#AcademicRunPlaylist - 12/22/24

Another long day of driving for me, but once again I was able to enjoy the ride while listening to books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was "Zero to Birth" by Bill Harris. Going from a single cell to the creation of a human brain is an incredible, complicated process, and this book illuminates that process and makes it accessible to a wide audience. While primarily focusing on neurobiology, Harris necessarily also examines evolutionary history and non-human analogues to explain parts of this process. The book can at times read as a recitation of many processes with little connective tissue, but with focused reading these sections can be adequately understood. Highly recommend https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691211312/zero-to-birth

Last was "Sweetness and Power" by Sidney Mintz, who has complied an intriguing history of sugar production and consumption, focused mostly on the UK. While limited in scope, the deep analysis of 500 year old cookbooks and analysis of the common people's eating habits are fascinating. I especially liked the sections examining the movement of women into the factory workforce and the impact on sugar and prepared food consumption in the 1800s https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/322123/sweetness-and-power-by-sidney-w-mintz/