Hats off for a now-unconscionably little-known hero of science.
On the occasion of his 250th birthday, a German import offers an account of the life and exploits of the 19th century’s most renowned celebrity scientist.
Justly proclaiming von Humboldt a “blazing hero” of the transformation of science from the recondite pursuit of a few to a field of knowledge accessible to anyone, Mehnert retraces his expeditions through the Americas from 1799 to 1804 and into Siberia in 1829. He gathered crates full of specimens, intrepidly climbed volcanoes, mapped and took careful measurements, impulsively abandoned planned itineraries to hare off in search of rumored new wonders…then returned home to report on what he had seen and found, employing his gifts as a “mesmerizing storyteller” in a stream of popular books and lectures. Along with chronicling his long association with traveling companion Aimé Bonpland, a botanist of note, the author offers nods to some of his network of colleagues, from his sister-in-law Caroline von Humboldt to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Charles Darwin, and Simón Bolívar. His private life remains largely unexamined—including his likely same-sex relationships—but to round out his character and achievements, his sharp views on slavery and prescient insights on climate also get airings. Aside from a trio of maps the illustrations are largely just decorative landscapes or assemblages of tropical wildlife.
Hats off for a now-unconscionably little-known hero of science. (multimedia resource lists) (Biography. 10-13)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61519-631-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: The Experiment
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
The author of The Snake Scientist (not reviewed) takes the reader along on another adventure, this time to the Bay of Bengal, between India and Bangladesh to the Sundarbans Tiger Preserve in search of man-eating tigers. Beware, he cautions, “Your study subject might be trying to eat you!” The first-person narrative is full of helpful warnings: watch out for the estuarine crocodiles, “the most deadly crocodiles in the world” and the nine different kinds of dangerous sharks, and the poisonous sea snakes, more deadly than the cobra. Interspersed are stories of the people who live in and around the tiger preserve, information on the ecology of the mangrove swamp, myths and legends, and true life accounts of man-eating tigers. (Fortunately, these tigers don’t eat women or children.) The author is clearly on the side of the tigers as she states: “Even if you added up all the people that sick tigers were forced to eat, you wouldn’t get close to the number of tigers killed by people.” She introduces ideas as to why Sundarbans tigers eat so many people, including the theory, “When they attack people, perhaps they are trying to protect the land that they own. And maybe, as the ancient legend says, the tiger really is watching over the forest—for everyone’s benefit.” There are color photographs on every page, showing the landscape, people, and a variety of animals encountered, though glimpses of the tigers are fleeting. The author concludes with some statistics on tigers, information on organizations working to protect them, and a brief bibliography and index. The dramatic cover photo of the tiger will attract readers, and the lively prose will keep them engaged. An appealing science adventure. (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-618-07704-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
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