From Scientists to Cowboys: Small Choices Matter
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Welcome to our first week of Summer Book Reviews! Read on for the first few books from my shelf so far this year, and don’t forget to submit a review of a book you’ve read recently for a chance to be featured in one of the next installments.
The Alchemy of Air, by Thomas Hager
Read this winter, almost entirely in the first few days after Christmas after receiving as a gift... books and Miriam at Christmas are like toys and kids: as soon as the wrapping paper is off, I’m already starting to read. ;)
While this book is a history of the Haber-Bosch process—the method by which nitrogen is captured from the air and ultimately converted into a usable fertilizer for crops around the world—it reads like a dramatic novel. Somehow, Hager turns scientific processes into characters we want to see win (or lose), all while giving us a glimpse of the often complex and at times unsavory personal lives of the scientists we look back on as heroes. Whether you’re a true agriculture nerd, or you’re just intrigued by how things work, or you’re interested in the stories of people who faced difficult decisions which altered the course of humanity, this one is for you.
I put this book on my Christmas list because it was recommended by the author of a well-respected agriculture newsletter (Shane Thomas of Upstream Ag Insights) and I realized I didn’t actually know much about the process by which the vast majority of the nitrogen we use to grow crops comes from. It was worth finishing purely for the narrative skill of the author.
One Thing Differently:
This book raises many profound questions about technological progress, tradeoffs, and good vs. evil. One of the ideas which is still rattling around in my brain is how much we take for granted how scientific advancements from the 1900’s, even with all their tradeoffs, have expanded access to resources and improved the lives of millions, in fact, billions, of people across the globe.
Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
I listened to it this spring, and while it took a bit to warm up to it, once I got into it, I was HOOKED.
Considering it’s one of the most iconic novels of the American West, I find it hard to believe it took me as long as it did to pick it up (or, I guess in this case, hit “play”). Yet, as Taylor Sheridan notes in his foreword, McMurtry has a way of capturing the time in history for what it is, not what we’ve embellished it to be. It’s not a clear picture of heroic cowboys and evil outlaws; as the story follows the crew of the Hat Creek Outfitters on their cattle drive from South Texas to all the way north of the Yellowstone, we see complex characters who show us the reality of human nature. It’s a hefty novel, but if you can appreciate profound characters—even if you can’t “figure them out”—and a good adventure story, you’ll be hooked right along with me.
I started listening because 1) my Spotify algorithm recommended it, and 2) I vaguely remembered a good mentor of mine (a proud Texan himself) speaking highly of it. I kept listening because I became attached to the characters. So much so, I’ve since been reading the rest of the novels in the story (stay tuned for more!).
One Thing Differently:
McMurtry has the uncanny ability to say what you’re thinking right when you’re thinking it, by way of his characters’ internal dialogue. A recurring theme in the book which still sticks with me is how the smallest of choices can lead us down a path we didn’t intend to be on.
Guest Review: Life is So Good, by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
I thought it was fitting that the first guest review I shared was from the woman who taught me to write and to love reading—known to others as Winifred (or Winnie) Hoffman, and to me as Mom:)
Most books I don’t read more than once. I recently finished reading this book a second time and I’m sure it won’t be my last time. It is that worthwhile, on so many levels.
George Dawson, grandson of slaves, was born in 1898 in Marshall, Texas. He had to go to work as a boy, to help support his family, so he was never able to attend school. He traveled extensively in his twenties, then became a hard-working family man. He and his wife raised seven children and made sure they all went to school and did well.
He had to pay careful attention and memorize a lot things to get by without being able to read. He excelled in his job at a dairy, working the machinery, because he was resourceful and paid attention to how things were put together.
He assumed his opportunity for schooling had passed, until years after retirement he was invited to join an adult literacy class.
He thought, why not? He was tired of just fishing.
His classmates were generally high school drop-outs wanting to earn their GED, or even kids who’d graduated but still weren’t able to read. They weren’t always the most motivated, until George joined their class. He inspired them by his perseverance and perfect attendance.
Of course, it’s not easy to learn new things as an older adult. He had to work extra hard. The young students decided that if this old man could show up every day eager to study, they could, too.
He also served as a living history lesson for them. He would talk about different events that happened during his long life and the kids would get curious and go look up the details.
George’s accomplishments attracted the attention of news reporters and he began to field interviews from all over the country. As a result, a teacher in Washington State, Richard Glaubman, summoned the courage to go visit him.
Their subsequent frequent and extensive conversations led them to write this book together.
It’s a gripping story. From the first heartbreaking (no, honestly appalling) chapter, through his childhood in a strong and warm family, to his riding the rails and working as a cowboy or dockworker or whatever work he could find, the reader just keeps turning the pages to see what happens next.
It is beautiful to see his friendship with Richard unfold. The young man would bring books and articles from each decade the old man had lived through, and ask what it was like living in those times. Often George’s experiences were far-removed from what was in the mainstream news.
At one time, thinking aloud, George wonders why he has lived so long. He outlived four wives and many other family members. He came to realize that he was still alive because he had something valuable to share with people. He had wisdom and perspective to convey to people like you and me, and am I ever glad he did.
Please, just read the book. You’ll never be the same.
Have a book you’d like to share with us? Send me an email or a message with your review, following the template below:
1) Title and author of the book, and when you read it (recent is better but it doesn’t have to be this year).
2) A few sentences to let us know the general premise of the book. Genre/target audience would be helpful here, too. (Fiction and non-fiction are both welcome!)
3) What made you pick it up, and why was it worth finishing?
4) What is your “One Thing Differently” from the book? It can be a tangible change you’ve made to your life as a result, or simply something you look at differently or more deeply than you did before reading it.
5) Share a couple of sentences about who you are, and how you found your way to The Next Step.