Lab Girl: A Memoir

Written by:
Hope Jahren
Narrated by:
Hope Jahren

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
53
Narrator
13
Release Date
April 2016
Duration
11 hours 38 minutes
Summary
An illuminating debut memoir of a woman in science; a moving portrait of a longtime friendship; and a stunningly fresh look at plants that will forever change how you see the natural world
 
Acclaimed scientist Hope Jahren has built three laboratories in which she’s studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Her first book is a revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also so much more.

Lab Girl is a book about work, love, and the mountains that can be moved when those two things come together. It is told through Jahren’s remarkable stories: about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classroom’s labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and learned to perform lab work done “with both the heart and the hands”; and about the inevitable disappointments, but also the triumphs and exhilarating discoveries, of scientific work.

Yet at the core of this book is the story of a relationship Jahren forged with a brilliant, wounded man named Bill, who becomes her lab partner and best friend. Their sometimes rogue adventures in science take them from the Midwest across the United States and back again, over the Atlantic to the ever-light skies of the North Pole and to tropical Hawaii, where she and her lab currently make their home.

Jahren’s probing look at plants, her astonishing tenacity of spirit, and her acute insights on nature enliven every page of this extraordinary book. Lab Girl opens your eyes to the beautiful, sophisticated mechanisms within every leaf, blade of grass, and flower petal. Here is an eloquent demonstration of what can happen when you find the stamina, passion, and sense of sacrifice needed to make a life out of what you truly love, as you discover along the way the person you were meant to be.


Music for the Audio Edition:
Composed by Katelyn Sweeney Ching
Margaret Kocher, Cellist
Katelyn Sweeney Ching, Pianist 
Mark Robinson, Audio Engineer
Copyright 2016
Reviews
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James Z

I can only say that those who have given Hope Jahren less than five stars on her reading or narrating of her own work , have obviously not listened to it through. What a wonderful book read by a wonderful author! One of my favorites! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.

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Erin M.

This turned out to be the ideal walking book for me. It wasn’t a desperate page-turner, but rather a compelling narrative that I could come and go with. Every time the words turned to plant biology, I found myself seeing the world around me in different ways. I found myself stopping to look at leaves or peer at the plants around the base of a tree. It’s a long way away from my usual sort of listen, but I am really glad I picked it.

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Nancy S

I enjoyed the scientific elements of this book a great deal, learning what it takes to be a successful scientist, etc. Her struggles with bipolar disorder and obsessive behavior and the weirdness of Bill and their relationship made me uncomfortable at times.

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Cynthia M

The beginning was slow but it grew on me.

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Deborah Endres

Book was good. The comparison of Bi Polar and trees was interesting. Makes you think about trees. I'll plant one every year. Narration was slow and quiet.

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