February Reads

The Gost Map (the story of London ’s most terrifying epidemic – and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world) by Steven Johnson

This nonfiction book is fascinating. It’s written in a truly engaging manner, not just dry facts. I loved hearing about some of the 18th Century London jobs that no longer exist – like toshers and nightsoil men. There were several of these jobs designed to help control a city’s waste management. As the city became larger and as the economic demographics changed, these positions were eliminated, allowing the waste to grow out of control.

I always knew that cholera was transmitted by polluted water. However, the book explained that cholera had ALWAYS existed in the water. So, what caused this bacteria to go from being a common, harmless thing to an epidemic that killed thousands in a matter of days? The explanation boils down to waste management and the pollution of drinking water. Cholera was designed to consume human excrement. In order to effect a human being, it had to be ingested. Normally, since humans do not ingest excrement, the cholera bacteria would have been passed out of the human digestive system without any notice. However, as human waste began to build up in the drinking water, everything changed. In addition, bacteria – with its tremendously fast reproductive and evolution cycle – was able to change into a strain that was even more dangerous. Normally, a parasite needs to keep the host alive as long as possible to survive. However, once the bacteria was able to survive by passing quickly and easily from one host to another, the need to keep the host alive was unnecessary, and the strain began to reproduce more quickly and become viciously virulent.

The book discussed how medical studies communicated their theories on how to cure cholera….generally by argumentative articles in the local newspaper. There were no processes available to guide research, ensure data accuracy, and to protect the general public. Also, the process of research into the actual cause of cholera was limited and often misguided. It was fascinating to read on the progress of the medical research.

Why do some nationalities have low tolerances to alcohol or lactose? Johnson throws out his theory on this one. Nationalities with no tolerance to alcohol trace back to hunter/gatherer tribes (American Indian, Eskimo, Aborigines); their introduction to alcohol has been fairly recent in the scope of genetic evolution. Nationalities that came from cities or agrian backgrounds started drinking alcohol a long time ago. Alcohol is, actually, a poison; many of the early users died from alcohol poisoning or from the effects of alcohol abuse (cerosis). Those who drank alcohol and survived (exhibited an early tolerance to the poison) passed on their genetic predisposition to their descedants. Similarly, dairy from milk and goats is not natural to the human diet. Many non-white cultures (Indian, Asian, African, etc.) are lactose-intolerant. Again, we can trace the ability to consume milk products back to those civilizations that were predominantly herders. The increased lactose tolerance was genetically passed on.

Resurrection by Tucker Malarkey

A mystery intrigue novel based on the Lost Gospels of Nag Hammadi, along the lines of The DaVinci Code (which I loved). It’s post WWII, and Gemma (a nurse) is still mourning her mother’s death when she receives communication from her father. He’s working on a very exiciting project in Egypt , and he tells her he thinks it will change Christianity. He is purchasing a home, and the plans are for Gemma to join him soon. The next thing she knows, she is notified of his death from heart attack. While she is contemplating how a healthy, vivacious man with no heart problems can suddenly have a heart attack, she receives a package that her father mailed just before his death. It contains a piece of an ancient script. Gemma goes to Egypt to claim her father’s remains….and to uncover the mystery of his suspicious death and to unveil the mystery of his project.

Abraham: A journey to the heart of three faiths by Bruce S Feiler

I enjoyed Bruce’s Walking the Bible, which held lots of interesting information about the OT patriarchs. This book was less interesting. I hoped to learn more about Abraham, but there was little to know, except that Abraham is shared by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths. Disappointing.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I read this memoir because it was included in my sister’s reading group. Fascinating! Jeanette tells the story of a poor, nomadic family. Her father was a drunk and a dreamer, never really holding down a job and full of stories of the great things he would achieve. Her mother was the real mystery, to my mind. Although it is never said, I think the woman was crazy. The kids experience deprivation and neglect, and only realize it as they get older. The things they experienced were upsetting, especially because nobody helped them and the means were there to prevent it. In her adulthood, her parents are homeless. In the beginning, you think the father is the culprit, but the more I read, the more I’m convinced that it was the mother who caused the worst of the problems.

Watchmen by Alan Moore

A graphic novel that kind of reminded of The Incredibles. A story of a bunch of retired superheroes who become active again when their numbers start mysteriously dying or vanishing.

The Sound of Butterflies by Rachael King

Thomas Edgar goes to the Amazon to try to find evidence of a rumored, but never caught, butterfly. He leaves his wife in London . His letters taper off to nothing, and when he returns, he is strangely changed. He refuses to speak, and alternates between seeming frightened and angry. His wife, Sophie, tries to find out what happened. The story alternates between Sophies impressions and investigations, excerpts from Thomas’ journal, and Thomas’ memories. The story is fictional, but she says that the character of her antagonist, Santos , is based on a real criminal who tortured and enslaved the Indians in the Amazon.

Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

Daniel is an autistic savant, and this is his memoir. I have read some other books that touched on autism, with great interest. One was actually a book on chimpanzees and apes, and how the scientist learned a lot about overcoming the language barrier in autistics by studying communication among the nonverbal apes. Fascinating….because autistics do not see or understand things in the way the majority of us do. It’s like their brains are hardwired differently, but just as intelligent and just as capable of learning. The second book was also about animals, written by an autistic. This individual studied animal behavior, understanding it better than he did human behavior. He said that animals and autistics actually saw things similarly…..while the “normal” human mind tends to ignore things that are common, the autistic mind cannot. High contrasts (deep shadow or a bright reflection), fluttering items like a flag or piece of trash – these things can be hugely distracting and upsetting to both animals and autistics. As a result, this autistic animal behaviorist was able to help make improvements to stockyards, farms, and zoos that minimized animal behavior problems. Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to help minimize negative human behavior on animals.

So, I’m reading Daniel’s book with great anticipation. Daniel is diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. “Austism, including Asperger’s syndrome, is defined by the presence of impairments affecting social interaction, communication, and imagination (problems with abstract or flexible thought and empathy, for example)…People with Asperger’s often have good language skills and are able to lead relatively normal lives.” In the first chapter, Daniel explains how he “sees” numbers, letters, and words. He said they have colors, shapes, textures, and even personalities. They are like people. His capability to remember large sequences of numbers and to calculate formulas is astounding. When he is overstimulated and stressed, counting or repeatedly squaring or cubing the same number over and over can relax him. He said that while his visual approach to numbers and words makes it possible for him to do math without really thinking and to easily learn new languages (within a week), it can cause problems. For example, if he sees a word printed in red that his mind says should be blue, it is extremely agitating to him.

To Dance with the White Dog by Terry Kay

A fast read. Shortly after losing his wife, the old man starts seeing a white dog. A stray that he feeds. His family, all living in homes nearby, never see the dog, despite coming to his home frequently to take care of him. Strangely enough, their dogs never start barking, either. The white dog serves as a companion to the old man, who’s hip forces him to use a walker, and keeps him from being as active as he would prefer. At first his daughters think the old man may be going senile. Then one black woman suggests that the white dog is a ghost dog. The reader must decide, as we share the old man’s last days with his new companion.

Lady Wu by Yutang Lin

A fascinating story about the Empress Wu….the first woman to be named Emperor of China. She lived during the 7th century, and during her long life she was attributed to many cruelties, assassinations, and perversions. Were they true? Told from the perspective of one of her relatives who hated her. Well written.

Empress by Sa Shan

Another story of Empress Wu, this one written from the Lady’s perspective, so it of course has an entirely different slant from the first novel. Fascinating, though.