The Werewolf of Paris - Guy Endore

I am delighted to have discovered Endore's 1933 The Werewolf of Paris via Mark, who found an old copy in a thrift store and thought it sounded like something I would enjoy. Did I ever! It is written in an extremely charming and engaging style. and vividly describes life in Paris in the 1870s.

The novel begins with a frame story in which a young, penniless scholar discovers a manuscript documenting the trial of the young army officer, Bertrand Caillet, who has been charged with violently attacking a fellow officer. The manuscript is the work of Bertrand's uncle, Aymar, who tries desperately to convince the Court that Bertrand, a werewolf, ought to be burned at the stake for the greater good. This assertion, of course, is anathema in the age of reason.

Aymar is a compelling character: a former revolutionary skeptic whose experiences with the boy have convinced him that there is more to the world than modern science would lead us to believe. In making his case for the existence of the supernatural, Aymar argues: "Let us beware of judging hastily. The Catholic Church is said to have burned 300,000 witches, until the world exclaimed in horror: 'What gross superstition! There are no witches.' And truly there were none. At any rate there were no more."

I am amazed that this work has never been made into a movie, it would be a wonderful one.

Rabbit, Run - John Updike

Rabbit, Run is a dark and tightly controlled story about a washed-up basketball star, Rabbit, and his destructive yet sympathetic urge to find something better than mediocrity in his middle age. A powerfully human tale in compelling prose about disappointment and yearning, and the painful disparity between youth's bright dreams and pathetic, sordid reality. The kind of story that makes ones own domestic life seem heavenly.

The Design of Everyday Things - Donald Norman

A recent bookclub selection was Donald Norman's The Design of Everyday Things, a book touting Norman's theory of human-centered design (the concept that machines should be attuned to human behavior, not the other way around), and his rules for creating technology which usefully interfaces with human behavior. One interesting lesson from Norman is his conviction that the human tendency for error should be explicitly factored into design choices, for everything from washing machines to airplane control towers. I would recommend this book to everyone, because his theory is very clear and convincing, and can be applied to many aspects of life.

Red Planet - Robert Heinlein

Really enjoyed Heinlein's short novel about two boys, Jim and Frank, and their exploits at a boarding school on Mars. The plot unfolds amidst a political conflict between the freedom-loving people of Mars and their greedy and callous Earth overlords, and centers around Jim's relationship with the Martian "bouncer" Willis, a small, furry, tentacled creature with remarkable powers of imitation.

Written in 1949, the novel is reminiscent of a Hardy Boys style adventure, but the ideas are refreshingly modern (with the exception of the frequent sexism, which tends to mar the quaint tone). Still, a charming book with an interesting conception of alien life.

Also, Willis was so cute!

Some artist's conception of Willis

The Best Science and Nature Writing 2013

December Bookclub was The Best Science and Nature Writing 2013, a collection of articles hand-picked by Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of Emperor of all Maladies (reviewed by Dad here and Lauren here). 

The complete list of Mukherjee's selections is here.

Here are my thoughts on the articles I read:

MICHELLE NIJHUIS. Which Species Will Live? [log-in required]
From Scientific American
This was a bleak but interesting analysis of the techniques conservationists use to triage efforts to save different species from extinction.

BRETT FORREST. Shattered Genius
From Playboy
I was surprised this made it on the list, actually, since the topic was ostensibly the current activities of reclusive math genius Grigori Perelman, yet the interviewer only managed to exchange a few sentences with the man. More than others have achieved, but not much to go on. The discussion of the Poincaré conjecture's history was interesting, however. (Now you can say you "read Playboy for the articles"!)

DAVID OWEN. The Artificial Leaf
From The New Yorker
One man's quest to create artificial photosynthesis as a source of clean energy for the developing world. Moderately interesting.

GARETH COOK. Autism Inc.
From The New York Times
I loved this article. After Thorkil Sonne's child Lars was born with autism, Thorkil was saddened to learn that most research suggested Lars would lead a deficient life. In fact, however, Lars demonstrated impressive and unexpected talents (e.g., following a family trip at 7 years old, Lars was able to draw a perfect reproduction, from memory, of the entire highway network from Scotland to Germany). Thorkil was inspired by his son's talents to create a consulting agency specializing in matching autistic individuals with jobs for which they are uniquely suited. The agency has been a terrific success. An inspiring and very interesting story!

NATHANIEL RICH. Forever and Ever
From The New York Times Magazine
This was perhaps my favorite of the articles in this collection: the story of Shin Kubota, a marine biologist specializing in an immortal (seriously) species of jellyfish known as Turritopsis dohrnii. Dr. Kubota is unique worldwide in his ability to successfully breed and maintain the finicky Turritopsis in captivity, and has devoted his life to unlocking its secrets. He is also a minor celebrity in Japan (akin to Bill Nye in America), due to his second passion: writing and singing jellyfish-themed karaoke songs in the guise of his alter ego, Mr. Immortal Jellyfish Man (photo below). One of Kubota's charming songs is “I Am Shin Kubota":

My name is Shin Kubota
Associate professor of Kyoto University
At Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture
I live next to an aquarium
Enjoying marine-biology research
Every day, I walk on the beach
Scooping up with a plankton net
Searching for wondrous creatures
Searching for unknown jellyfish.
Dedicate my life to small creatures
Patrolling the beaches every day
Hot spring sandals are always on
Necessary item to get in the sea
Scarlet medusa rejuvenates
Scarlet medusa is immortal

STEPHEN MARCHE. Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?
From The Atlantic 
An interesting (if depressing) analysis of loneliness in the modern world, in which we are always"connected" yet feel increasingly isolated.

KEVIN DUTTON. The Wisdom of Psychopaths
From Scientific American
I did not read this entire article (it was long and sort of pop-sciencey) but it was interesting enough. The thesis is that psychopaths can teach us valuable lessons (e.g., about self-confidence and navigating conflict) if we embrace their attitudes in moderation.

Devil in the White City - Erik Larson

My bookclub's most recent book is Larson's Devil in the White City, a thrilling historical drama about the construction of the 1892 World's Fair and the serial killer who preyed upon its visitors, H.H. Holmes.



Holmes is only one among several intriguing players in the tale, including ambitious lead architect Burnham and cantankerous but brilliant landscape architect Olmsted.

The work is very engaging and colorful and powerfully recreates the atmosphere of bustling, squalid Chicago at the turn of the century, and the otherworldly transformation it underwent to become the White City during the Fair. It was also fun to realize how many inventions we consider commonplace had their origins in this fair. I would recommend this book to everyone.

The White City

Tangentially related, Nikolai Tesla won the contract to provide electricity at the World's Fair, so here is a hilarious video.