It’s “Read a Book Day”! NPC Staff Share Health-Related Books They Enjoyed

Saturday, September 6 is “Read a Book Day.” To help you celebrate, we asked the National Pharmaceutical Council staff to share with you the health- or science-related books that they've recently enjoyed. Check out which titles made the list!

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• “I recently read the life story of Louis Zamperini in Laura Hildebrand’s book ‘Unbroken.’ It’s an amazing story about the resilience of the human body in the face of unimaginable hardship. The book chronicles Louis’ time as an Olympic track star in 1936 to being shot down over the Pacific during WWII and being lost at sea. He spent time in a Japanese POW camp where he was beaten and humiliated on a daily basis, with injuries and diseases that would have been the end for most of us, but he persevered. His spirit, patriotism and will to live never wavered and he survived to return home. Louis just passed away this summer at the ripe old age of 97. The story reminds us just how tough and resilient our bodies can be when the will and spirit to fight on is alive in us.”—Dan Leonard, MA, President

• “I am reading ‘The Sports Gene’ by David Epstein. It explores how much of athletic success relates to genetic characteristics and how much relates to the often quoted ‘10,000 hours to gain expertise.’ I was fascinated by how many winning traits are genetic (e.g., long Achilles tendon relates to high jumping success; visual acuity relates to batting expertise).”—Robert Dubois, MD, PhD, Chief Science Officer

• “I am re-reading 'The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern by Steven Johnson. It reads like a mystery of how the founders of epidemiology try to uncover the cause of cholera and then subsequently try to spread the word to change our habits. There are many parallels to our health topics today. We still use a bit of art, science and luck as we try to uncover the precursors for Alzheimer’s disease and we still have room to debunk the common thinking about how diseases such as Ebola virus are spread.“— Jennifer Graff, PharmD, Director, Comparative Effectiveness Research

• “I am currently reading ‘The Gift of Fear’ by Gavin de Becker. It provides fascinating insight into using your gut instincts to identify and protect yourself against threats of violence. It was recommended to me by the leader of a women’s self-defense course. It’s a tough read at times, but a truly valuable one.”—Kimberly Westrich, MA, Director, Health Services Research

• “The most recent health science book I read was ‘Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal’ by Mary Roach. I have two boys, ages 6 and 8, who enjoy toilet humor and couldn’t believe that I was reading a book that included a chapter about bowel movements. They were amazed that the Bristol Stool test is actually used.”—Andrea Hofelich, MBA, Director, Communications

• “I read a lot of fiction in my down time—pure escapism. However, I was just given the book ‘Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success’ by Paterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillian and Switzler. I’m looking forward to exploring the “sources of influence” that shape the choices we make on a daily basis to ‘improve one’s working relationship with others, one's overall health, outlook on life, and so on.’”—Kathryn Gleason, Director, Member Relations

• “I am reading ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ by Rebecca Skloot. The sociological aspect of this book is what I found most interesting. How Henrietta Lacks’ medical treatment and rights were prejudiced by her race, economic background and morals of the day. Interestingly, this book became a Common Reading assignment at my daughter’s university.”—Melissa Baulkwill, Director, Administration

• “I recently read ‘Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition’ by Daniel Okrent. The author tells a complex story of how prohibition came into being and then of its failure—from the building of the political and social momentum needed to pass the 18th Amendment to the inability of the government and law enforcement to effectively carry out the new laws. The book highlights, for me, the likelihood of and the need to consider potential unintended consequences for any number of policy actions that can be taken.”—Chuck Shih, PhD, Fellow, Policy Impact of Comparative Effectiveness Research

• “This past spring I finished ‘Tesla: Investor of the Electronic Age’ by W. Bernard Carlson. While many biographies have been written about Nikola Tesla, Carlson’s take includes a detailed psychological account of how the great scientist went about his inventive process. I found the illustrations and detailed footnotes on Tesla’s electrical engineering feats to be truly fascinating. Although most Americans now think of Tesla as a fancy electric car manufacturer, we should not forget the visionary inventor that the company was named after.”—Adam Lustig, MS, Research Manager

• “I am currently reading ‘Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety’ by Daniel Smith. I enjoy reading Smith’s humorous spin on coping with a sometimes debilitating disorder, and the amusing way he describes the certain, absurd thoughts that cause him to panic. Most of all, I enjoy knowing I’m not alone!”—Alex Moorhead, Communications Associate