The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets (Thomas R. Cech)

DNA is often considered the “building block of life.” RNA, or ribonucleic acid, arguably has a powerful role of its own in essential life functions. The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets, is Thomas R. Cech’s dive into the world of RNA and how it serves an essential role in helping save or prolong lives.

Cech is a Nobel Laureate for his research into the role of RNA in serving as a catalyst to speed up biochemical reactions. Without getting too into the weeds scientifically, Cech and others in biochemical fields began to see how RNA could help in developing effective antibiotics to stem off infections and, more recently, vaccines (via mRNA). You’ve likely heard of mRNA, especially if you’ve had a COVID-19 vaccine in recent years, as the vaccine uses mRNA to bypass the process of training DNA in recognizing and combating disease. Thus, the “catalyst” that becomes the impetus and focus of Cech’s book.

The Catalyst is an informative and highly technical journey into the history of RNA research. If you have a decent grasp of science and curiosity about disease and epidemics, you will likely enjoy this book. At times, I had to re-read a few sections because of the level of technical detail involved. However, Cech does a good job overall explaining the importance of RNA in modern medical research and the likely role it will play in the years to come.

MY RATING: 4

Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology (Anatoly Liberman)

Etymology is the study into the origin of a word’s form and its meaning. Word origins can be fascinating and sometimes very difficult given the gradual evolution of word meaning and spelling over centuries. Anatoly Liberman has long been the Etymologist at Oxford University Press, running a long-standing blog into unique word origins. He has taken a collection of his more unique findings and chronicled them in Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology.

In addition to interesting words like nerd, dude, and brisket, Liberman discusses idioms such as “pay through the nose” and “kick the bucket.” Many words and idioms in English come from other languages - typically Germanic or sometimes one of the Romance languages like French or Spanish - and Lieberman artfully tells the story of the origins of many of these words. In cases where it was nearly impossible to figure out the evolution, the most plausible scenarios are offered.

In all, Origin Uncertain is an entertaining read into the history of language and human development.Liberman offers a great study on how to explore competing origin stories and what insights he uses to identify the most accurate one.

MY RATING: 4.5

American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1879 (Alan Taylor)

The 1850’s and 1860’s were a tumultuous decade in North America. In addition to America’s Civil War, warfare and European attempts to reestablish heavy influence on government affairs gripped Mexico, while Canada was facing its own conflicts and issues as it worked towards its nominal independence from England. Author Alan Taylor captures nearly a quarter century of North American strife and unrest in American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1879.

Conflict and tension gripped the continent as America wrestled with tensions between North and South over slavery, along with post-Civil War tensions with Native American populations. In Canada, Taylor documents the tension between English-speaking “Canada West” and French-speaking “Canada East”, and their mutual fear of American expansion into Canada. Mexicans fought an attempted establishment of an emperor powered by France while also dealing with Confederates eyeing Mexican territory to expand slavery into Mexico. The period between 1850 and 1873 was filled with violence in all three countries, most notably in Mexico and the United States. However, even Canada could not avoid moments of conflict. Taylor deftly weaves between all three countries, with personalities and names shifting from one country to another in order to try to gain influence.

For those of us in America, the history of Canada and Mexico during these decades is incredibly informative since what occurred in the United States shaped much of the course of both Canada and Mexico in the late 19th Century and beyond. Taylor’s work is fast-moving and packed with information for those who are seeking a broader appreciation of North American history during the 19th Century.

MY RATING: 4.5

Sailing Alone: A Surprising History of Isolation and Survival at Sea (Richard J. King)

I've been on a sailboat maybe three times in my life. While I loved the experience for a day or two, the idea of sailing across wide expanses of ocean for weeks, months, or even years at a time is something that I struggle to comprehend. And sailing alone? That's wild in my eyes. I was fascinated to read about the journeys of brave men and women who sailed across our oceans in Richard J. King's Sailing Alone: A Surprising History of Isolation and Survival at Sea. 

