CORE SAMPLES

Science, politics, and family can make for a volatile mix.

How much do we owe to the world, and how much do we owe to ourselves? This is the question at the heart of Henderson’s book; as a climate scientist and an award-winning writer, she is a good person to explore it. She has led a colorful life, and the early part of her memoir recounts adventures tramping to inhospitable places to drill for specimens in glaciers and frozen lake beds. The science community can be sexist, so she had to work harder than many of her peers to build a reputation. Her career goal was a tenured position at a prestigious university, but she came to realize that publishing articles about climate data in academic journals was not having much impact. So when the chance to move to the political side appeared, she jumped at it. As an environmental policy adviser first to Senator Al Franken, then to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, she found the work vastly different from scientific research, and she felt she was fostering positive changes. Over time, however, beyond the constant irritant and distraction of discrimination, her desire to have children was impossible to reconcile with the grinding pace of political life; Henderson eventually opted for a more settled existence with her family. She still contributes to the field through teaching and advocacy. Her story is one that many readers, not just scientists, will appreciate.

A lively and accessible narrative about finding a balance between convictions and love.