Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine

Author: Thomas Hager

The author doesn’t make much of an argument for why he wrote about these 10 drugs. But suffice it to say that they are some of the more popular drugs in use today. Normally authors put their best material first, but my experience with the first chapter was not a good one. Since it took place thousands of years ago, there was no narrative to hook the reader and it read more like a boring history book.

The second chapter was on vaccination and being more recent, was full of interesting details that made for a great story. While I knew about Lady Mary Montagu, I have to admit that Thomas Hager very eloquently narrates her push to make inoculation widespread in England. 

The subsequent chapters are hit and miss. The discovery of Sulfa drugs is well done, bu the CPZ story is not particularly interesting. Nevertheless, the book is entertaining and educative. I recommend this to anyone curious about how some of our blockbuster drugs came to be.

I Wrote This Book Because I Love You: Essays

Author: Tim Kreider

This book is about Tim’s struggles. He doesn’t make much money. He is an adopted child and has attachment problems, which he is clear to point out, are unrelated. His one true companion, his cat, is suffering from dementia and incontinence. But his most important struggle is his inability to form a long term relationship with the opposite sex. What he lacks in longevity, he makes up in quantity and in one chapter after another he introduces us to the wide variety of women that he dated. They range from Annie who ran off to join a circus, to Zoey who’s a prostitute by profession. Most often, he reflects on himself and why he was attracted to them.

Tim writes beautiful prose. I found myself reading many sentences over and over again to appreciate and savor the meaning. This is, what I believe is called, a book for writers.