Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Best Nonfiction of 2012: Science & Nature (page 2)


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Cover art for DARWIN'S GHOSTS
NONFICTION
Released: June 12, 2012

"Stott masterfully shows how Darwin, by discovering the mechanism of natural selection, made a unique contribution, but he did not stand alone—nor did he claim to."
Stott (English Literature and Creative Writing/Univ. of East Anglia; The Coral Thief, 2009, etc.) conjures up the spirits of Darwin's scientific predecessors in this excellent follow-up to Darwin and the Barnacle (2003). Read full book review >
Cover art for THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB
NONFICTION
Released: July 17, 2012

"In an impressive narrative, the author renders esoteric DNA concepts accessible to lay readers."
Science writer Kean (The Disappearing Spoon: and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements, 2010) returns with another wide-ranging, entertaining look at science history, this time focusing on the many mysteries of DNA. Read full book review >
Cover art for SURVIVING SURVIVAL
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 10, 2012

"Survivors of traumatic events often do not recover without help from others, and Gonzales' excellent book is an education for those wishing to be of use in a stressful, often frightening world."
How can the world smite thee? Let us count the ways... Read full book review >
Cover art for SPILLOVER
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2012

"A wonderful, eye-opening account of humans versus disease that deserves to share the shelf with such classics as Microbe Hunters and Rats, Lice and History."
Nature writer and intrepid traveler Quammen (The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, 2006, etc.) sums up in one absorbing volume what we know about some of the world's scariest scourges: Ebola, AIDS, pandemic influenza--and what we can do to thwart the "NBO," the Next Big One. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE OLD WAYS
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 15, 2012

"A breathtaking study of "walking as enabling sight and thought rather than encouraging retreat and escape.""
Macfarlane (English/Cambridge Univ.; The Wild Places, 2008, etc.) returns with another masterful, poetic travel narrative. Read full book review >
Cover art for NATURE WARS
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 13, 2012

"An eye-opening take on how romantic sentimentalism about nature can have destructive consequences."
Journalist Sterba (Frankie's Place: A Love Story, 2003, etc.) employs humor and an eye for the absurd to document the sometimes bizarre conflicts that arise as a consequence of America's transformed relationship with nature. Read full book review >