Best Non-Fiction of February

There are some topics I gravitate towards when I read non-fiction.  One of them happens to be a cross between medicine/illness stories and science/genetics.  This month three of the books I read -and thoroughly enjoyed- fell into this category.

The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race To Save Her Husband From A Deadly Superbug by Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson - Strathdee and her husband were world travelers, loving adventure.  When Tom got sick while in Egypt it was more of an inconvenience at first. However, it quickly escalated to something more than just a routine stomach bug.  Eventually it was discovered that Tom was fighting a superbug- the most antibiotic resistant bacteria in the world.  Strathdee is an epidemiologist and had access to doctors and scientists who worked tirelessly with her to look at research and develop a plan to help her husband recover.

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity and Love by Dani Shapiro- I've read Shapiro's fiction and non-fiction previously, so hearing that she had written another book, I was happy to add my name to the library hold list without even knowing more first.  This book is one I was sucked into from the first page.  Shapiro is like many other people right now, and decides to take part in a genealogy study.  However, when she gets the results, she becomes aware that her father is not really her father.  Both her parents are no longer alive and she has a much older half-sister that she is not close to, which makes understanding her paternity a little trickier.  However, Shapiro does uncover the mystery of who her father is fairly quickly and easily, which leads to a biological connection to a man she knows nothing about - and her existence is a surprise to him as well.  

Mercies in Disguise: A Story of Hope, a Family's Genetic Destiny, and the Science That Rescued Them by Gina Kolata - the Baxleys are a Southern family of four sons, three who eventually became doctors.  Their father died from an illness much like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's combined, and there wasn't any testing done beyond that.  As these sons get older and begin reflecting on their father's illness and death, they all want more information.  And what they discover is a genetic component that they can be tested for, to determine whether or not they carry this gene.  Amanda, the daughter of one of the four sons, wants to know what her future holds. Despite loved ones begging her not to be tested, she is thinking about having children and wants make informed decisions about her future.  I loved this book and was intrigued by the family's story and Amanda's desire to make plans for her future.

These three books are all winners.  I found all of them interesting and thought provoking and I would happily hand them off to anyone looking for a great non-fiction read.