Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Hope Jahren is a renowned scientist who specializes in botany. In Lab Girl, she relates the struggles of scientists in general to find funding and keep a lab up and running--and the struggles of being a female scientist who strives to be taken seriously. She also discusses her battle with bipolar disorder and her close relationship with her lab partner, Bill.
While her story itself is interesting, it's her descriptions of plant life that mesmerize. "A seed knows how to wait. Most seeds wait at least a year before starting to grow; a cherry seed can wait for a hundred years with no problem. What exactly each seed is waiting for is known only to that seed."
Jahren clearly loves her work and she provides fascinating descriptions of how trees survive the winter, how palm trees are different from other trees, and how pollination works. And she does it in beautiful, lyrical language
While her story itself is interesting, it's her descriptions of plant life that mesmerize. "A seed knows how to wait. Most seeds wait at least a year before starting to grow; a cherry seed can wait for a hundred years with no problem. What exactly each seed is waiting for is known only to that seed."
Jahren clearly loves her work and she provides fascinating descriptions of how trees survive the winter, how palm trees are different from other trees, and how pollination works. And she does it in beautiful, lyrical language
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