The Request
An email request was sent out to faculty and graduate students in the Sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus requesting book titles that really got THEM excited about science. They were asked to recommend a book title (or two) with a sentence (or two) that explained why they felt this book was key to their interest in science. Here is a few examples of what they choose and why.
Faculty Picks
Dune by Jumi Shin, Chemical and Physical Sciences
My suggestion is weird. I liked "Dune" by Frank Herbert and the movie was awesome too. I actually do not like the sci-fi genre, but the story is incredibly compelling. What really struck me was that the world was so uninhabitable, and yet they developed technologies to deal with an inhospitable environment. The most interesting to me was their bodysuits that recycled the liquids they eliminated into clean drinkable water. My first reaction was "Eeewww!" but then I thought, the human mind is so creative, and the human spirit is so resilient to devise such technology.
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" by Ulrich Fekl, Chemical and Physical Sciences
It contains very little science but a lot of hilarious stories instead, by one of the greatest scientists of all times! The best ones describe amazement about how strange the world is and how we can find out how the world works (or how parts of it work) if we are daring and inquisitive enough. 'Adventures of a Curious Character' is a fitting subtitle, indeed. This book was not key to triggering my initial interest in science(I learned about this book when I was a graduate student already) but it is one of those books that keep enthusiasm for science alive. Fundamentally, curiosity is more important than knowledge of a lot of facts, and this is what this book is about.
Hyperspace by Josh Milstein, Chemical and Physical Sciences
This book caused me to change from being a Psychology to a Physics Major.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Barb Murck, Geography
This is one of the most influential books to be written in the modern era about the philosophy of science. In it, Dr. Kuhn describes the “normal” progress of science, in which individual scientists add new pieces of knowledge through their work, to build up the core of scientific knowledge little by little. But then – every now and then – a really BIG change happens. These “scientific revolutions” are responsible for changing our entire scientific worldview extremely rapidly – what Kuhn described as a “paradigm shift”. Examples include the Copernican Revolution in astronomy; atomic theory in chemistry; and plate tectonics in geology.
Famine 1975: America’s Decision Who Will Survive by Deep Saini, Biology
The book is based on an in-depth analysis of the pre- mid-1960s global food situation in the light of the political and economic circumstances of the developing world. It paints a compelling picture of the world where the widening gap between nutritional needs of a burgeoning population and the stagnating food production in the developing world would lead to a widespread famine by 1975. The book argues that since the food exporting countries, primarily the USA, would not be able to meet the needs of everyone, the US would have to resort to a triage approach to focus its limited food aid on countries that would have a chance of survival. India, the country of my birth, along with several others, were triaged among those that couldn’t be saved under any circumstance and should essentially be abandoned. I read the book around 1978, when its dire predictions had already been averted via a massive mobilization of Indian agricultural science, bureaucracy and the farming community to produce the miracle of “Green Revolution". The message in the book, however, continued to remind me of what could have happened, and thus has been a life-long inspiration for my own involvement in agricultural research.
A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America by Peter Kotanen, Biology
For me, the key books were field guides, particularly the Peterson "blue" series (still in print!) These were what got me out in the field, identifying plants, birds, etc. and led to a continuing interest in biodiversity, and ultimately to ecology and evolution.
Fascinating Secrets of Oceans and Islands by Steven Chatfield, Biology
100s of awesome photos! My Mom ordered this through the mail when I was 4, she filled our shelves with as many colourful reference books as she could afford, and Readers Digest offered the option of paying by installments.
Naturalist by Sanja Hinic-Frlog, Biology
I first read the Naturalist as an undergraduate student inspired to learn more about E. O. Wilson after we talked about his work in an animal behaviour course at Queen's University. This autobiography was a wonderful way to share the long and exciting journey of important discoveries with a renowned scientist. Most importantly, I read this book at the time of my life when I felt overwhelmed with future career choices and something that I did not expect to happen took place. I was able to connect with the passion for science, observation and learning that Wilson describes in his book and my future was clear from that moment on: I shall embark on a scientific journey of my own! To this day, I pick up this book for extra motivation whenever I feel stuck with an idea or problem I am trying to work out.
The Science Delusion: Freeing the Spirit of Enquiry by Jeff Graham, Psychology
Professor Sheldrake is a science hero of mine because he has resisted the pressure to conform to the consensus (which is not science, but the way) and offered a new paradigm of life, that solves some of the paradoxes that science ignores or disparages, such as animal instincts, and paranormal phenomena. He has the honour of being banned from TED-talks, a forum for open discussion that in fact look more like the keepers of orthodoxy. You have to read this book.
Still Alice by Mary Lou Smith, Psychology
This novel tells the story of an accomplished woman as she loses her thoughts and memories to Alzheimer’s disease. The main character is a professor of psychology at a large university, and I could really identify with her life, her work, and the challenges that her memory disorder presented to her. This book married thoughts about my own work with my specialty area, the brain.
