James+Lovelock+In+Search+of+Gaia+review+by+Katie

John and Mary Gribbin definitely did their research when they decided to write a book on the life and theories of James Lovelock. Not only did they research his personal life, but also those of other scientists who contributed some of the basic information which helped Lovelock form the Gaia theory. The chapters alternate between Lovelock’s personal life, and how he got to the point of the Gaia theory, and the lives of countless other scientists. Their analysis of other scientists goes over their life experiences, the ideas that Lovelock used, and those which were later proved wrong. The part on Lovelock addresses all of his life experiences, from trying to poison a girl to see the reactions caused, to inventing crayons. Lovelock was a man who had a gift, and was born at the right time in the right place. While he faced some hardships in his life, like his disconnect with his mother, or getting scammed by Harvard, he led a pretty charmed life. He had a gift for science, and was able to conduct the research he wanted, to make advances in fields of science, which remain unmatched today. Lovelock didn’t always agree with what was going on in the world, and made his opinions known, changing what he could. He was also deemed an important enough scientist to be kept from joining the military during wartime. He also tried to live a morally correct life, conducting experiments on himself and other human volunteers rather than on animals. Throughout his life, Lovelock has had many different careers. He has worked as a professor, lab assistant, head researcher, consultant, and many more. His experiences range from NASA to the CIA, to researching the common cold. He invented crayons, anometers, and ECDs. By combining all his experiences, he was able to formulate the Gaia theory. Each piece of research filled in a bit of the puzzle, and he was able to see a bigger picture. The earth has its natural cycles to maintain life, and to be constantly evolving, but people are making big changes to those cycles. Unfortunately, this book is not a light read. It contains many interesting facts, but in my opinion should be used more as a reference. It is written in a very dry scientific writing style. It also has a heavy emphasis on the economics of the time, including the costs of homes, versus different competitive careers, which adds to its dryness. For someone unfamiliar with Lovelock’s work, it was a bit difficult to follow. If you were to read this, I would recommend looking into Lovelock’s works first, and then using this for more in-depth information on the author. That doesn’t mean it is a horrible book just that it caters to a highly specific audience. It would be better suited for a science major in college, than light summer reading. I would encourage those who enjoy science to look at this book, I personally found the in depth story of each invention overkill, but someone more science-minded may find it interesting. Overall, the book taught me that I should fight for my dreams. Lovelock followed his passion, and ended up somewhere he never could’ve anticipated. He was a hardcore chemistry man, who ended up looking at the Earth as a living organism. If I or anyone else can do the same, and follow our passions, who’s to say we won’t change the world too?