That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles: 62 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of EverydayLife

Joe Schwarcz's books are irresistible for "Hal's Picks" because they constitute just the kind of morsels that I look for - the connections between what we teach in chemistry courses and the world in which our students (and we) live. My only surprise in this book was that Prof. Schwarcz was able to come up with so many additional high-quality essays. One would think that his previous two compilations (which were Hal's Picks in May and July of this year) would have gotten him to near the bottom of the barrel, but there is no sign of a letup here. This compilation is heavy on health issues (which are the chemistry topics of greatest interest to students, in my experience). It includes 35 essays totaling 163 pages on those subjects. As usual, he brings chemical sense to topics such as the claim that mercury amalgams in dental fillings are a health hazard and the much more complex issues surrounding genetically modified foods. The other three sections of "That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles" are devoted to Everyday Science, Looking Back (history of science), and Poppycock (frauds and pseudoscience).

Publication information
Pick Attribution: 

Joe Schwarcz

Publication Date: 
Tuesday, January 1, 2002
Price: 
$14.95
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