Barbara Ann Oakley

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Something About Me and My Book:

My most recent book is "Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend," (Prometheus Books, 2007). I've been very lucky—Warren Buffett helped with the section about him, Harvard's Steven Pinker called the book “fascinating,” and 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac McCarthy has written high praise.

With a heavy dose of humor, (my sister really did steal my mother’s boyfriend), "Evil Genes" relates scientific findings not only about mass murderers, but also about the nasty behavior of seemingly ordinary people. There are surprising reasons why a boss, neighbor, wife, husband, or even a kid can be so vicious.

Columbia psychiatrist Michael Stone calls Evil Genes “that rare thing… a scientific book that is at once informative and eminently readable.” President emeritus William Wulf of the National Academy of Engineering notes: “‘Scientific non-fiction’ and ‘page turner’ aren’t two phrases I’d expect in the same sentence, but for the remarkable Evil Genes, they fit.” And best-selling author Orson Scott Card writes: “It's not often that a book about science can also break your heart. Oakley's achievement is astonishing.”

Here is my brief bio:

Barbara Oakley, PhD (Rochester, MI), has been dubbed a female Indiana Jones—her writing combines worldwide adventure with solid research expertise. Among other adventures, she has worked as a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers in the Bering Sea, served as radio operator at the South Pole Station in Antarctica, and risen from Private to Regular Army Captain in the U.S. Army. Currently an associate professor of engineering at Oakland University in Michigan, Oakley is a recent vice president of the world's largest bioengineering society and holds a doctorate in the integrative discipline of systems engineering.

Website:

http://www.barbaraoakley.com

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