Rhetorical Expressions

I think I mentioned that I’m auditing a seminar on “Transparency & Society” while I’m here.  Fascinating stuff.  Anyway, the reading list has been wonderful and there are three books you really must read.

1. James Watson, The Double Helix.  Memoir/Tell-All story of the discovery of DNA’s structure.  Turns out, it was quite the scandal when it was published in 1968.  Most scientists never wrote about the very human side of scientific discovery — until Watson.  Some loved him for it, others hated him.  Although, in my opinion,  you have to respect someone who is willing to admit, in print, that “it was my hope that the gene might be solved without my learning any chemistry”  because he had “managed to avoid taking any chemistry or physics courses which looked of even medium difficulty” during his undergraduate days at the University of Chicago.  Apparently he set a Bunsen burner on fire.  Anyway, it’s an everyday person’s guide (i.e. for me, who barely passed college chemistry) to DNA, why it matters, how it works, with a scientific-thriller-esque twist.
2. Theodore White, The Making of the President, 1960.  This tells you every detail about the 1960 presidential election: primaries, inner-workings of political campaigns, the famed Kennedy vs. Nixon debates, and the implications for future presidential races.  I didn’t know that the primary process could be so interesting, but White’s description of the seven candidates for the Democratic nomination (and how JFK rose from “the kid” to victor over a sitting VP) is readable, funny, and insightful.  Published in 1961, it provides a snapshot picture of what people hoped for from the Kennedy administration (and how Kennedy’s policies during the campaign impacted legislation well into the 1970s).  It also tells you a lot about then-VP Richard M. Nixon, seven years before he was elected president.
3. Meg Greenfield, Washington.  I’m not all the way through with this book yet, but what I’ve read has been charming, witty, and brilliant.  Greenfield provides an insider’s account of Washington, DC during the 1960s-1990s.  It’s more of a reflection on Washington DC life versus a “tell all” on politicians.  Columnist and editorial editor for the Washington Post, Greenfield was one of the best in the business.  Read more about her here.

Happy Reading!  Let me know what you think.