| Workshop Guide |

With the exception of the Web sites, the following resources have been reviewed and recommended by reviewers for AAAS’ Science Books and Films (SB&F). The reviewers are scientists and professionals who can comment on the scientific accuracy of the content. Should you wish to locate the SB&F review, the citation has been provided in brackets after each entry.

(The books in this section are appropriate for individuals reading at a 9th grade reading level or above. They are useful for teachers or workshop organizers who want background information on genetics and biology.)

Baines, William. Biotechnology from A to Z. NY: Oxford University Press, 1993. $19.95 (paper). ISBN 0-19-963334-7. [Vol. 29, No. 8, p.231]
This is an extended glossary of about 280 terms designed to give the nonexpert a quick insight into the meaning of biotechnology’s fundamental concepts and jargon.

Berg, Paul, and Maxine Singer. Dealing with Genes: The Language of Heredity. Sausalito, CA: University Science Books, 1992. $34.00. ISBN 0-935702-69-5. [Vol. 29, No. 3, p.73]
This book about molecular genetics covers basic chemistry and cell biology, as well as the structure and fundamental role of DNA and the information it contains.

Bodmer, Walter, and Robin McKie. The Book of Man: The Human Genome Project and the Quest to Discover Our Genetic Heritage. NY: Scribner, 1995. $25.00. ISBN 0-684-80102-7. [Vol. 31, No. 3, p.71]
In this engagingly written book for the general reader, the authors integrate classical genetics in the understanding of human characteristics and diseases with progress in molecular genetics and the design of the human genome project.

Bonner, John Tyler. Sixty Years of Biology: Essays on Evolution and Development. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1996. $24.95. ISBN 0-691-02130-9. [Vol. 32, No. 8, p. 230]
This absolute jewel of a little book contains Bonner’s thoughts on "how and why we got here and why are we the way we are." Chapters cover self-organization, natural selection, competition, gene accumulation and gene silencing, and why labor becomes divided.

Brynie, Faith Hickman. Genetics and Human Health: A Journey Within. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1995. $15.90. ISBN 1-56294-545-9. [Vol. 31, No., 6, p.172]
This easy-to-read, non-technical introduction to the fast-growing area of human genetics is an excellent beginning text for many who have questions about their genetics or others who would like to better understand our daily diet of information from the media about DNA and genes.

Cavalli-Sforza, Luigi Luca, and Francesco. The Great Human Diasporas: The History of Diversity and Evolution. NY: Addison-Wesley, 1995. $27.50. ISBN 0-201-40755-8. [Vol. 32, No. 1, p.7]
By bringing together relevant research in history, paleontology, genetics, and linguistics, among other scientific disciplines, the Cavalli-Sforzas have created a brilliant epic of human development and dispersal, from protohumans to modern man.

Depew, David J., and Bruce H. Weber. Darwinism Evolving: Systems Dynamics and the Genealogy of Natural Selection. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995. $49.95. ISBN 0-262-04145-6. [Vol. 31, No. 6, p.167]
In this book, the authors examine how Darwinism has changed to meet the challenges of Mendelian genetics and how it is likely to change again in the face of today’s challenges from within the realm of molecular genetics.

Drlica, Karl A. Double-Edged Sword: The Promises and Risks of the Genetic Revolution. NY: Addison-Wesley, 1994. $20.00. ISBN 0-201-40838-4. [Vol. 31, No. 4, p. 102]
Drlica’s goal with this book is to educate the general reader in the intricacies of genetic testing, prenatal screening, gene therapy, and screening for predisposition to cancer. Compelling case histories are used to introduce each topic, and ethical issues are addressed throughout.

Kitcher, Philip. The Lives to Come: The Genetic Revolution and Human Possibilities. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1996. $25.00. ISBN 0-684-80055-1. [Vol. 32, No. 4, p.110]
In the book’s first section, Kitcher writes on how genetic testing is done, the ethics of genetic testing, sequencing DNA, the various types of genetic therapy, and the possible uses and misuses of information on genetics. The second section is an argument for what Kitcher calls utopian eugenics - the practice of modifying the human gene pool for the good of as many as possible.