King crossed the Atlantic by himself. The book intersperses his journey with those of others, exploring their stories and reasons for sailing, each unique in their own right. King offers a very detailed discussion of solitary crossings, as well as the advances of technology and how it has helped (or not helped). He also explores what individuals did while dealing with long stretches of solitude. 

Sailing Alone is an authentic, humorous, and educational collection of stories that I thoroughly enjoyed.

MY RATING: 5

How the World Made the West: A 4,000 Year History (Josephine Quinn)

Josephine Quinn's How the World Made the West: A 4,000 Year History is a wonderful thought exercise into the origins of Western culture and how societies evolved over a 4,000 year period. Much of our thinking has centered around how "West" and "East" were distinctly different cultures that occasionally interacted through trade. Quinn's book challenges that narrative in a powerful way.

The West (Europe) borrowed extensively from innovations from the Middle East, the Far East, and India. Irrigation, legal codes, sailing, scholarship, and metalworking all had origins outside of Greco-Roman and Western European society. Quinn's argument is that globalism has helped advance both West and East at varying rates over the millenia, with trade, warfare, and human travel helping to shape and share ideas and force technological advances along the way.

How the World Made the West is a brisk walk through several millennia of world history, and Quinn astutely points out the contributions of globalism to advancing civilization.

MY RATING: 4.5 

Bourbon Land: A Spirited Love Letter to My Old Kentucky Whiskey (Edward Lee)

Edward Lee's Bourbon Land: A Spirited Love Letter to My Old Kentucky Whiskey is equal parts Bourbon 101, cookbook, and Kentucky story that will have you racing to book a flight to Kentucky for a flight of bourbon as soon as you're finished reading it.

Bourbon is arguably one of the few American items that has European Union-levels of strictness of definition. However, within the families of bourbon, one can find quite the variety, such as sweet tastes, savory notes, and hints of many different elements. Lee explains how these differences came about in good detail. He also walks the reader through Kentucky's bourbon industry and introduces a host of individuals who mix great drinks, taste delicious bourbon, and manage the distilling process at places that range from Jim Beam to startups in Downton Louisville.

Lee also provides over four dozen bourbon-infused recipes like marinades, sauces, and desserts and includes pro tips on how to properly reduce bourbon without getting zapped by fire (good luck!). All told, Bourbon Land is an ode to American ingenuity (and drinking) and Kentucky's creative economy and a well-crafted story of bourbon's impact on life within the Bluegrass state.

MY RATING: 4.5 

Liberty's Grid: A Founding Father, a Mathematical Dreamland, and the Shaping of America (Amir Alexander)

Many people who have flown over the middle United States have noticed the nearly perfect grid of country roads, properties, and towns that generally run north to south and east to west. This expansive grid was the brainchild of Thomas Jefferson, and Amir Alexander's Liberty's Grid: A Founding Father, a Mathematical Dreamland, and the Shaping of America is the story behind the gridded nature of America's rural and urban landscape.

Alexander notes that gridded landscapes and roads that roughly follow compass directions are not unique to America. The Romans designed arrow-straight roads that, for first and second century standards, were roughly designed to the north-south, east-west compass. Japan and the Netherlands have property features that generally align to grids in rural areas. Jefferson used the idea of grids to help carve out land in much of the United States. Starting in 1784, areas west of the Appalachian Mountains were subject to surveying and the development of square mile grids (and subsequently smaller sections of those square miles) came about as a result. 

Alexander pivots slightly with a few chapters on the grid of Manhattan. While this grid follows the  countours of the island, it isn't perfectly aligned to the directional compass as Jefferson's grid is throughout the country. One missed opportunity here is not discussing how Manhattan's grid provides the opportunity for "Manhattanhenge" to take place in May and July at sunset each year. This is when the sunset aligns perfectly to drop down within the streets of New York's grid, similar to Stonehenge in rural England. While the designers of New York's grid were likely not thinking about tourist opportunities, the result of their grid eventually became one.

MY RATING: 4.5