Very Short Introductions ...

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, April 2011; written by Kelly Johnson.

Have you ever been curious about something, curious enough to go looking for a book about it and then when you get to the shelf at the library where the books on that topic reside you find either volumes that you are not quite sure are English or that you just can’t (or don’t want to) read. Too much – way too much! That is how I have felt about forensic science for a while. I have read some material on forensic psychology (my daughter’s major) but the science side can be a bit much – either yuck or what?? I have watched the TV shows where they use all these techniques to catch the bad guys – in 60 minutes or less! – but I was pretty sure that isn’t how it really happens. And then the library got these cute little books – ‘A Very Short Introduction’ is the subtitle – and now I have my answers about forensic science!

‘Forensic Science – A Very Short Introduction’ by Jim Fraser is very much like reading a crime story, except there is no crime only the procedures and processes. The book carefully covers crime scene management, forensic investigations, lab work, DNA, identifying prints and other marks, trace evidence and much more. Though Mr. Fraser is British and on occasion uses an English term rather than American the book is completely understandable. There is even a bit at the end where the use of forensics in trials is covered. I especially appreciated the careful explanation of the more complex topics without becoming overly technical or using excessive jargon.

Having so enjoyed this title I decided to look over some of the other ‘Very Short Introduction’ titles that the library has added to the collection. And to be honest I was surprised to enjoy ‘The U.S. Congress – A Very Short Introduction’ by Donald A. Ritchie. That seems sort of mean, but I figured I had enough of government when I went to school (with a refresher course when my kids went through the class), however Mr. Ritchie, as he states in the preface, gives not a lecture but “a tour of Capitol Hill”. He starts with a history of Congress and an overview of the two bodies of Congress, the House and the Senate. He tells of how the committees work and what the procedures (and politics) are on the floors of the bodies. Some of the book is nearly gossipy with such tidbits as this concerning a new gym; “These facilities were once exclusively reserved for men. The House gymnasium, for instance, was built with only a men’s locker room, but the sergeant at arms erred in sending invitations to all elected representatives for the grand opening in 1965. When the women members appeared in gym costumes, the men reluctantly made room for them”. It really made for an interesting read.

‘Agnosticism – A Very Short Introduction’ by Robin Le Poidevin was a truly illuminating read for me, clarifying many ideas that I was unsure about for that subject. Mr. Le Poidevin strongly states what is and what is not agnosticism, firing back at critics who state that Agnosticism is “a non-idea, an absence” … “for ‘weedy, pallid fence-sitters”. Instead he writes “Agnosticism was for them (early Agnostics) the result of intellectual struggle, not an unwillingness to engage with that struggle”. The book introduces several of the early Agnostics and each chapter covers a specific question about Agnosticism. I found it interesting that Mr. Le Poidevin not only discusses Christian standards, but also covers several other religions including a few ancient beliefs.

And there are more! Topics include Socialism, Hieroglyphs, Landscapes and Geomorphology (I had to look just to find out what geomorphology was!), Privacy, Islamic History, the Quakers and even more than that! So if you are curious about any of these topics check out these interesting little books. Each is written by a professor and/or expert in the field. If you want a complete list of these books just do a title keyword search of ‘very short introduction’ in the library’s online (or in-house) catalog. And good reading to you!