I picked up this book because it’s basically my future. My
plan is to get a job in a lab and do science work forever, so I thought that this
would be a nice sneak peek from someone who has done it.
She story involves a lot more struggling to get funding and
live off of a professor’s paycheck, which I didn’t really expect. Somehow I
thought that people like her would have an easier time with it. Especially if
you read the back cover and realize how many awards the author has won, if she
had a hard time the rest of us don’t stand a chance.
But throughout the entire thing she just seems so happy! I
hope I find a great friend and lab partner like her, and get a dog. Honestly
that’s all that I need. Her writings have a ton of unbelievable and hilarious
anecdotes, she clearly has a sense of humor and knows how to convey it.
Chapters alternate between stories about her life and
information about plants and how they work. The two parallel each other, so
when she’s talking about plant sex she follows it with stories about when she
was pregnant with her son. It makes for interesting and informational reading.
The science portions are written for non-scientists, so anyone can understand
the concepts and learn a little from the book.
Having said that, you would never know that she was not a
full-time writer, the whole story is integrated very nicely and her voice is
amicable and clear throughout the whole thing.
Of course the impact of being female and in the sciences is
highlighted, that aspect is often ignored in my experience. Many communities,
not just the scientific one, need more of a discussion about the gender biases
present in it. I feel like the science community sweeps it under the rug since
they have “more important science-y things to do” but this is really a
conversation that needs to happen and needs to happen now.
But probably the best part of this book is that it highlights
what makes being a scientist so great, which is what I really need some days.
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