A review by readundancies
The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetuated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean

dark informative reflective

4.0

This non-fiction read was my kinda morbid. I loved the scientific context mixed with the true crime documentary tone of the writing. 

Let it be known that this is not for the faint of heart. A lot of the more disillusioning and heavy content is covered in a very clinical way, and it can take a bit of getting used to. There are some really coldhearted individuals out there and this book highlights some of the most infamous of the lot. 

It’s so interesting though. I was living for this content. The number of times I said What the fuck?!? while reading was too many. 

At this point I should probably mention that I read this non-chronologically. It’s written in a way that each chapter is directly connected to and leads into the next. But, I was feeling out of sorts and decided to switch things up and read all over the place with respect to chapters. I didn't find it even mildly disconcerting, so I'd say if you wanted to read chapters out of order, it's very doable. 

My favourite chapters in no particular order include: 
  • Piracy: The Buccaneer Biologist
  • Slavery: The Corruption of the Flycatcher
  • Grave-Robbing: Jekyll & Hyde, Hunter & Knox
  • Murder: The Professor and the Janitor
  • Ambition: Surgery for the Soul
  • Malpractice: Sex, Power, and Money
  • Fraud: Superwoman.

If you're looking for a science-based non-fiction read with some true crime flair to the writing, I definitely recommend this.
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