The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark |
This was my first Carl Sagan book, and my favorite -- I've read it twice, bought copies for my friends, everything. What can I say that wouldn't be colored by my respect for Carl Sagan in general? He speaks like your favorite teacher, easily explaining tricky concepts. He is also well-researched and full of facts, but his opinion is clear: there is no evidence for any supernatural claims thus far, but plenty of evidence for why we fall for them. This is a book you need to get your hands on. I recommend it for everyone. |
Starship Troopers |
This was an excellent read; I could not put it down. Although the movie had its place with special effects and bug fodder and the like, the book (which was written in 1959) has a totally different set of focuses, much more suited to reading. It focuses on politics and military discipline, and troopers are each outfitted with highly sophisticated weaponry and body armor -- changing the nature of combat altogether. Not a book to be missed, especially if you've ever experienced anything like boot! |
Dragons of Eden |
I picked this up on a whim as my third Carl Sagan book, but I was very glad I did. Carl may not have been an expert neuroanatomist but he had plenty of neuroanatomist friends to help him. As always, his work is backed up with extensive research, and though his hypotheses were controversial at the time, they were logical and time has vindicated nearly everything in here. An excellent supplement to anyone studying sociobiology. |
The "God Part" of the Brain |
I've finished this book and I'm hapy to say that its conclusions are excellent. He gets a little repetitive towards the middle, but other then that I really loved the book. The author is extremely young and yet very well reserved and logical. He is well read and pretty well researched. Although a few of his statements are dubious, and piddling elements of his logic flawed in research, that doesn't make him wrong. In fact I am almost positive that he is right -- but as this book is still rather new, only time will tell if he was as close to correct now as Sagan was about the brain in the 1970's. |