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Lab Girl

Hope Jahren

Finish date: November 16, 2016

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Jul 17, 2016 Kristel rated it liked it

Shelves: memoir, nonfiction, science

I read this book for the DeweyCat over at LibraryThing and found it also worked for memoir. Also discovered that this author is from Austen, Minnesota. I liked her writing and description of Minnesota but right off the bat, she exaggerates so keep that in mind when reading this. Winter does not start in September and last 9 months in Austen and it isn't that cold. Speaking as one from Northern Minnesota. I always say it can snow every month except July in Minnesota but really it isn't that bad a I read this book for the DeweyCat over at LibraryThing and found it also worked for memoir. Also discovered that this author is from Austen, Minnesota. I liked her writing and description of Minnesota but right off the bat, she exaggerates so keep that in mind when reading this. Winter does not start in September and last 9 months in Austen and it isn't that cold. Speaking as one from Northern Minnesota. I always say it can snow every month except July in Minnesota but really it isn't that bad and Austen in located nearly on the Iowa border. She describes a wonderful relationship with her father but for some reason must hate her mother even though they worked in the garden together. How can you hate your mother, she never gave us a good reason except she didn't think her mother showed love. She was okay with the stoic Norwegianess of her dad but disliked her mother. When she left home, she never looked back. She also reveals later in the book that she suffers from Bipolar illness. I suspect maybe a little personality disorder mixed in as well. She describes going through pregnancy with now medications. Perhaps, but I do think she made it more horrible than what it really should have been.

What I liked. I liked the part about the plants and the science and how she "asks the questions" that lead to the research and the description of the difficulties of academia. Her lab partner was also eccentric. Pretty weird guy with great parents. I didn't get that either. And why didn't he complete his degrees. Usually colleges would have had some program for tuition of employees of the college. It's an easy read, entertaining and informative.

Loved this quote, "Oh, I'm not worried aobut him," returned Bill. "He's gone (his father). It's not any more complicated than that. Honestly, if I admit it, it's me that I feel bad for." Really, that is what grief is.

I also liked this; "We had them growing sweet potatoes under the greenhouse gas levels predicted for the next several years, the levels that we're likely to see if we, as a society, do nothing about carbon emissions. The potatoes grew bigger as carbon dioxide increased. this was not a surprise. We also saw that these big potatoes were less nutritious, much lower in protein content, no matter how much fertilizer we gave them."

And the final work; plant a tree every year. ...more

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Apr 14, 2017 Vickie rated it it was amazing

It really didn't take me as long to read this book as it appears. Many books intervened that came from the library.

I found this book fascinating! Hope Jahren is someone I would love to be friends with! She seems to be a quirky, bright caring individual. I wish this book had been around 55 years ago when I was in junior high and my science instructor laughed at me when I gave the wrong answer to a question. I probably would NOT have answered it incorrectly had I first read this book! And my life ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Vanna Best marked it as to-read

Jul 31, 2017 Sherry Myers rated it really liked it

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