Customer Reviews

What's So Funny About Science?: Cartoons from American Scientist

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OK, so I'm a scientist, but it's one of the few cartoon
books that stands re-reading. And, it's not just
me. One of my daughter's 7 year old soccer buddies was
flipping through and giggling through the cartoons
she understood.

It's understated humor, and it often takes a leap to
get from the caption to the laugh, but every one is
different and fresh. The facial expressions are particularly
good.

Cartoonists are truly a breed apart from the rest of us. Not only must they possess a high degree of artistic ability, but they also must have a point to make. Some of the funniest things that I have ever seen have been cartoons lampooning politicians, who by definition possess more than their share of self-importance. Scientists also take themselves very seriously and therefore are legitimate targets for the cartoonists pen. Nobody does this better than Sidney Harris, and this collection is full of giggles and grins. I have posted many of these cartoons on my office wall and have seen many others do the same. Even though the cartoons are funny, they do have a serious side. Pollution and environmental degradation are serious issues and the author raises them without becoming sanctimonious or preachy.
Sidney Harris is my favorite cartoonist, blending the serious with the hilarious. If you like to laugh while receiving serious messages, then you will love this book.

This book contains the famous cartoon containing "then a miracle occurs".

The answer to the question is an emphatic, "A great deal, but only in the hands of the right person." Harris is without question one of the right people. In addition to being funny, his cartoons are topical, sometimes biting and send a clear message. He lampoons scientists, people who worship science, those who exploit science for their own ends and all who have no respect for the natural structure of the planet. My favorite is the man in a suit sitting at a desk at what is a research institution. The caption reads, "I think, therefore I am paid." A close second is the first cartoon in the book, which is a modification of the famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. That painting shows God reaching his index finger out to Adam, who is also reaching back. In this cartoon, a microorganism is at the end of God's finger. Funny and yet so very profound.