April 4, 2008
According to the buzz of reviews surrounding Jeffrey Bennett’s new release, Beyond UFOs is a fascinating read. In a nutshell, Christopher McKay at NASA describes the book as: “Precise, accurate, lucid, and engaging. This is popular-science writing at its best.”
“Planet by planet, moon by moon, [Beyond UFOs] explores the possibility of life elsewhere in this solar system. It then speculates about other solar systems in our galaxy where, according to the prevailing scientific view, simple life almost surely exists and intelligent life is plausible. For the most part, Bennett’s search for extraterrestrial life adds up to a very satisfying package. . . . At its core, this book delivers a combination that is hard to beat: solid yet highly speculative science plus accessible prose that add up to an out-of-this-world reading experience.” Fred Bortz, Seattle Times
Jeffrey Bennett is an astrophysicist and an expert in astrobiology – a new field of study that draws on geology, biology and astronomy to look at the origin and evolution of the universe. Beyond UFOs is said to be an astonishing journey through this new field, and a humanitarian call to arms.
“Science is a way of helping people come to agreement,” Bennett says, and he argues that in order to be prepared to meet intelligent life, “we must solve global warming, debilitating disease, terrorism, poverty, and war. We must use our compassion to teach all people to respect all others, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or gender.” Publisher’s Weekly. “[A] political message couched in fascinating and completely accessible science.”
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• Princeton review
• Bennett’s page
• Amazon
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Books, science-tech | Tagged: astronomy, Books, Jeffrey Bennett, NASA, science, UFO | 
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March 24, 2008
Kevin Everett at Barnes & Noble in Beaumont, Texas, signs copies of his new book which charts his miraculous recovery from a severe spinal injury. The event took place on Saturday 22nd March, the story covered by South East Texas Live, quoted below.
“He told me not to give up,” said Dani Simien, a 19-year-old Beaumont resident confined to a wheelchair since a car accident with a drunken driver almost a year ago. “He told me to keep working hard and to get my education.” Simien’s connection with Everett extended far beyond Saturday’s encounter. The pair frequently saw each other at Memorial Hermann as both recovered from their injuries. “He’s a nice person,” said Simien, who attended the book signing with his mother, sister and niece. “A lot of people who are big-time like him, they don’t care like he does.”
Full story
‘Everett has thought about his future. Friends have contacted him about coaching high school in Texas, and that possibility intrigues him. “I’d like to work with kids,” he says. “I’m sure of that. Maybe teaching. I want to stay around football too.” He says that with help from the NFL and the Bills, his medical issues have not created a financial burden.’
Full story on SI – December 2007
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March 23, 2008
Award winning journalist and married mother of two, Patricia Pearson draws on her personal experience of clinical anxiety to illustrate a remarkable study of psychological disorders.
According to Kirkus Reviews, “[Pearson] insightfully probes one of the oldest and least-understood psychological conditions…[a] well-constructed book…lively. [Pearson] employs a pleasing blend of personal anecdote and historical context. Despite her often playful tone and poetic, evocative language, Pearson provides countless intriguing historical examples, backed by an extensive notes section, including discussions of ancient philosophy, medicine and theology. A wholly satisfying mix of memoir, cultural history and investigative journalism.”
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In a recent interview, when questioned about the remedy for anxiety, Pearson was direct and constructive. “Fear is the remedy for anxiety. What I mean by that is that dealing with a clear and present danger will displace the more paralyzing and helpless sensation that is anxiety. Since I wrote my book, a family member has grown very ill. No time to be anxious. Time, instead, to be working the phones, finding cutting-edge treatments, battling doctors. This is what Virginia Woolf called ‘extreme reality.’ Anxiety is more about what T.S. Eliot wrote: “What shall we do now, what shall we do? Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.”l
In the same interview, Pearson explained her motivation. “This book is driven by the narrative arc of my experience. So is William Styron’s self-portrait of depression, Darkness Visible, and Kay Redfield Jamison’s account of her bipolar illness: An Unquiet Mind. I don’t think it’s self-indulgent to offer up one’s own tale as a basis for conversation about an overarching human conundrum. What is self-indulgent is drinking too much Port.”
For more insight, check into:
- New York Times review
- BlogWonks interview
- Amazon
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