Life Ascending

Life Ascending: the Ten Great Inventions of Evolution
© 2009 Nick Lane
344 pages

For my money, few subjects are as impressive, beautiful, and awe-inspiring as biology and evolution. Is there a greater drama in the cosmos outside the long play of life, its actors emerging epoch by epoch -- many vanishing into the darkness once more, but not before leaving their mark upon those that follow them? The thought that the immense and varied mass of life on this earth, so rich as to beggar description, is ultimately unified by common ancestry still staggers me. Earth's history of life is a parade of 'endless forms most beautiful', and in Life Ascending Nick Lane revisits some of the most pivotal moments in evolution history: the origin of life, the development of DNA, and the rises of photosynthesis, complex cells, sex, movement, sight, hot blood, consciousness, and death.

Though I've never heard of Lane, he apparently has a strong following in Britain. I can certainly see why. He is easily one of the clearest science communicators I've read, using lively examples to illustrate key points, like describing the two different kinds of chlorophyll (both vital parts of photosynthesis) as a grasping miser and a street hustler. One forces water to surrender an electron; the other forces carbon dioxide to accept the same. Lane's specialty is biochemistry, so he is strongest early on when writing on DNA and photosynthesis; his treatment of topics like consciousness is comparatively lighter, but still raises up interesting questions, and I appreciate an author far more for acknowledging his limitations than attempting to sound authoritative in spite of them. In any given chapter, Lane first explains the significance of a key invention, and then -- as current scientific knowledge allows -- delves into how it functions and its origins.  He does not necessarily devote equal time to all three sections; in the chapter on movement, for instance, he wastes little time explaining why being able to move is an asset, choosing to devote most of the chapter on how muscles function. Later on, when writing on consciousness, Lane concerns himself with the meaning of consciousness rather than the cause of it, which we don't fully understand. Lane is thorough in explaining how we came to our current understanding, often working through rival theories before arriving that which currently prevails, or is the most accurate in his view. What I appreciate most about Lane is his ability to break down a topic into its most basic parts, allowing lay readers to arrive at a basic understanding of the subject at hand without being overwhelmed by information -- but he's not so general as to leave us ignorant of the actual facts, beyond generalities that we can't explain. The weakest section of the book is that of death: Lane doesn't explain why it is a wonderful invention. He mentions that it is tied to sex, and is thus tangentially important for that reason, but the bulk of the chapter is written on our attempts to find out why we age, with an eye for 'curing' it. He doesn't mention the role that death plays in evolution, which is a curious omission.

The highest praise I can give Lane is that he takes me back to 2006, when I was just starting to realize how incredibly wonderful and interesting science could be. A keeper, certainly, and one to revisit in the future and enjoy again.

Related:
"Be Mine" (Creation, the Universe, and the Evolution of Life set to a Funky Beat). This is a YouTube song about the history of the universe that ends with an unexpected proposal;  the history of life section actually follows this book in part.

The Obamas
© 2012 Jodi Kantor
368 pages

In 2004, a young state senator from Illinois gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. His unusual name wasn't one anyone knew -- until that night. Barack Obama's address decried polarization as the work of pundits; he stressed the unity of the American people in their belief in  simple dreams, in certain ideals like justice and equality. He called for people to work together, and created a wave of popularity that sent him from obscurity to the White House in just four years. For all his inexperience in high-level politics, Obama had the gift of stirring people into believing in themselves and governance again. But today, the chanting crowds are gone; the radical changes people expected haven't transpired, and as we enter an election season people are considering Obama anew. The Obamas covers the first three years of the Obama administration, with a particular emphasis on how two people only marginally familiar with the world of D.C. and the trappings and burdens of office struggled to adapt to them, and how Obama's approach changed as the promises of his candidacy clashed with the realities of political administration.

