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Question

I enjoy scientific, psychological and philosophical non-fiction books that are relatively easy and fun to read, but also stop and make you really think about things. With that said, I am looking for some recommendations that are along the lines of A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking or Freakonomics. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Answer 1

I love great non-fiction that reads easily, especially titles that are "novel-like" in the way you can get absorbed in the books.

  Here are some of the best of the best with reviews. My personal reviews (in parenthesis) follow the professional ones. : )  Enjoy!

The Emperor of Scent : A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses

     by Burr, Chandler



Science is supposed to be rational and objective, but in the real world, as mettlesome journalist Burr discovered while chronicling an ingenuous scientist's approach to solving one of the greatest mysteries of the body, how smell works, it is more often ego-driven, avaricious, and viciously resistant to fresh ideas. Burr, author of A Separate Creation (1996), met Luca Turin by chance, just one of the countless serendipitous moments that typify this cosmopolitan biophysicist's intuitive and innovative approach to science. Possessed of a capacious intellect, an obsession with smell, and a passion for perfume, Turin has always, Burr writes, “picked up information like flypaper.” This gift, coupled with Turin's preternaturally sensitive nose, phenomenal memory, and prodigious ability to precisely describe scents, enabled him to write his renowned Parfums: Le Guide (1992)--which granted him precious access to the secretive big seven fragrance corporations--and to think outside the box and challenge the clearly flawed, but persistent, theory that scents are recognized by molecular shape. Turin is certain that it's molecular vibrations, and the scandalous story of his thwarted efforts to publish his exciting and provocative findings, thanks to Burr's vigorous writing style, incisive portraits, and scientific explication, is as suspenseful as it is fascinating.

(Loved this--never imagined a science-y book about perfume could be so terrific.)

The Tipping Point : How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

     by Gladwell, Malcolm



The New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell looks at why major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Ideas, behavior, messages, and products, he argues, often spread like outbreaks of infectious disease. These are social epidemics, and the moment they take off, they reach their critical mass, or, the Tipping Point. Gladwell introduces us to the particular personality types who are natural pollinators of new ideas and trends and the people who create the phenomenon of the word of mouth.

(Similiar to Freakomics although not quite as good.)

Candyfreak : A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America

     by Almond, Steve

A former journalist, Almond (creative writing, Boston Coll.; My Life in Heavy Metal) is obsessed with candy; it shaped his childhood and continues to define his life in ways large and small. Fascinated by the emotional bonds that people develop with their childhood favorites, Almond began a journey into the history of candy in America and discovered a lot about himself in the process. Once hundreds of American confectioners delivered regional favorites to consumers, but now the big three of candy—Hershey, Mars, and Nestlé—control the market. To find out what happened to those candies of yesteryear, Almond talks to candy collectors and historians and visits a few of the remaining independent candy companies, where he learns exactly what goes into creating lesser-known treats such as the Idaho Spud. Flavored with the author's amusingly tart sense of humor, Candyfreak is an intriguing chronicle of the passions that candy inspires and the pleasures it offers.

(A quick, fun read with surprsing depth.)

Everything Conceivable : How Assisted Reproduction Is Changing Men, Women, and the World

     by Mundy, Liza

  

Is assisted reproduction a miracle for childless parents, or a morally distasteful industry that earns $3 billion a year for drug and medical device companies? It appears to be both in Washington Post Magazine feature writer Mundy's account of the technological innovations that have allowed us to "cure" infertility. She interviews heartbroken would-be parents and those who worry about the social ramifications of generations of children who don't know who their biological parents are. Moreover, she explores the far-reaching effects of such medical technologies as fertility drugs, in vitro fertilization, sperm and egg donation, surrogacy, and genetic testing. More and more children have older parents; multiples (twins, triplets) are being born with greater frequency. What should be done with "excess" frozen human embryos? Should the industry of birth be better regulated, or is that allowing the government into the bedroom? Fans of Jodi Picoult's fictional account of the hazards of designer reproduction, My Sister's Keeper, may be interested in these real-life moral dilemmas.

(So fascinating--just draws you in with anecdotes and big questions/themes. You'll cry and think.)

Guns, Germs, and Steel : The Fates of Human Societies

     by Diamond, Jared M.



This work was first published in 1997, and it won the Pulitzer Prize. The current edition includes a new chapter on Japan. In this historical, archaeological, and linguistic investigation, Diamond (geography, U. of California at Los Angeles) seeks the root answers to why European societies (and their American offspring) became the dominant powers on Earth in terms of wealth and power. He traces the proximate causes--the development of deadlier weapons technologies, immunity to germs, superior metal working, and writing systems--to the ultimate cause of the way food production varied in human societies and then looks at geographic variations and impediments that affected food production and the spread of technological innovation in all regions of the world.

(A bit more challenging to read- but very educational and impressive.)

Enjoy your non-fiction fun.

Amy