Lewin, Roger. Patterns in Evolution: The New Molecular View. NY: Scientific American Library, 1997. $32.95. ISBN 0-7167-5069-4. [Vol. 33, No. 3, p. 72]
Lewin shows how the introduction of molecular techniques has broadened the arena of evolutionary biology and uses these techniques as the springboard to explain important concepts of molecular genetics.

Marion, Robert. Was George Washington Really the Father of Our Country? A Clinical Geneticist Looks at World History. NY: Addison-Wesley, 1994. $22.95. ISBN 0-201-62255-6. [Vol. 30, No. 6, p.170]
In this book, clinical geneticist Marion describes six great leaders (Washington, George III, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, Rasputin, and John F. Kennedy) whose genetic makeup had a profound effect on how they saw the events surrounding them and how they responded to those events.

Maxwell, Kenneth. The Sex Imperative: An Evolutionary Tale of Sexual Survival. NY: Plenum Press, 1994. $24.95. ISBN 0-306-44649-9. [Vol. 30, No. 8, p. 231]
Maxwell presents an ambitious thesis: We are what we are because of the sex imperative. That is, everything revolves around the simple, yet unavoidable, fact that our genes cry out for representation in subsequent generations.

Murray, Thomas H., Mark Rothstein, and Robert F. Murray, Jr. (Eds.) The Human Genome Project and the Future of Health Care. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1996. $29.95. ISBN 0-253-33213-3. [Vol. 33, No. 3, p.74]
This book is a detailed and comprehensive examination of the implications that the human genome project has for the patient, the physician, and society as a whole. Well balanced in the subjects it discusses, the book serves as an excellent tool for the identification of topics for public debate.

Nelkin, Dorothy, and M. Susan Lindee. The DNA Mystique: The Gene as a Cultural Icon. NY: Freeman, 1995. $22.95. ISBN 0-7167-2709-9. Vol. 31, No. 5, p. 132]
This book documents the powers of the gene: how it has become equated with God by some; and how it has become the explanation for many social problems, such as alcoholism, the state of the American family, and the changing dynamics of race and gender.

Raeburn, Paul. The Last Harvest: The Genetic Gamble That Threatens to Destroy American Agriculture. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1995. $24.00. ISBN 0-684-80365-8. [Vol. 31, No. 7, p. 204]
The Last Harvest presents the important story of the disappearance of the genetic diversity needed for the future improvement of crop plants that are the mainstay of U.S. and world agriculture.

Shapiro, Robert. The Human Blueprint: The Race to Unlock the Secrets of Our Genetic Code. NY: Bantam Books, 1992. $12.50. ISBN 0-533-37057-X. [Vol. 29, No. 1, p. 14]
The Human Blueprint is an accurately and imaginatively presented adventure story about the deciphering of the human genome. The book tells of the lives and personalities of some major players in genetics.

Tobach, Ethel, and Betty Rosoff (Eds.). Challenging Racism and Sexism: Alternatives to Genetic Explanations. (From the Genes and Gender Series.) NY: Feminist Press, 1994. $35.00. ISBN 1-55861-089-8. [Vol. 31, No. 2, p.37]
The 15 papers in this volume are directed toward combating sexism and racism. These the editors believe are due to an attempt on the part of sociobiology to see behavior as genetically determined. Instead, they argue that what is ascribed to biological characteristics is really due to "class and history."

Varmus, Harold, and Robert A. Weinberg. Genes and the Biology of Cancer. NY: Scientific American Library, 1993. $32.95. ISBN 0-7167-5037-6. [Vol. 29, No. 2, p.46]
In this book, the authors achieve a blend of telling the historical and presenting the latest knowledge. They begin with an overview of molecular biology of the cell, then deal with most of the important concepts relating to our understanding of this complex disease.
 
