Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The Eddy-New Rockford Library has announced the next upcoming reads for its monthly book club. Both selections are possible through a partnerships with the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine's Book Club Kits.
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism
by Peter J. Hotez
In 1994, Peter J. Hotez's nineteen-month-old daughter, Rachel, was diagnosed with autism. Dr. Hotez, a pediatrician-scientist who develops vaccines for neglected tropical diseases affecting the world's poorest people, became troubled by the decades-long rise of the influential anti-vaccine community and their inescapable narrative around childhood vaccines and autism. The alleged link between the two was first espoused in a fraudulent scientific paper, long since retracted, but the story shows no signs of letting up. As a result, we've seen deadly and disabling outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases around the country, and Texas, where Hotez lives, is at particular risk.
In "Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism," Hotez draws on his experiences as a pediatrician, vaccine scientist, and father of an autistic child. Outlining the arguments on both sides of the debate, he examines the science that refutes the concerns of the anti-vaccine movement, debunks current conspiracy theories alleging a cover-up by the CDC, and critiques the scientific community's failure to effectively communicate the facts about vaccines and autism to the general public, all while sharing his very personal story of raising a now-adult daughter with autism.
Tuesday, March 17
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love
by Dani Shapiro
Find out how your genes influence you – and how you influence your genes.
The science of genetics has captured the public imagination. Perhaps not since the 1950s, when Watson and Crick derived the double-helical chemical structure of DNA, has public interest been so fervid. A common legacy, genes are now also a scientific lodestar; understanding what we've inherited from the past seems to promise a new and exciting future. Indeed, we hope that deciphering the human genome will expand humanity's horizons in fantastic and unimaginable ways.
Currently, genes define what we are now. When we admire an exceptional athlete's physical ability, we ascribe it to her genes. When we marvel at a genius's mental capacity, we ascribe it to her genes. Strength, intelligence, beauty – genes determine whether you have these qualities or not.
You can stop into the library and pick these books up any time!
