How Science Changed the World Reviews

How Vaccines Changed the World ISBN 978-1-68282-413-9 / eBook: 978-1-68282-414-6
Booklist, October 1, 2018

This detailed examination of “one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine,” part of the How Science Changed the World series (7 titles), opens with Louis Pasteur proving to skeptics that vaccines save lives by inoculating 25 sheep against anthrax. The text then takes readers further back to the development of germ theory and the first experiments with vaccines. Subsequent chapters discuss the growing study of immunology and the victories vaccines had over measles, polio, and other debilitating and deadly diseases. The author also demonstrates that vaccines are a continuously evolving part of science with researchers trying to develop vaccines against Ebola, HIV, and even diseases like cancer, which aren’t caused by invading germs. Rounded coverage of the topic extends to the controversy over anti-vaxxers.
—Angela Leeper

How Antibiotics Changed the World: ISBN 978-1-68282-405-4/ eBook: 978-1-68282-406-1
How the Automobile Changed the World: ISBN 978-1-68282-407-8/ eBook: 978-1-68282-408-5
How Electricity Changed the World: ISBN 978-1-68282-409-2/ eBook: 978-1-68282-410-8
How Genetic Research Changed the World: ISBN 978-1-68282-411-5/ eBook: 978-1-68282-412-2
How Vaccines Changed the World: ISBN 978-1-68282-413-9/ eBook: 978-1-68282-414-6
How the Internet Is Changing the World: ISBN 978-1-68282-415-3/ eBook: 978-1-68282-416-0
How Robotics Is Changing the World: ISBN 978-1-68282-417-7/ eBook: 978-1-68282-418-4
School Library Connection, Jan/Feb 2019

This readable and informative series details major science and technology topics in a jargon-free, inviting style. Each book contains relevant illustrative photos, reproductions of paintings, or drawings that enhance the text. Text insets in each chapter and quotes highlighted and pulled from the text emphasize the concepts under discussion as well as add interest. Each volume begins with a timeline of important events followed by an introduction and five chapters detailing the history, discovery, development, challenges, current aspects, drawbacks, and future directions, developments, and hopes for the particular field. Source notes for each chapter and items for further research—including books, online resources, and websites—round out each volume. Students interested in science and technology will enjoy reading these titles cover to cover or just to browse particular aspects of the topics. STEM classes will find these volumes useful, and the Antibiotics and Vaccines volumes could also be used in health education classes. The information presented here will spark curiosity and likely lead students to further, deeper research on their chosen topic. Glossary. Index.
Cynthia Ortiz, School Librarian, Hackensack (New Jersey) High School
Recommended

Gr 9 Up—An illustrated time line of important events opens each title, followed by a short introductory chapter typically relating the topic to current events—for example, in Electricity, the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico. Subsequent chapters review the history of development in each field, with digressions to highlight major figures, inventions, and social changes, both positive (robotic drones helping to prevent wild animal poaching in nations across Africa) and negative (the impact of fossil fuel consumption by automobiles on global climate change). Long blocks of text are broken up by pull-quote boxes and a range of helpful illustrations, as well as short companion articles on salient topics, such as the HTML markup language or the dark side of social media in Internet. Considerable source notes and two pages of suggested reading close each volume.
VERDICT Well-researched and engagingly written, excellent resources for independent reading and focused inquiry.