For readers with no background in biotechnology, or those who deal in it every day...this book will appeal to all because of the practical language used throughout and Dr. Gunn's captivating sense of humor.
- Entertaining
- Witty
- Informative
- Too Short!!
- A commentary on various biotech issues and innovations and Dr. Gunn's experiences as a biotech journalist.
- Controversial topics include labelling of GM foods, in vitro fertilization, biofuels, patent laws and new drug sales.
- Case studies are presented describing interviews with individuals from various levels of government and corporate ladders.
- The issues are addressed with humor and insight, and very effectively described in layman's terms.
Dr. Gunn is the host of Tech Nation and BioTech Nation, two weekly radio talk shows devoted to educating the public and reporting on the impact of technology on today's society. Her book contains a collection of her thoughts and interpretations on various leading topics in biotech, based on her interviews with scientists, politicians, business leaders, journalists, and educators, many of whom are visionaries, innovators and technology trailblazers.
Welcome to Biotech Nation is not a dry educational read but a witty series of stories describing Dr. Gunn's initiation into the biotech community. As a non-biological techie, she started out a seasoned journalist thrown almost by accident into the fray of the biotech world. To her, both the business language and the science itself were foreign. She uses her book to poke fun, not only at many of the characters (interviewees) but also at herself as she navigated her way into a hit biotech spin-off to her already established Tech Nation talk show.
The book is an engaging reality check for anyone interested in science journalism or the biotech industry, this book addresses several key issues in biotech over the past 2-3 decades, with a look at both sides of each story, and enough humor to avoid offending anyone.
I gave the book just short of 5 stars, only because, while I liked the story-within-a-story format used in many of the chapters, there were times that it became confusing and you forgot which scientist or company she was talking about in the first place. It's not a big book, but it's such and fun read, the only other real "con" I could think of was that it was over too quickly!
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in biotechnology and the stories behind some of it's most innovative offerings and controversial issues.
