Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is a beautifully written memoir of a life in science. Growing up in her father’s Minnesota laboratory, she always knew she would be a scientist. Her field of expertise is plant life; you will never look at a tree the same way after reading this work. The book consists of interspersed chapters about her research, with more fascinating facts than you can imagine, and her life story. The life of a research scientist is peripatetic, stressful and exciting. Any professor who can make pollen diverting deserves to win every grant she writes. Trees have been around for 300 million years and counting; they deserve a lot of respect!