Some of the appeal in a book like this is admittedly voyeuristic; like many Americans I've long been fascinated by the presidency, and the Obama experience is more likely to resonate with the average reader than any other presidency. Unlike the Bushes, Clintons, Reagans, and other families who preceded them, the Obamas had no experience living in the public spotlight, to being doted on by half the population and reviled by the other. The White House is both a residence and a state office, with blurry lines between work and home. Until the president's astonishingly quick rise to power, the Obamas were a thoroughly middle-class family living in an apartment in Chicago; no governor's mansion prepared them for the unique experience of state office. Learning the boundaries took time.  The dynamic between the Obamas themselves is a second theme; although Michelle's familiarity with corrupt Chicago politics had soured her on politics, as First Lady she was expected to take a role in his administration. She turns out to be delightfully strong-willed: if the president and his chief of staff want her to help in the work of the West Wing, it must be useful work, constructive work -- not simply filling in whenever they need someone to give a speech or smile for the cameras. Mrs. Obama is a fantastic counterpart to her husband. While she distrusts politics, her years working in the mayoral office of Chicago give her knowledge into how the game of politics is played. By contrast, the president believes in the power of public office but despises the conventions associated with it -- opportunistic speeches, glad-handing crowds, photo opportunities with strangers.  He wants to rise above these vulgarities, and comes across as aloof and elitist. The Tea Party is the absolute antithesis to his approach, and its popularity catches him by surprise. Not until the 2010 elections, when they sweep into office, does Obama begin to be schooled in politicking by his wife. Only November will tell if his new, more pragmatic approach will work.

I for one found the work heartening. I was one of those enthralled by Obama as candidate, and disappointed as he entered office. As we approach the 2012 elections, that disappointment has given way to a more moderate appreciation. I'm beginning to realize -- like he does, in this novel -- that one man can't change D.C. through sheer strength of will. Although cynicism is tempting, I think it ultimately unrewarding, and I see no reason to see Obama as anything other than a frustrated idealist.  An account like this, which follows the Obama as a couple of ordinary people thrust into the national office,  certainly erodes attempts to villainize him. Its best audience is disappointed Obama supporters: while Kantor doesn't defend, condemn, or endorse Obama's record, walking these past three years again in his shoes may ease some misplaced bitterness and grief.

Children of the Storm

Star Trek Voyager: Children of the Storm
© 2011 Kirsten Beyer
418 pages

In Unworthy, Kirsten Beyer launched the USS Voyager into the Delta Quadrant anew, this time at the head of a fleet of  ships. Their mission: to make sure that the Borg are truly gone, and to smooth over any rough patches Voyager left during its original trip through the quadrant. Thus far,  the mission hasn't gone as planned: betrayed by its leading admiral,  the fleet stumbled into its initial first contact scenario with disastrous results. Afsarah Eden,  formerly commanding Voyager, has now taken command of the fleet, giving a renewed Chakotay his old seat back. The Voyager crew is restored, their spirits on the mend -- but their greatest challenge is ahead of them.

Having blundered into contact with a race known as the Children of the Storm, who have proven a nemesis even to the Borg, Eden, Voyager, and the rest of the fleet must establish peaceful contact with these strange and noncoporeal creatures.  Three ships -- Quirinal, Planck,  and Demeter -- are soon separated from the rest of the fleet, entrapped by the Children. While their crews struggle to free themselves, Eden is left with a daunting choice: how to find, and if need be rescue, those three ships without risking the rest of her command to needless destruction.

With Children of the Storm, Beyer delivers yet another smashing success to the Voyager Relaunch, a series far superior in print than on television. Characterization remains a strong suite;  Chakotay and Seven are given far more depth than on the show, and Paris and Kim are being seasoned nicely. No longer plucky twenty-somethings barely out of the Academy, the two are accepting greater responsibilities within Starfleet and their own lives. Beyer, having only recently given birth before writing this novel, is clearly enjoying playing with the experience when addressing  Paris, Torres, and their daughter Miral.  Eden, though a comparative stranger,  carries much of the novel and is proving to be an intriguing personality.   However, another character -- Liam O'Donnell, the captain of Demeter -- completely surprised me. Introduced as a seemingly absent-minded intellectual who only commanded a ship because of its botanical focus,  O'Donnell proves to be a pivotal character in the crisis.

