Runhang Shu

Books read in 2023

Runhang / 2023-02-12

  1. 病毒的进化 - Frank Ryan. Rate: 8. It is a good book for non-scientific audiences to understand the concept of symbiosis between virus and human. However, this book does not provide much information about viral evolution, which mismatches the title of this book.
  2. 宇宙 (Cosmos) - Carl Sagan. Rate: 10. Dr. Sagan is one of the most eminent astronomers in the 20th century. Due to my lack of knowledge in the universe and what are expeditions and ambitious projects human beings have launched for exploring alternative migration sites in the solar system, I totally did not realize this book was written in the 80th.
  3. 美国对抗美国 - 王沪宁. 这本写于80年代的书充分表明这么多年来美国的社会问题从来就没有变过。黑人问题，毒品和药物滥用，无家可归的赤贫百姓。
  4. 理想国 - 柏拉图。有人说整个西方哲学史都只是柏拉图思想的一个脚注。这本书读起来没有一句话是多余的，原来经典的好书给人的感觉可以如此美妙：时时与这位相隔我千年的思想家产生共鸣。这本书应该反复看，不断翻读，烂熟于心后，基本就能意会到西方制度和意识形态的根本来源！
  5. Code breaker - Walter Isaacson. Rate: 8.5. This book revolves around Jennifer Doudna and Feng Zhang’s CRISPR race and connects key historical events in the advance of biochemistry spanning over half a century, from the deciphering of the DNA double helix structure to the application of RNA. This book together with the success of Genentech, Inc., gives front-line basic researchers like me quite a lot of confidence about the future of biotech industries and genetic editing. Actually, the second half part of this book is very worth reading and thinking deeply, it discusses the ethics of genome editing on human germline, “the Gene Hackers” represented by Josiah Zayner, and COVID-19, where RNA-technique and CRISPR come in and play. Ethics about modifying the human gene pool is well discussed and that is my favorite part of this book.
  6. 它们的性 - 王大可. Rate: 4. It basically lists interesting facts about a great diversity of animals’ sex behaviors. The last two pages of the author’s own reflection and opinions are interesting and mind-blowing.
  7. 富甲美国 （Sam Walton: Made in America). Rate: 6. A real book with simple words, illustrating how Sam started his business with only $15k, and his work-and-life philosophy.
  8. 什么也别说 Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in North Ireland - Patrick Radden Keefe. Get to understand the religious conflicts in Ireland and the UK - The dilemma for Northern Ireland people.
  9. 富兰克林自传 - Benjamin Franklin. Rate： 9. 兴商、办学、立刊、城市规划和消防、医疗和纳税系统、发放国债、创办公益、富兰克林是一个不折不扣的政治家、经济学家、科学家奇才。Philadelphia的冬天比较冷，他弄出了富兰克林壁炉。他对电学颇有研究，发明了避雷针，也是少数支持克里斯蒂安·惠更斯光波论的科学家。他参与起草了《独立宣言》。他有著名的13条道德明目值得后人学习：节制、节言、秩序、决心、节俭、勤劳、诚实、正直、中庸、整洁、宁静、贞洁、谦虚。 此自传其实并未完成，由于突然病逝，时间线停止在了1757年，后半生包括了1776年的独立宣言和1790病逝前的辉煌灿烂并没有记录。
