Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

An overblown magazine article

Customer Rating:

Mostly, I'd echo Mr. Giltinan's comments. The book is a disappointment, more full of anecdotal stories of everyday failures than the more the more interesting analysis of WHY these failures occur and how they reflect on the nature of scientific inquiry (and, as Mr. Giltinan point's out, many of the events reported have more to do with technical application problems than actual "pure" science.) Moreover, many of these stories are fairly well-known. It feels more like the kind of book you'd find engaging as an adolescent, learning about these events for the first time, than as an adult reader looking for some thoughts on the nature of scientific error.

My growing reading list from "The Daily Show"	Customer Rating:
It seems like the majority of books I am reading these days are authors who are on "The Daily Show". I really enjoyed this book. I usually read fiction but these vignettes are so surreal that it is hard to believe they actually happened.

Science and Human Failings

Customer Rating:

This is a fascinating book. The author describes twelve instances, one per chapter, where scientists' work has resulted in some form of disaster. The scientific fields in which such incidents are presented include medical/biological disciplines, earth sciences, nuclear sciences, space science and psychology. In many of these cases the author shows how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. It is clear from this book that the many scientific advances that we hear about regularly are peppered by a few serious fiascoes -often involving human error. The only way that I can envisage improving this book (or a sequel) is to include a few simple sketches or diagrams in the chapters where detailed descriptions of physical items are presented; this would greatly help the reader to better visualize that particular item and thus possibly better understand the nature of the disaster. The writing style is clear, friendly, accessible, authoritative and quite engaging. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, but science buffs as well as those who are particularly interested in the potential shortcomings of the science/human interface may appreciate it the most.

A good book to read	Customer Rating:
It's a type of book that keep you saying "That really happen". A good buy.

Outstanding read

Customer Rating:

A most enjoyable book. I read other books of this author and have always been fascinated by his literary style, but in this book the author outdid himself. Because the stories told in this book lend themselves to mix personal and scientific aspects, they read like a thriller, but a highly informative one. The chapters span a wide range of topics relating to science, engineering and technology, so that there is something for everybody. However, despite the variety of subjects covered, there is a clear unifying theme: scientists, and people with highly technical occupations, are as human as everybody else. They make mistakes, are moved by noble and less noble motives, and have careers to worry about. In each chapter the author effortlessy switches between the description of technical issues and the emotions and conflicts of the people around that issue. It is this mixture that makes the book so enjoyable and accessible to everyone. Technical details are never presented as dry facts, but always firmly attached to some key event in the story, and personal details are always offered to provide a natural context for the more technical aspects. One aspect of this book which I really appreciated is that it got me interested in things which, at first look, seemed not terribly exciting, like Mary Tudor's study of stuttering in orphans, which took place in pre World War 2 Iowa. As the story in question and the characters became more developed I could see the orphanage and Mary Tudor in my mind, and started asking myself questions on ethics and motives which trascended the specific topic. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an inquisitive mind. The author has an impeccable reputation for his thourough research, and he clearly conducted an impressive series of interviews in developing the material for this book. Combined with his mastery of the English language this led to an excellent product, which makes for a very satisfying read.