The Selfish Gene by Melissa Holmes, Psychology
When I was an undergraduate, it was assigned reading during my Evolutionary Psychology course and exposed me to an entirely new (to me!) way of thinking about human behaviour. People often seem to forget that humans are animals and we need to consider the biological mechanisms (both ultimate and proximate) that shape who we are and what we do.
Zoology: An Introduction To The Animal Kingdom (a Golden Science Guide) by Dave Mazierski, Biomedical Communication
I used to spend hours leafing through the miniature Golden Science Guide series of books, looking at the fascinating little drawings of life cycles, anatomy, habitats and maps. The cover of the Zoology book features illustrations of an old brass microscope, single cell organisms, and a ‘classic’ (now outdated) depiction of a dinosaur. They made me want to learn more, and I believe they were my earliest inspiration to want to make drawings just like them (I certainly remember copying some of the drawings for science assignments in junior high school). I have a copy I picked up at a garage sale a few years ago; my original edition dissolved from years of handling a long time ago.
Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre
Grad Student Picks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Jenna Friedt, Chemical and Physical Sciences
This book was lent to me by a fellow graduate student. Our lab did not study cancer, nor did we work with human cell lines, but it is difficult to pick up a scientific publication these days without finding a study done using HeLa cells so I was interested in the beginnings of this common scientific tool. The book contains the right amount of scientific explanations about the ground-breaking opportunities the HeLa cell line could provide, mixed with the humanity (and reality) of how that cell line came to be and the effect it has had on the Lacks family. It was an interesting and eye-opening glimpse into historical laboratory and medical practices; I remember being shocked to read several passages in the book, not only about the science but about the medical procedures and treatment of patients and their families. The scientist and humanitarian in me were at odds, each trying to defend the actions of different "characters" in the book. I've moved on to another research group since reading "The Immortal Life" and though I'm still not studying cancer, I can appreciate the need that the scientific community has for a cell line like HeLa. The book is an excellent read for scientists and non-scientists alike.- Hyperspace by Christine Chang, Biology
When I was a kid, these three books introduced me to astrophysics, multiple dimensions and alternative universes. They use very creative metaphors for what would otherwise be difficult concepts and were really mindblowing. I think some concepts in astrophysics have evolved since these books came out but they are still great reads. 
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Lucia Mendoza-Viveros, Biology
While it's not exactly a "science book", reading the stories of these neurological patients made me realize for the first time that the human mind and everything in it, no matter how complex (perception, cognition, creativity, society!) has its biological substrate in the brain. Afterwards I became so fascinated by Neuroscience that I decided to venture into research
The Song of the Dodo by Nash Turley, Biology
It is a gripping journey as Quammen travels the world trying to understand the origins and complexity of Island Biogeography and Conservation Biology. Quammen covers a wide range of complex topics in biology while weaving in interesting interviews and travel stories. I read this book while working on a research project in South Carolina studying impacts of habitat fragmentation on plant-animal interactions, a topic quite relevant to the book, and before heading to work on a project in the Mariana Islands, one of the places where Quammen travels to study impacts of invasive species on islands. Great book, and definitely inspired me to be excited about conducting research in ecology and conservation.
For Love of Insects by Kyla Ecrit, Biology
I thought this book was really interesting because it showed how the habits of insects were so strange and different from anything some people could imagine. At the same time, it reminded me that all life faces the same sorts of struggles and we all have access to similar basic biological toolkits, so often very different animals will converge on the same ingenious way to solve a problem. Also, there are a lot of pretty pictures.
Sand County Almanac by Audrey Reid, Biology
As scientists, we often forget that the core of our work is observation of the natural world, thus I suggest that at least every ecologist, if not every scientist, read The Sand County Almanac at some point in their life. Leopold’s descriptions of the natural world found outside his door are rich with detail about its beauty and intricacies, motivating myself at least to be reminded of why I am an ecologist.
Musicophilia by Huiwen Goy, Psychology
I don't think there was any single book that was "key" to my interest in science, but his books are always pretty interesting. Music seems like such a familiar and well-known topic, but these fascinating and strange stories of individuals' experiences with music highlight how much we still don't know about why music affects us so much and why it even exists.
On the Origin of Species by Samantha Mahabir, Psychology
I picked origin of the species because it gave me a different perspective from what I was taught as a child. It offered a challenge to what I thought was true but always questioned. In high school the idea of evolution and natural selection was being taught but it wasn’t until I read this book that I actually understood that it meant. I guess it got me excited because I was able to see for the first time an original thought that actually makes sense and goes against what so many people believe. It really showed me that science fosters exploration of my own ideas and thoughts. This also helped me to think critically haha.
