Events and classes > Beyond Fact > Suggested readings
Suggested Readings
Want to learn more about the science book group themes? See the suggestions below recommended by the OMSI educators.
The Evolution of Invention
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Burke, James -
DVDsScience historian James Burke hosts these three award-winning series that chronicle the connections between science, history, and society.
McDonough, William-
book, CDMcDonough and Michael Braungart take sustainability to its logical conclusion — advocating for industrial and technological processes that produce no waste, reusing materials endlessly while still meeting the needs of society.
Bodanis, David-
bookThe story of the development of electricity and the people who discovered how to harness its power. From the early experiments to more modern inventions, Bodanis tells the tale of inventors at work.
Johnson, Steven-
bookConventional wisdom is that video games, movies and TV make you stupid, but Johnson argues that the evidence points to a surprising conclusion: they make you smarter.
Kaku, Michio-
book, CDThis book explores ideas from science fiction and whether they might come true. From ideas that are nearly within our reach, to things scientists believe are truly impossible, Kaku takes us on a journey that reaches for the stars.
Mullane, Mike-
bookA mischievous memoir of an astronaut who started in the Navy, Mullane pulls no punches in telling tales of the life of the astronaut. He criticizes the government and NASA, as well as his own chauvinistic ideas, while describing the passion and excitement that drives explorers into the unknown.
Kurlansky, Mark-
book, CDKurlansky explores the rich and varied history of salt, and the influence it has had on every culture around the world.
Wolke, Robert L.-
What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained
What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen SciencebookWolke explores the science behind cooking. There's a lot going on in the kitchen that's scientific, from the chemistry of baking to the many changes that happen when we cook our food.
Science Favorites
Hawking, Stephen-
book, CD, digital audioThe classic exploration of galaxies, black holes, the birth of stars and the end of the universe.
Bryson, Bill-
book, CD, digital audioA tour of the history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the evolution of human society.
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DVDThe story of patients who miraculously come to life after a drug "wakes" them from a sleeping sickness.
Sobel, Dava-
book, CD, digital audioA biography inspired by letters to Galileo from his illegitimate daughter that gives insight into the mind of the pioneering Italian scientist.
Levi, Primo-
bookWritten by a German chemist and holocaust survivor. Each chapter is titled with an element and has a short story about the element. Every story is its own small treasure — together, the book makes a greater whole.
Our Living Planet
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DVDsSpectacular BBC documentary series showing life in the seas, from coral reefs to the darkest depths of the ocean.
Mittelbach, Margaret and Michael Crewdson-
bookPart travel memoir, part science story, this book tells the story of a search for the Tasmanian tiger which may or may not actually be extinct.
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DVDsSpectacular BBC documentary series of life on earth with amazing footage of everything from the tallest mountains to the deepest oceans and everything in between.
Kingsolver, Barbara-
book, CDA novel about the struggles of people living with coyotes, and the struggle between people with different ideas about what to do about the predators.
Carson, Rachel-
bookThis revolutionary book helped start the environmental movement with its controversial claims about the effects of pesticides on the natural world.
Holmes, Hannah-
bookAn exploration of the natural world that lies just outside your house.
Weisman, Alan-
book, CD, digital audioWeisman imagines a post-human future, describing the process of nature reclaiming the land where our cities stand.
Preston, Richard-
bookThe tale of a man with a fear of heights exploring the life that lives at the very tops of the tallest trees in the world.
The Science of Being Human
Gladwell, Malcolm-
book, CD, digital audioGladwell gives many examples of how a snap judgment can be better than over thinking.
Roach, Mary-
book, CD, digital audioFollowing her book about cadavers (Stiff), Roach takes an in-depth look at the even more taboo topic of sex, exploring the rich human history of biology, expression and repression.
National Geographic Channel-
websiteSupplemental information for the book Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures; includes an interview with the author, facts on indigenous cultures, and dates for upcoming National Geographic TV specials.
Sacks, Oliver-
book, CDBeloved neurological writer Sacks explores the idea that music is part of the human brain, and part of being human.
- WYNC
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podcastWe turn up the volume on the voices in our heads and try to make sense of the babble. On a journey around the country to understand how emotion and logic interact to guide us through our options, we ponder how we get through the million choices and decisions we make every day.
Gardner, Daniel-
bookGardner explores the unconscious rules we use to decide what to fear, and how those rules frequently go horribly wrong.
Dawkins, Richard-
bookThe famous evolutionist explores evolution from the perspective of DNA itself, finding fascinating consequences in the idea that the chicken is the egg's way of making more eggs.
Pinker, Steven-
bookAn exploration of the relationship of language, thought and brain.
