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About the Author

Deborah Blum won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for her writing and reporting about primate experiments and ethics, a subject that she further explored in her first book, The Monkey Wars. Her second book, Sex on the Brain, was a New York Times Notable Book for 1997. Blum is a professor of journalism at show more the University of Wisconsin, and president-elect of the National Association of Science Writers. She lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin show less

Works by Deborah Blum

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The Best American Science Writing 2011 (2011) — Contributor — 86 copies

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Fascinating look at the pioneers of forensic medicine
 
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corliss12000 | 128 other reviews | Mar 16, 2024 |
I definitely lean on the skeptical side, so much so that if I hadn't stumbled across this because I read Blum's book on poisons, it is very unlikely I would have read it. Still, that would have been my loss. If you are going to reject something, you should know what kind of reasons you have for doing so. I am a great admirer of Wallace and spiritualism definitely undermined his career, as well as throwing a wrench into the friendship between great magician Harry Houdini , decidedly anti-spirtualism, and Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle, a beleiver if ever there was one. Seeing that serious attempts were made to scientifically investigate such phenomenon makes it easier to understand how such things could have happened to intelligent and serious minded individuals like Doyle and Wallace.… (more)
 
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cspiwak | 8 other reviews | Mar 6, 2024 |
really enjoyed this. The information about the poisoners didn't shock me as much as learning what the government and companies concerned acceptable practice back then
 
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cspiwak | 128 other reviews | Mar 6, 2024 |
RATING: 3.5
“The Poisoner’s Handbook” is somehow both deeply interesting and detailed yet also strangely repetitive and too detailed. So I really did enjoy reading this (part on audiobook and part in print); the early years of forensic science and poison exploration seem downright WILD at times. I was fascinated by the various stories of killers, government agents, and scientists and all the ways they worked to achieve their ends, both good and evil. I also really like how Blum told these real life stories with a fictional voice, narrating like it was a murder mystery.

On the downside, each chapter (focusing on a different poison) felt like they had the same format. At times, I thought I had accidentally rewound the book because something sounded familiar. There are also times when the topic becomes focused on law, legislation, and government topics; I understand the need to include some of it but honestly parts of it were SO DRY and I don’t think added very much.

All in all, I have a deeper appreciation for forensic science now, and a couple of the stories Blum told have stuck in my head.
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deborahee | 128 other reviews | Feb 23, 2024 |

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