Along the way, Shell looked at how medicine is dealing with the fat crisis with radical and controversial surgical techniques; what the incidence of mordant obesity among native islanders in Micronesia tells us about its evolutionary roots; and how drug companies are racing to create a pill to cure this “trillion-dollar disease.” She also takes aim at the increasingly obesity-enabling culture that lies behind the crisis—from the expanding suburban sprawl that has fostered America’s car-centered sedentary lifestyle to the fast-food marketers who prey on the jammed schedules of today’s two-income families. Weaving science, history, and personal stories, she pinpoints solutions to the obesity pandemic. Shell can be reached at eshell@bu.edu. The publicist is Hollis Griffin, who can be reached at hgriffin@groveatlantic.com.

Cell Towers: Wireless Convenience? or Environmental Hazard? edited by B. Blake Levitt (NASW), published by SafeGoods/New Century Publishing 2000.

B. Blake Levitt, a Connecticut freelancer, writes, “Cell towers and hidden ‘stealth’ antennas are cropping all over, despite vehement objections from community members.” She maintains that health and safety questions arise, and are often dismissed by the very people entrusted to protect community welfare—planners and zoners. Safety concerns about radio-frequency radiation (RF) used in wireless technology have existed for decades yet are still unresolved despite increasing exposure of the population to RF. She describes what the EPA and FCC agencies are doing or not doing and how other nations are handling RF exposure. Included are subjects such as devaluation of property, liability, and the deaths of millions of birds that are killed crashing into cell towers. A former New York Times writer, Levitt included chapters contributed by researchers, engineers, and an attorney, making the book a resource for laypersons. Levitt can be reached at blakelevit@cs.com. The publicist for the book is Minia Anderson at 888-628-8731, safe@bcn.net.

Biological Hazards by Joan R. Callahan (NASW), published by Greenwood Press.

Joan Callahan, a San Diego biologist and epidemiologist, has written a reference that covers major infectious diseases, naturally occurring toxins, predators, and other categories of living threats to human life. Topics include human pathogens in water, food, and air, and how they are transmitted by contact. Callahan also describes crop and livestock pathogens and pests as well as predators and other biological hazards. In each category, she presents current scientific knowledge on causes, preventive measures, outlook, and historical context. Primary-source documents, motion picture reviews, and a glossary are included for those interested in finding more information on biological hazards. Callahan can be reached at jrc@pe.net. The publicist is Elizabeth Neel, 800-225-5800 ext. 3356, eneel@greenwood.com.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2002 selected by Natalie Angier, published by Houghton Mifflin.

This is the third-annual volume of The Best American Science and Nature Writing, and contains articles by several NASW members. These include, “Ripe for Controversy,” by Robert Kunzig, European editor of Discover; Steve Mirsky, science writer at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, contributed “Dumb, Dumb, Duh, Dumb” from Scientific American; Dennis Overbye is represented by “How Islam Won, and Lost, the Lead in Science,” from The New York Times; and Karen White, a New Hampshire freelancer contributed “Very Dark Energy” from Discover. Natalie Angier, in her introduction to the book, observes: “Perhaps the clearest signs that science writing has matured and is seated comfortably at the literary dining table is the impressive array of science essayists out there, writers who can convey complex ideas in a few deft, plangent paragraphs. The best essayists appeal simultaneously to the cognitive and emotional domains of the brain, the Apollo and Dionysus within, so that you feel you have learned something and fallen in love all at once with science.”

Send material about new books to Ruth Winter, 44 Holly Drive, Short Hills, NJ 07078, or e-mail ruthwrite@aol.com. Include the name of the publicist and appropriate contact information, as well as how you prefer members to get in touch with you.

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