Beacon Press

Maria Mitchell and the sexing of science; an astronomer among the American romantics.

Bergland (English and gender/cultural studies, Simmons College) establishes Mitchell firmly in the constellation of Yankee intellectuals, reminding us that in Mitchell's day her passion for astronomy was not untoward; clever girls were encouraged to pursue work in mathematics and science, which were considered closer to home, less politically threatening than the humanities and definitely less likely to be lucrative. Working from her rooftop, Mitchell managed to identify a new comet and, to the surprise of her male counterparts allowed into the humanities, became world famous. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Uncertain peril; genetic engineering and the future of seeds.

After serving as an environmental lawyer for 20 years, four of them with the US Department of Agriculture, Cummings is now a writer and broadcast reporter based in rural northern California. Here she presents a cautionary account of genetic engineering as it is being used in agriculture, though she suggests that many of her findings could apply to its use in medicine, biological warfare, and other areas as well. Her topics include trade secrets, the ownership society, the botany of scarcity, and a conversation with corn. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)