Something I am sure you would come to figure out on your own, given enough time, is that I am a geek. A complete and total nerd. I can give new meaning to the concept of geekiness upon occasion.
That said, when I came up with this topic (yes, I am the one in need of strangling over it LOL) I had a different book in mind than what I am about to write about. It is my sheer and utter geekiness that changed my mind.
See, if I could pick one book that I am pea green with jealousy that I didn't write, it isn't a fiction work. It's Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". Like it, hate it, believe it, or don't - this book still manages to stir people to talk about it.
Some of his conclusions were wrong, but given the knowledge base he had to work with, and what we have just finally in the last half century come to understand, he did damn good. It's one of those books that I truly wish I had written; it changed history, the way scientists approached things, and set some people on their ear.
I greatly admire the scientists who stuck with it, even in the light of ridicule, torture, and death. Modern medicine, technology and a ton of other fields are their legacy. A legacy I am proud to be a part of.
If I could ever write a sequel to Origins, I would write the layman's version. Not in the vein of the Dummies books, but one that is a bit easier to read and has been updated with new knowledge.
See, told you I was a geek. : )
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteLogically, the sequel would have to be called 'Species: the adventure continues...'
I can understand the desire to write a follow up to CD's book. I can also understand the need for a layman's version since most people seem to misinterpret what was originally written. In some ways it might be interesting to write a book about those misinterpretations and call it 'Origins of the Specious.'
Best,
Ash
Wow - now that is ambitious. Darwin's book is regarded as probably the most important science book ever written.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a very interesting sequel to this book right now "How to Build A Dinosaur" by Jack Horner. He's explaining how to use existing avian DNA to bring back an extinct species using that unassuming descendent of the tyrannosaur - the chicken.
Garce
I second what Garce said. That is ambitious. I loved studying evolution in my high school biology classes, and still love to read about it when I get the chance. It's truly a shame more people don't understand the concepts in "On the Origins of the Species."
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say, I dream big. : )
I know that I will never be a Charles Darwin of a Watson or Crick. But I am hopeful that one day one of my students will be, and that in some small part, I will be to blame. Um, responcible. Er, to thank? LOL
I do think it would be fun to write an updated layman's version though.
Oh yes, and it wouldn't have to be the for Dummies version either. You'd have plenty of readers out there eating it up. (raises hand) I'm kind of a geek too. Anything to do with history or science. Combine the two and I'm in nerdy heaven.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's a great ambition to want that not necessarily for yourself, but for a young person you are helping to develop. Lovely thought!
Hello, Michelle,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, welcome once again to the Grip! We're delighted to have your geekiness contributing to the general mayhem.
Actually I'm kind of a geek too -- I did premed and got A's in organic chemistry -- but that's my real life identity, not Lisabet Sarai.
You're certainly right about OTS making an impact. I think if I were writing a sequel, I'd make it into a story. The story of life on earth.
Warmly,
Lisabet