PT's Bookshelf

Curious Minds: How a Child Becomes a Scientist

John Brockman, ed. (Pantheon)

What made the young Steven Pinker so interested in the human mind? When did Nicholas Humphrey become conscious of his interest in consciousness? An intriguing collection of essays detailing the childhood experiences of prominent scientists and the life events that sparked their hunger for knowledge. Full of comical and thought-provoking stories, including the childhood saga of Sherry Turkle of MIT, who piqued her investigative mind with Nancy Drew mysteries and who chose a life of science over the career her mother wanted her to follow-lounge singing.

The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Keeping Hope Alive in a Time of Fear

By Paul Rogat Loeb (Basic)

Activist and author Loeb gathered essays from dozens of writers and thinkers to reflect on hope, engagement and civic involvement. Many are familiar names-Martin Luther King Jr., Vaclav Havel, Jim Hightower-but there are several surprises, like a poignant short story by Sherman Alexie and a funny account of the Cha Cha Cha rebellion of Rhodesia (now Zambia). A much-needed salvo against despair.

The Wimp Factor: Gender Gaps, Holy Wars, and the Politics of Anxious Masculinity

By Stephen Ducat (Beacon Press)

Equal parts psychoanalytic theory and political science, this unabashed polemic examines the role that femiphobia-a fear of women and of being feminized-has played in conservative ideals. Along the way, Ducat chronicles the development of gender roles and "anxious masculinity" in Western culture and examines the fluctuating image crises of George H. W. Bush and the Clintons, among other major political figures. Even those who disagree with Ducat's values can appreciate his skillful deployment of anecdotes, media and wordplay.

Exuberance: The Passion for Life

By Kay Redfield Jamison (Knopf)

Psychologist Jamison, who earned her reputation (and her MacArthur fellowship) writing about manic depression and the artistic temperament, here turns her eye from despair to joy. Her treatment includes mini-biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and Tigger; a review of animals at play; a survey of the psychological research on glee, love and drug-induced ecstasy. The writer's own relentless good cheer can get slightly tiresome-but her energy and intelligence, and her wide-ranging knowledge of literature and history keep the book buoyant and entertaining.

Prozac as a Way of Life

Carl Elliott and Tod Chambers, eds. (University of North Carolina Press)

Prozac, and its newer variants, can help well-adjusted people feel "better than well"-more focused, more enthusiastic and more fulfilled. But should that be encouraged? The editors bring together a world-class group of doctors, philosophers and ethicists to explore the implications of medically enhanced life. This volume is not for beginners, though-designed to further an on-going conversation about treating the healthy, it doesn't pause to bring newcomers to the debate up to speed.

Born to Buy: The Marketing and the Transformation of Childhood and Culture

By Juliet Schor (Scribner)

The next time your four-year-old throws himself to the floor of Toys "R" Us kicking and screaming, you can tell the salesclerk that it's the media's fault. That's the argument in consumer economist Schor's book, which exposes how big business targets the kiddy demographic. She argues that the increase in child-brand recognition and the growing climate of commercialism contribute to ailments from ADHD to low self-esteem and depression.