 

Level Of Difficulty  The following key has been used to indicate the level of difficulty for the books, videotapes; and software listed below:  K       Preschool or kindergarten  EP     Elementary, grades 1 & 2  EI      Elementary, grades 3 & 4  EA     Elementary, grades 5 & 6  JH     Junior high, grades 7 & 8  YA     Young adult, grades 9-12  C       College  T        Teaching professional  GA     General audience Two consecutive levels are separated by a comma; for example, K, EP. Three or more consecutive levels are condensed to show the youngest and oldest age groups, and the symbols for these are separated by a dash; for example, K-El. GA is always noted separately.

 

Balkwill, Fran. Amazing Schemes Within Your Genes. (Illus. By Mic Rolph.) Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1993. $17.50. ISBN 0-87614-804-6. [Vol. 30, No. 4, p. 113, K-EA]
Among the topics described in this book ar human diversity attributed to the differences of chromosomes, the division of chromosomes in a fertilized egg, mutations, and inherited genetic defects and diseases such as color blindness, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia.

Barkwill, Fran. Cells Are Within Us. (Illus. By Mic Rolph.) Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1993. $13.13. ISBN 0-87614-762-7. [Vol. 29, No.4, p.116, EP-EA]
Cells Are Us provides young readers with a window on the microscopic world of their own bodies, discussing fertilization, cell division, development, and the functions of different types of cells in a style that is sure to captivate elementary school-age children.

Camp, Carole Ann (Ed.). Invitations to Cells: Life’s Building Blocks, Invitations to Evolving, and Invitations to Heredity: Generation to Generation. (Illus.; from the Living Things Science Series.) South Deerfield, MA: Ash Grove Press, 1996. $5.95 (paper). ISBN 1-886172-12-9, -11-0, and -09-9. [Vol. 32, No. 6, p.179, EI, EA]
The Living Things Science Series is a very creative group of science exploratory activities designed for grades 3-5. Each book in the series contains 10 activities (called invitations); a generous resource list, including fiction and nonfiction books; an extensive vocabulary list with definitions; and a summary statement of the major biological concepts appearing in the activities.

Evans, Colin. The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World’s Most Baffling Crimes. NY: Wiley, 1996. $24.95. ISBN 0-471-07650-3. [Vol. 33, No. 1, p.13, JH, YA, GA]
Hyperbole abounds in this fascinating volume, primarily a casebook of scientific crime detection. Not about forensics, the book instead portrays the employment of the forensic sciences (such as DNA typing) in legal proceedings.

Flanagan, Geraldine Lux. Beginning Life. NY: DK Publishing, 1996. $19.95. ISBN 0-7894-0609-8. [Vol. 32, No. 9, p.270, JH-T, GA]
Beginning Life presents the development of a new individual. Events surrounding this development are illustrated by electron micrographs, ultrasound scans, and photographs taken in utero. Many embryologic terms are introduced and defined.

Wells, Donna. Biotechnology. (Illus.; from the Inventors and Inventions Series.) Tarrytown, NY: Benchmark Books, 1996. $16.95. ISBN 0-7614-0046-X. [Vol. 32, No. 6, p.181, EA-YA]
This book runs the gamut from Mendel to contemporary genetic theory and genetic engineering. Biographies of notables such as Mendel, Crick, and Watson are accompanied by biographies of not-so-well-known researchers.

The following sites provide excellent information on genetics. Most of them have numerous links to other sources of genetic information on the Web. The sites selected serve a wide range of audiences. They include educational sites intended for use by schools, as well as sites that are designed to provide assistance to individuals seeking information about genetic disorders. Many of the sites are devoted to the discussion of ethical, legal, or social issues surrounding genetic research. We offer this list as a starting point for your online search. If you know of any other sites that should be added to this list, or wish to comment on any of the selected sites, please email us at sb&f@aaas.org