The Children are a baffling mystery: their "ships" are unlike anything the Federation has encountered, and though they can communicate with the Starfleet ships, the familiarity of words is lost in the alienness of their thoughts. Tension builds throughout the novel, and casualties are taken -- but the resolution is fantastic, reminding me a bit of the Destiny finale.  Beyer does not disappoint in the least.

Beyer's Voyager relaunch continues to be excellent, and I know I'm not alone in anticipating its continuation in The Eternal Tide, this summer.

Related:
Voyager Relaunch at TvTropes
Children of the Storm at Memory Alpha
Kirsten Beyer at Memory Alpha

Teaser Tuesday (27 March)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish event in which people share tidbits from their current reads. Play along at ShouldBerReading!

"Oh, lord, I am so many things! A scholar, a priest, an eater of cheese, and now I am chaplain to Lord Uhtred, the pagan who slaughters priests. That's what they tell me. I'd be eternally grateful if you refrained from slaughtering me. May I have a servant, please?"

p. 183, Death of Kings. Bernard Cornwell

All this energy, all our lives, boils down to the juxtaposition of two molecules totally out of equilibrium with one another, hydrogen and oxygen: two opposing bodies that conjoin in blissful molecular union, with a copious discharge of energy, leaving nothing but a small, hot puddle of water.

p. 14, Life Ascending: the Ten Great Inventions of Evolution, Nick Lane

Death of Kings

Death of Kings
© 2011 Bernard Cornwell
325 pages

Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings...

(Richard II, William Shakespeare)

Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, lays on his deathbed. Aged and long infirm,  he has created a legacy to be proud of.  He has united most of the  Saxons under his kingdom, and for decades defended Britain against the expansion of the Danes. But his work is not yet complete; many still live within the realm of the Danish conquerors, and even what unity he has achieved may be destroyed upon his death, as Danish armies use it as an opportunity to resume their expansion. Alfred alone unites the Saxons, but if he dies the various petty kingdoms that Wessex consumed in its rise may break apart again.  Alfred's son Edward does not command their respect the way Alfred did, however grudgingly, and a weak heir  would threaten  to reverse all of Alfred's accomplishments. But the dying king has a hope: he has...Uhtred of Bebbanberg, a Saxon prince raised by Danes who nonetheless serves Alfred, a true lord of war whose might and wit have been been the tools with which Alfred created and defended his kingdom. Now, in Alfred's final hours, he dispatches a final message to Uhtred, calling him to serve his court one more time.  And so Uhtred is called to fight in what may be Wessex' darkest hour,  and his battle provides another solid contribution to the Saxon stories series.

Death of Kings begins on an unlikely note, with Uhtred being asked to negotiate a peace conference. A chance exists that a Saxon king allied to the Danes may be persuaded to change loyalties, or at the very least refrain from joining the Danes in war against Wessex, and Alfred's court believes only Uhtred is strong enough to ensure that the king sees reason. Even so, Uhtred is a questionable choice for diplomat; he once killed a priest for insulting his wife, and did so as casually with one blow as we might swat a fly. Tact is a word that Uhtred doesn't know the meaning of, in either his own Old English or in Danish. But as one might expect from Cornwell, peace is only the calm before the storm. Soon enough the king will die, and Edward will be forced to fight rebellion and outside invasion simultaneously. Worse yet, he may not find the courage to use his strong arm, Uhtred, given that the warlord is hated by the Christians of the royal court for his pride and irreverence. However much the court dislikes Uhtred, he's a fantastic narrator. That irreverence provides humor in spades, and he has a penchant for drama; his tradition of introducing himself with a speech is maintained in the Death of Kings.  Even more so than Richard Sharpe, Uhtred is earnest. He exults in the joy of life, even in battle.  He sees himself as an actor in a larger drama, but what that story is, he leaves to the fates. While he despises the piety of the priests who make his life at court miserable, Uhtred's own faith in destiny -- his motto, 'Fate is inexorable' -- give him courage to try fantastic feats in the face of overwhelming odds.   The result is a good read, often as funny as it is thrilling.

