Elegant, suggestive, and clarifying, Lewis Thomas's profoundly humane vision explores the world around us and examines the complex interdependence of all things. Extending beyond the usual limitations of biological science and into a vast and wondrous world of hidden relationships, this provocative book explores in personal, poetic essays to topics such as computers, germs, language, music, death, insects, and medicine. Lewis Thomas writes, "Once you have become permanently startled, as I am, by the realization that we are a social species, you tend to keep an eye out for the pieces of evidence that this is, by and large, good for us."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A group of students and I just finished reading THE LIVES OF A CELL as part of a readings in biology seminar this spring. Once you read the first 3-4 chapters it becomes obvious that there is not a central theme (or is there) for the book.
Contents of this book are a compilation of reflective articles originally published in a medical journal. Chapter topics range all over the place, but they present many topics drawn from biological thought prominent through the mid-1970s -- everything from molecular biology to Gaia to sociobiology.
There is a wealth of material here appropriate for discussion among undergraduate students, professionals, and perhaps even science-directed high school students. Each of the 29 chapters are about 3-5 pages long, can be easily digested, and beg to be reflected upon and discussed.
As for the writing, other Amazon reviewers have referred to the writing in this book as being poetic. While I didn't see so much of that, I was struck by Thomas' ability to turn a phrase, make a point, and discuss complex biological ideas in a manner that is easily understood. The writing in the book is a definite plus.
There are also times in the book where I can imagine Thomas grinning as he wrote, or, perhaps giving the occasional wink! He must have had a wonderful sense of humor.
OK, back to the theme...if there is one...it seems to me that one common theme of several of the chapters has to do with communication -- oral, chemical, behavioral, and genetic. Other possible themes include the fact that humans are "not all that." That we are part of the global system, not running it. Another possibility includes the idea that everything can be an analogy of the way that a cell works -- organelles, membranes, cellular processes, products, and so forth.
This is excellent reading for anyone interested in ideas about life and living. Well written, occasionally humorous, and intruiging.
5 stars!
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What can one say if you believe to have found the 'John Steinbeck' of science! I totally enjoyed his descriptive readings and perspectives of our magnificient world! Lewis Thomas has done an excellent job interpreting his thoughts on life through the language of science. He blends the two so delicately and precisely, that one starts to forget where the line between real life and scientific theory is drawn. Lewis Thomas found joy in science and it is illustrated in his essays. He manages to show the reader a peek at how a scientist like himself looks at the world.
I have chosen this book as one for all of my ninth grade Honors Biology students to read and report about. The book definitely makes the reader 'think'...you will not be able to just read one page after the other..one will need to keep a dictionary close by. Thomas uses quite alot of scientific terminology. It is definitely not for the lazy reader. It is for those individuals who read to learn more and enjoy the challenge of new vocabulary to broaden their own horizons in science or language itself. I enjoy giving my students a challenge and that is exactly what this book offers to the young mind.
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Lewis Thomas' book is a beautifully written collection of essays. He writes much in the style of the 13th century author Frederick Montaigne, whom he later writes an essay about in another book. The essays, combine to bring a truly penultimate view of biological life. His observations, more than conclusions, bring one very close to a belief that in some way, all life is connected.
In a particularly interesting essay on "organelles" Thomas points out that mitochondria, the engines of the cell in every animal, do not exchange DNA like every other part of the body in sexual procreation, but in fact, are passed directly from the ovum to the zygote in the cytoplasm, and never change or recombine their DNA.
In a particularly interesting essay on "organelles" Thomas points out that mitochondria, the engines of the cell in every animal, do not exchange DNA like every other part of the body in sexual procreation, but in fact, are passed directly from the ovum to the zygote in the cytoplasm, and never change or recombine their DNA.
This apparently being a protective mechanism developed over 100's of thousands of years because the preservation of the exact mitochondrial DNA sequence is so important, that it could not be left to chance, as are most every other characteristic of the animal.
Throughout the book, Thomas reveals truly extraordinary facts about biology and microbiology that tend to leave the reader in actual awe. For an incredibly interesting and fast education about cellular biology this National Book Award Winning collection is truly a fascinating read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
a great book
This book opens your views of nature, society, humanity. It reads easy and well and thoughtful in many ways...........recommend to everyone!
Published 9 days ago by Phillip Leigh
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life as Colony, depending on a Membrane
Interdependence of life is certainly the topic of these wide ranging essays. We humans (from the word "humus" , the author tells us in a chapter on the evolution of language) are... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Katherine Cameron
5.0 out of 5 stars
The web of life...
One of the most fascinating and easy to read books on a scientific topic you're ever likely to find. Read more
Published 23 days ago by MH
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful and thought provoking
Although written in the 1970′s, these essays by Lewis Thomas cover subjects that are still some of the most interesting questions in biology today. Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. Wilkins
5.0 out of 5 stars
Science As Poetry
I stumbled upon Lewis Thomas in a recent post on "Writer's Almanac". Curiosity got the best of me and I ended up ordering several of his books on Amazon. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Michele Kingery
4.0 out of 5 stars
Critical Review from a Biochemist
I remember reading this book when I first began my undergraduate career in biochemistry (2008). As a current PhD student (2012), I look back on this book with fondness. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jason
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful
Beautiful and engaging prose. Illuminating. Great for family reading. One of those volumes that after reading for the first time, one wonders why the book hadn't been read before.
Published 10 months ago by post modern
3.0 out of 5 stars
The myth of the self
A great read for the scientist and poet alike, The Lives of a Cell sits at the busy cross streets of sociology, biology, and language. Read more
Published 16 months ago by DG
5.0 out of 5 stars
FASCINATING, ELEGANT, TIMELESS
This is one of my all-time favorite books. It doesn't surprise me that he entered Princeton at age 15. It does surprise me that he was described as "an average student. Read more
Published 17 months ago by J. Stensrude
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still powerful.
The Lives of a Cell ages well. I reread it now and then; in all these years, the power hasn't faded. Read more
Published on May 29, 2010 by P. Warren
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