Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize Hardcover – September 24, 2013
Author: Visit Amazon's Sean B. Carroll Page | Language: English | ISBN: 0307952339 | Format: PDF, EPUB
Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize – September 24, 2013
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Posts about Download The Book Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize – September 24, 2013 from mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link Download latest books on mediafire and other links compilation Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize Hardcover – September 24, 2013
- Hardcover: 592 pages
- Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (September 24, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0307952339
- ISBN-13: 978-0307952332
- Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 2.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Camus, Albert
- #17 in Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Biological & Chemical
I know Sean B Carroll's work as a molecular biologist and writer on evolution, so I picked up this book due to an interest in Monod and the untold story of his involvement in the French resistance. I was familiar with Camus from reading Les Justes in high school French class. Honestly, I wasn't sure where Carroll would take the story, but I was eager to find out.
In short, this book was a fascinating and enjoyable read but not a tightly written book. It was really quite a few stories put into one, including a full history of World War II as written from the French perspective. To be honest, I thought at first it was excessive as I know quite a bit about WWII, but as I read further, I realized I had never quite looked at it the way Carroll presents it. Why were the French defeated so quickly? How did ordinary Frenchmen view the collapse of their government, Vichy France, De Galle, etc? I was engrossed in the telling of the war and the confusion and mayhem that commenced as the Germans took Paris. Truly an amazing feat, especially for a writer versed in molecular biology.
Of course, the story as told on the cover is about Camus and Monod, and their stories are interspersed with the story of the invasion of France. The author presents a historical arc from the founding of the Pasteur Institute to the work done by Monod. Nothing happens in isolation, and I love how he weaves the history, science, and personalities so seamlessly.
As I read this book, I was astounded by how quickly I was turning the pages to find out more, and despite the length, I enjoyed the journey greatly. In a few spots I had to flip back and remember some details.
This is a very ambitious book that attempted to take on multiple major subjects, some more successfully than others. There are at least four separate histories recounted here, any of which could be an entire book in and of itself. First, there is the well-researched and well-written history of the French occupation by the Nazis and the role played by the French resistance movement. This is easily the best part of the book, both in terms of its organization and the ease of reading it. The level of detail was just right.
Second, there is the biography of Jacques Monod, the Nobel prize-winning molecular biologist, and his work. This story line is choppy, divided up in various places, and not as easy to follow, although the author does a good job of conveying the excitement of discovery going on at the Pasteur Institute in those days.
Third, there is the biography of Albert Camus, the Nobel prize-winning existentialist philosopher and author. As with Monod, this story line is choppy and divided up, making it harder to follow. However, the author does a good job of introducing Camus's major works and the basic ideas of his philosophy.
Fourth, there are the stories of the post-World War II revolutions taking place in Hungary, France, and Algeria. These histories are all relatively cursory, with the Hungarian revolution being the best developed among them and the Algerian revolution being almost entirely glossed over.
In spite of these shortcomings, I enjoyed the book overall, although I agree with prior reviewers that improving the organization would make it much stronger.
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