Monday, May 09, 2011

Long for this world


What causes our bodies to age? Jonathan Weiner explores the science of aging in his book Long for this world. Is it possible to live forever and can science make it possible?

Weiner* ties his various topics together by profiling lead scientists along the way - unfortunately he picks the most controversial and fringe scientists in the field. While it was slightly amusing, his descriptions and dialogue really didn't draw me into the subject. If anything, it turned me off and ultimately bored me. He does explain some of the science of the past and analyzes various advances in understanding how we age. But it was certainly a surface level point of view.

The book was lacking a serious overview of the subject matter. An overview can be written in an interesting, and even, entertaining way, but to drop bits and pieces through each chapter doesn't really help paint a whole picture. Clearly, the field is made up of interesting characters but surely there are others doing research of value.

I only made it about two thirds of the way through and gave up. I was bored out of mind and didn't feel anymore enlightened about the subject than before I started it.

Book Rating: 2 stars

*Apparently Weiner teaches how to write about science at some Eastern college. I haven't tackled his book on Finches. I hope it's better.

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