Founding Rivals

Founding Rivals | Madison vs. Monroe: the Bill of Rights and the Election that Saved a Nation
© 2011 Chris DeRose
336 pages

In these days of contentious politics, where adversaries rip into one another with all the grace of beasts,  Chris DeRose's Founding Rivals is downright heartening. It is the story of a friendship born of revolution and the struggle to create a more perfect union,  a friendship which helped define that union...and one which persevered even as the two friends found themselves running against one another for the same seat in the first Congress of the United States.

Madison and Monroe's names stand tall throughout American history. Public servants for most of their lives, and eventually the fourth and fifth presidents respectively,  they began their careers in America's most exciting time. They agitated for independence and drilled for war: during the conflict, Madison became a statesman while Monroe served in the Continental army.  While Madison and his colleagues attempted to bring together the selfishly quarreling colonies together in a common cause, and put together a functioning government amidst the chaos of war, Monroe was nearly killed in combat and served faithfully throughout the war, seeking  a place in the battle even when he had the opportunity to remain safely behind the scenes. After York Town, Monroe joined Madison in public office and the two were introduced through a mutual friend, Thomas Jefferson.

Together they agonized about the limitations of the Articles of Confederation, and through their letters DeRose offers readers a look into the early years of the Republic, at a time when the legislature of Virginia held more power than the Congress of the confederacy. The states are united in name only: their collective government has little power and only marginal influence.  In these troubled years, debt increases, rebellion sweeps through the backwoods, and the powers of Europe smile at the fledgling nation's impotency. Spain, especially, sees America's faltering as a promising sign that it will maintain control of the Mississippi.

The letters between Madison and Monroe are a delight to read. They possess an elegance lost today, and reflect a serious-minded approach to governance that our current candidates would do well to emulate. In preparing for a constitutional convention, Madison engaged himself in an exhaustive study of confederacies throughout history,  adding that to an already impressive political education to guide him in finding an effective form of government for the new nation -- one which would be strong enough to defend against foreign foes and honor its debts, but not so strong as to crush the sovereignty of the people under one authority.  After an initial failure at Annapolis, Madison, Monroe, and others are finally successful in organizing a convention in Philadelphia. The two are never in Congress at the same time: when one is seated in the national council, the other is present in Virginia's house of delegates,  and they work together for the common cause.  In Philadelphia, however, after Madison presents his ideas -- a framework we know today as the US Constitution -- their collaboration ends.

The nation falls into two parties, Federalist and Antifederalist.  Federalists like Madison advocate for the immediate adoption of the Constitution,  while the Antifederalists oppose it. Some, like Patrick Henry, appear to vigorously oppose the Constitution just to delight in the sound of their own voice. Others are concerned about the lack of a Bill of Rights protecting the people against the government overstepping its authority. Monroe in particular is concerned about the amount of power the Constitution gives the central government,  seeing its ability to directly tax the people as problematic at best and inviting tyranny at worst.  DeRose covers the raucous debate in Virginia's House of Delegates, where the Constitution is just narrowly ratified. Virginia was arguably the most influential state in the union at this point, a fact lost to modern readers who are accustomed to the leadership of states like New York and California today.

Even though the Constitution is ratified, the Antifederalists are not content to accept defeat. Instead, they see the first congressional elections for the new state as an opportunity to put their men into office to maintain the status quo while they organize efforts to call for another constitutional convention -- a prospect that Washington, Jefferson, and Madison are united in seeing as patently dangerous.  To oppose Madison, the author of the Constitution and its most eloquent defenders, the Antifederalists choose Monroe...and in the book's penultimate chapter, the 'election that saved a nation' takes precedence.

