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cosmith2015's review
4.0
A sold collection of science writing published in the 2018/2019. I enjoyed quite a few of the essays, but my favorites were probably the last three that discuss medicine & health. A good chunk of the collection focuses on the current ecological/climatic crises we are in and that is something I already think about in my day to day life. I had to put this anthology down for several weeks because every time I read it, I would cry thinking about all of the terrible things happening in the world.
The most unusual essay was "why does the paper jam persist" and was an enjoyable read (apparently what type of tree the paper comes from matters).
Ironically, one of the essays was about the next pandemic.. and this anthology was published in October 2019, one month before the first confirmed case of SARS-cov-2. Fun.
The most unusual essay was "why does the paper jam persist" and was an enjoyable read (apparently what type of tree the paper comes from matters).
Ironically, one of the essays was about the next pandemic.. and this anthology was published in October 2019, one month before the first confirmed case of SARS-cov-2. Fun.
snapplespice's review
4.0
A different type of horror story, this collection took me longer than usual to finish but left me wanting more in the end. There were some essays that felt dull to me, a lay person, but overall I felt informed and intrigued by the variety of writing presented. My favorites are:
“The Endling: Watching a Species Vanish in Real Time”
“The Great Rhino U-Turn”
“Deleting a Species”
“How to Not Die in America”
“The Professor of Horrible Deeds”
“The Hidden Toll: Why Are Black Mothers and Babies in the United States Dying at More Than Double the Rate of White Mothers and Babies? The Answer Has Everything to Do with the Lived Experience of Being a Black Woman in America”
“The Endling: Watching a Species Vanish in Real Time”
“The Great Rhino U-Turn”
“Deleting a Species”
“How to Not Die in America”
“The Professor of Horrible Deeds”
“The Hidden Toll: Why Are Black Mothers and Babies in the United States Dying at More Than Double the Rate of White Mothers and Babies? The Answer Has Everything to Do with the Lived Experience of Being a Black Woman in America”
balletbookworm's review
4.0
All the pieces Sy Montgomery included are phenomenally written but taken together many of the middle pieces blend together. I'm not sure if the Alphabetical-by-Author arrangement of articles worked for this volume. The balance of the book tips heavily toward pieces about nature and the environment (not surprising, given Montgomery's own writing choices, but it felt much less of a spectrum this year). The standout articles fall to the end of the volume - Linda Villarosa's "The Hidden Toll: Why Are Black Mothers and Babies in the United States Dying at More Than Double the Rate of White Mothers and Babies. The Answer Has Everything to Do with the Lived Experience of Being a Black Woman in America," Ed Yong's "The Next Plague is Coming. Is America ready?" and Iliana Yurkiewicz's "Paper Trails: Living and Dying with Fragmented Medical Records."
norab23's review
4.0
3.8 // Overall fascinating with a few boring, science-heavy pieces sprinkled in. Terrific journalism.
klmcadams's review
5.0
Such a great collection. The essay by Ed Yong, written in 2018 about the next pandemic… how prescient.
akthackray's review
Had to return to the library and wasn’t invested enough to take it out again
pearseanderson's review
5.0
This is a great collection of mostly biology, ecology, or medical journalism! I didn't expect nearly as much medical stuff as there is here, and it's all terrifying. This collection has overlaps, like discussing underfunded federal programs, or the breeding campaign for the California condor, but I like that because I felt smarter when stuff was introduced twice. I read the collection in whatever order I wanted, and after being told it was arranged ALPHABETICALLY I think I made the right choice there. Some amazing writing here and really just stellar research and science comms on the part of the authors.
Winners:
“The Hidden Toll: Why Are Black Mothers an Babies in the United States Dying at More Than Doube the Rate of White Mothers and Babies? The Answer Has Everything to Do with the Lived Experience of Being a Black Woman in America” by Linda Villarosa, published in The New York Times Magazine
“Why Paper Jams Persist” by Joshua Rothman, published in The New Yorker
“The Fading Stars: A Constellation” by Holly Haworth, published in Lapham’s Quarterly
Connection: Rowan Jacobsen, one of the contributors, helped me teach Food Writing 101 and advise me in this journalism world.
Winners:
“The Hidden Toll: Why Are Black Mothers an Babies in the United States Dying at More Than Doube the Rate of White Mothers and Babies? The Answer Has Everything to Do with the Lived Experience of Being a Black Woman in America” by Linda Villarosa, published in The New York Times Magazine
“Why Paper Jams Persist” by Joshua Rothman, published in The New Yorker
“The Fading Stars: A Constellation” by Holly Haworth, published in Lapham’s Quarterly
Connection: Rowan Jacobsen, one of the contributors, helped me teach Food Writing 101 and advise me in this journalism world.
sherilees's review
4.0
Well, I finally finished! Many of the articles were very moving. "When the Next Plague Comes" by Ed Yong seemed particularly prescient, given the current state of things. I skipped two of the articles, one because I was uninterested in the topic and one because it's the same type summary article that I've read many times. But overall, I found each article intriguing and educational without being dull. I have already purchased the 2020 edition and am excited to get started on it.
rebecca_m's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
visualradish's review
5.0
I am a long time fan of this series. I wish more people believed in science and responded to the alarming trends made clear by research.