  10. 量子物理史话 - 曹天元(Capo). Rate: 10. 这在中文科普书里面算是神一样的存在了。曹的写作风格幽默细腻，深入浅出的把量子力学从100多年前的萌芽到21世纪各个理论涌现出来，讲的非常通透，可谓是百家争鸣。我看过很多关于量子的视频，很多都给我越讲越晕。但在这本书从我打开第一页，读到其对麦克斯韦的家乡的描写，这像是文科生的文笔，已然深深的吸引了读者。可能是我也喜欢八卦的缘故，书中大量对著名科学家的成长环境、私生活、家庭的描写令我感受到科学家们的亲切和接地气。此话，本书充分反映了作为一个作家，博学多才、学贯中西的重要性，曹在枯燥的物理实验和波粒大战的故事穿插了大量气势磅礴的语句深深的刻画出科学发展史上的激烈征讨。无论是趣味性上还是科普上，这都是一本难得的奇书。
  11. 东京梦华录 - 孟元老。记录了北宋首都汴梁城，如今河南开封市的商业繁荣景象。
  12. Where the water goes - David Owen. Rate: 8. People who live in Southern California like me probably rarely think about where our daily water, which we take for granted, comes from. In desert areas like Los Angeles and Los Vegas, we need to know our water resources and safety! This book will give you answers and deep thoughts. I started to have behavioral changes after knowing more about the real water situation in the world.
  13. 罪与罚 （Crime and punishment）- 陀思妥耶夫斯基. Rate: 9. 对话甚至是激烈的对骂相当精彩，尤其是心理活动的描写可圈可点。最令人印象深刻的是主人公作为一名研究犯罪的大学生，曾发表过观点惊人的论文。在行凶后，警局查到了他曾写的这篇《论犯罪》，其中的观点令我迷惑，迷惑之后是深深的反思。那些历史上的立法者，统治者们，如古斯巴达莱库格思，希腊的立法者梭伦，伊斯兰教创始人穆罕穆德，拿破仑等无一例外都是罪人。他们破话了社会原本的规则，跨过尸体和血泊，建立起新的社会规则。那他们是罪犯吗，他们怎么拥有了犯罪的权力呢？这本书的伟大可能在于，在法律上，对什么是“罪”进行了震耳发聩的发问。这本书带给我的深深思考让我联想起了最近川普被指控34项刑事诉讼，其中证据确凿包括给13万美金封口费给与他发生了不正当关系的成人电影女性，美国版的天子与庶民同罪。法律是用来制约人的，而人作为有情绪的动物，不可避免会打破法律，所以美国的法律就在于它假定了任何人都有可能犯法，任何人的权利都受到一定的制约，这是比较符合人性的一套制度。如果权利不受管控，那么那些稍微超出常规的人，不循规蹈矩的人，从天性来说，必然是罪人。这是为什么极左的加州还要提高抢劫重罪的门槛，从$400提到$950，这是变相的鼓励的犯罪啊。极左的地方，它的思想是超出常规的。
  14. 物理学家的智性冒险 - Carlo Rovelli. Rate: 8. 来自意大利物理诺贝尔得主写的一些杂谈文章拼接起的一本书，好像和书名不太搭。此书英文名特有意思：There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness.
  15. 建国方略 - Yat-sen Sun. Rate: 8. 孙文先生拳拳爱国爱民之心，在乱世嘶声呐喊：天下为公！
  16. 中国历代政治得失 - 钱穆. Rate: 8. 对于第一次阅读中国汉、唐、宋、元、明、清的政治结构和利弊来说，是一本不错的入门书。唐朝的府兵制度确实证明了当时权利并没有我们想的那么集中在皇室。
  17. A CrACk in CreATion - Jennifer DoudDNA and Samuel Sternberg. Rate: 8.5. This book and Code Break were repeatedly introduced by invited speakers in Prof. Liu’s gene editing class. I happened to come across the Code Break in a bookstore at Irvine Spectrum Shopping Center. This book has attracted me greatly for its juicy content and personal beef in the CRISPR patent competition between Berkley and the Broad Institute. In a Crack in Creation, there are very few scientific terms. The science is phrased with quite simple words and easy to follow such as a middle school student can fully appreciate this book. Many examples of CRISPR-editable diseases are listed and many of them are blurring the lines between genetic enhancement and disease prevention. Regulations of germline-editting research among different societies vary and a consensus is probably hard to reach. Bioethics, the authors’ perspectives, and efforts are discussed extensively.
  18. 麦田里的守望者 - J.D.Salinger. Rate: 8. 青春期十足的一本书。可能在现在的我看来勉强及格。但是，有些情节的对话还是非常吸引眼球的。印象最深的有男主霍尔顿在酒吧和他朋友的调侃，充满了荷尔蒙的味道。不羁放荡的嬉皮士们啊，我们在成长的过程中多多少少有他们的影子。因此，很多人赞誉这本书的原因大概是看到了自己；自己对社会，体制，以及现状的不满；对虚伪，假善，冷漠的社会的深深义愤。
  19. 知行合一王阳明 - 高瀨武次郎. Rate: 8. 日本学者对800年前，我国明朝的一位贤士生平的详细记录。可以见得，日本学派对王评价颇高。接下来需要读完国人对王阳明的研究著作，作为对比。