Leading scientists in a variety of fields gave their recommendations on life changing books at New Scientist yesterday. This makes pretty interesting reading – and certainly throws up some ideas for adding to your bookshelf.
Among the 17 recommended books were volumes as diverse as Animal Rights by Peter Singer, which turned Primatology expert Jane Goodall into a vegetarian overnight, developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik’s life-long companion, Alice in Wonderland and legendary chemist Peter Atkins’ ideal desert island companion, the Handbook of Mathematical Functions.
My life changing book would probably be The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins simply because in a single stroke it helped me de-clutter my thinking on religion. 1984 by George Orwell is also pretty far up there because, reading it as a teenager it turned my perception of human nature and politics on it’s head.
So, as the title asks… what is your life changing book?
Photo: State Of Mind
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Nick Oswald
Nick is a molecular biologist-turned-publisher. After a PhD in Developmental Biology and an eclectic seven years in biotech he is now Editorial Manager of Neuroendocrinology and the founder and Editor-In-Chief of Bitesize Bio. You are welcome to connect with Nick on LinkedIn
my life changing book is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
It put everything into perspective for me and the rest of my life.
Laurie Garrett’s “The Coming Plague.” I knew at the first reading where I had to go.
Very soon after I read it, I left the military, re-entered school, and now I’m working on my dissertation in Epidemiology.
Would that I could write something as life-altering.