From a Slashdot article about good science books.
All paragraphs are snippets of text from Slashdot comments on that article.
Recommend "Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West" instead. That book was DAMN creepy, though beautifully written. No Country For Old Men was also good, as was "The Crossing", which also was haunting, but dark.
Not science books though. I like the "Einstein File", "The Mismeasure of Man" (can't go wrong with Gould), and the book on eugenics by the guy who wrote "IBM and the Holocaust". Good cautionary, or eye opening, tales of when science gets mixed with politics, for good or ill (ill for mankind, or Einstein's reputation) As for more "pure" science, "Goedel, Escher, Bach." is up there, I recommend it to anyone who can sit through it without bleeding through their ears. Sagan's Demon Haunted World, and Dragon's of Eden are also winners (anything by Sagan, like Gould, is gonna be good). "The World Without Us" was also brilliant, even if contentious.
Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan "The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In The Dark" (1996) Carl Sagan "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space" (1994)
If I had to pick just one book it would be Demon Haunted World. If I could pick a second I would add Dawkin's "Unweaving The Rainbow" to counter the common belief that only the religious can trully appreciate the awe inspiring beauty of the Universe.
Also it's hard to go past Brownowski's "The Acsent of Man" for a general history of science.
Feynman was a character, wasn't he? "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" doesn't really fall into the category of a science book per se, but it was a great read. Safecracking at Los Alamos as a practical joke? Priceless.
"The Science Class You Wish You Had" http://www.amazon.com/Science-Class-You-Wish-Had/dp/0399523138
It covers a LOT of ground in very short time, and makes everything accessible. This is definitely for people who think that Harry Potter is the #2 best book of the last 25 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QED_(book) came out in 1985, making it only 23 years old. It'd definitely go on my favorite science book list. It explained virtual photons and summing of probability amplitudes quite well, I though, without calling in the heavy math.
I'm also a fan of The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene.
--sabre86
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Suggested reading: The Speed of Dark (Score:5, Interesting)
by B5_geek (638928) on Wednesday December 09, @08:14PM (#30383746)
On the topic of Autism, I suggest everybody read "The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon. It puts the condition into a very approachable context that allows the reader to live through the eyes of an Autistic. It also has a great science/research back story that us geeks like.
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