DeRose may be over-stressing a point here -- the claim is certainly dramatic -- but the election is certainly worth considering. Having accomplished the great task of getting the Constitution ratified, Madison can now advocate for amending it with a bill of rights, to win over the two states which have not yet joined the union, and gain the support of those who accepted it only grudgingly, like New York and Virginia. DeRose sees the presence of Monroe as prompting this decision on Madison's part, the younger forcing Madison to temper his defense of the Constitution. It is quite possible, considering that earlier -- in Virginia -- Madison staunchly maintained that no bill of rights was necessary to tell the government what it could not do, because nothing in the Constitution gave the government the right to interfere with civil rights in the first place.

Even though I'm not necessarily convinced that the election of Madison to a particular seat in the house of Representatives saved the nation, Founding Rivals is excellent history. These two extraordinary gentlemen lived lives of distinction, lives worth noting. Madison's views on the hypocrisy of slavery are particularly impressive considering the time in which he lived.  DeRose's account follows the lives of these two admirable men through some of the most critical periods of American history, giving readers an education on what the government was like between Revolution and the Constitution.  Moreover, the relationship between these two men is a standing reproach to the narrowminded, vicious, petty, and pathetically partisan politics of today. Witness here a friendship that survived political combat, and be reminded of the principles of good government -- not just the rights we value through political philosophy, but our approach to people.  Though disagreeing on the Constitution, these two were united in their civil-mindedness, their tolerance of one another's opinions, and their sincere commitment to the common good.

This Week at the Library (14 March)

Reviews:

200 pages; © 2012

A family of four sits at a table in a nice restaurant, heads bowed. But they're not pausing for reflection or prayer; they're in the middle of a meal, and all attempting to check their email discretely. So much for family time. In Is It Just Me? actor and comedian Whoopie Goldberg takes on our age of declining social graces, where -- self-absorbed by our gadgets -- we give little thought to those around us. Goldberg writes conversationally; aside from the self-quizzes, where she invites readers to reflect on their own behavior, the text could very well be  collection of comedy sketches.Like all good comedy, Goldberg entertains us by pointing out the absurdity of it all...but behind the laughs, there's a genuine point. Though addressing topics as diverse as dining and parenting, the common theme of responsibility and respect prevails. As someone who is very grumpy about the obnoxious ever-presence of cellphones, whose whines seem to fill the air everywhere (even in libraries...), and keen on manners in general, I'm the ideal audience for this kind of grousing..but there's more substance here than I'd expected, especially in the section on parenting. Goldberg advocates treating children and teenagers with respect, instead of simply talking at them, but she's not a fan of the "parent as friend" approach. Someone has to be the adult. I would have also never considered how big a nuisance the ever-connected world is to celebrities. If she decides to visit a local store, someone will tweet her about her presence, and within minutes a crowd has arrived. Privacy, the simple act of respect in giving people their personal space, is gone altogether.  Is It Just Me is fun and pointed.

Currently Reading: Founding Rivals, Madison vs. Monroe: The Bill of Rights and the Election that Saved a Nation; Chris DeRose; A People's History of the Supreme Court, Peter Irons

Potentials: Murder in Vein, Sue Ann Jaffarian; as heard of on the Paralegal Voice. A...vampire mystery, but one which promises to be amusing based on the interview I listened to.

"I have discovered the secret of the philosopher's stone," [Law] wrote to a friend. "It is to make gold out of paper."

- The Ascent of Money

The ceremony then moved into the Senate chamber, where Washington would deliver the first inaugural address. He spoke quietly from prepared remarks, reading nervously. [...] Madison had to act interested and surprised while listening to a speech he himself had written. He had Washington's confidence -- an honor many men aspired to, but few had secured. Ironically, Madison was later asked by Congress to prepare a response to the president's address. Washington, in turn, asked him to draft his reply to the response. Madison's understated sense of humor was on full display in that reply, which included the line: "Your very affectionate address produces emotions which I know not how to express." The first formal communications between the president and Congress were essentially Madison talking to himself.

xi-xii, Founding Rivals.