Bitten by the Biology Bug by Maura C. Flannery
	(Illus.) National Association of Biology Teachers 1991 109pp. 0-941212-08-4 T, GA *

Bitten by the Biology Bug is a series of essays penned by master biology teacher Maura C. Flannery. Within the pages of the book, the reader gets treated to everything from an explanation of why eating fugu fish causes tingling in the fingers, toes, and tongue to how you explain science to nonscience majors. Most of the writings are filled with a skillfully blended mixture of trivia and the latest in scientific thought. The essays glide through the author's pet topics--e.g., the mysteries of cancer--to items of moderate controversy-- e.g., why teachers should tell their students more about what we don' t know about science. Flannery is obviously well read, and peppers her essays with references to many good publications on science, thinking, and humanism. Clearly, Flannery can spark ideas for science teachers looking for inspiration--i.e., what it takes to turn just about anyone on to science. The essays are fun to read and informative. Because this volume is a sampling of nearly a decade of writing, be prepared for some repetition. But overall, readers will find that Bitten by the Biology Bug is a comfortable peek inside the exciting mind of a very enthusiastic science teacher.

--Reviewed by Yvonne Heather Burry in Science Books and Films, 27/6 (August/September 1991), p. 168.