Chance and Choice: My First Thirty Years

By Joan Lorch Staple

Chance and Choice covers the first third of my life (1923-1952) from my childhood in a small German town to my early career as a biologist in London. While concentrating on family and friends, I have... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1430329416
• ISBN13: 9781430329411
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating and well-written

I received this book as a gift and didn't really know what to expect. But it turns out the author has led a very interesting life and she writes about it in an entertaining, matter-of-fact style. She also manages to convey her scientific work at an appropriate level for the lay reader. She is more of an observer of life than a commentator, and her book is at its best when she lets the events speak for themselves. I agree with a previous reviewer that this book would be interesting to read for a teen considering a career in science. However, the world has changed so much, for both good and ill, since the author was growing up and completing her training that the issues faced by today's young women scientists will be quite different.

A Real Life "Atonement"

I read "Chance and Choice" at the same time that I read "Atonement" by Ian McEwan and I was struck by the similarities in circumstance and description of war-torn England. Joan Lorch Staple's tale of her first 30 years highlighted the struggles of families throughout Europe, the hardship of continuing one's education during wartime, as well as the simple pleasures of girlhood. In addition, I was struck by this young feminist as she stood side-by-side with her male peers in the lab, unafraid and confident in her knowledge and skill. This book would be a good read for any young woman thinking about a career in science.

Brings back memories

Joan Staple's first thirty years are unique to her but they'll help you bring back memories of your own childhood and early adulthood. She experienced Hitler's attrocities first-hand and due to a strong family support system survived and succeeded in a male-dominated field of science. I appreciated the author's anecdotes but might have enjoyed the book more if her teaching instincts hadn't dominated such a large portion of the book. Highly recommend this book to book clubs.

The Real Thing.

Dr. Staple's memoir is effortlessly dramatic -- dramatic because it deals with deracination and survival, effortless because of her incandescent intelligence. Born Irmgard Johanna Lorch in the Rhineland, she underwent "metamorphosis from a little girl in Hitler's Germany to a biologist in post-war London," thanks to that mental luminescence. At an early age she found herself fascinated by the anatomy of the chickens, geese and fish prepared in the kitchen of her family's great house in Offenbach am Main. Indeed, of all the identities Dr. Staple seems to have worn in her long life, that of Scientist is the most innate, pronounced and enduring. The discussions of her creative scientific work are humorous and clearly written. There are engaging scenes and delightful writing on every page of Chance and Choice, which is volume one covering 1923 to 1952. One is overjoyed that Dr. Staple did decide to publish this memoir rather than keep it just within the family. When finished it will be the envy of everyone who ever wished a parent had done him- or herself justice before it was too late.

Courage, Determination and Creativity

This is a fascinating account of what it meant to have had the author's life interrupted by Hitler's Germany. The determination, creativity and courage displayed by the author and her family make a compelling story. Reading about the early scientific finds was amazing. I found the book very interesting, written in a straightforward manner in keeping with the emotions expressed and the experiences outlined. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in learning about the period of life so dependent on the political upheaval in the wartime and post=wartime era.