2258 ratings | 0 reviews | avg rating:3.56

Jim’s Year In Books

Jim’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Jim’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Jim’s 2024 Year in Books

Jim Ottaviani’s Followers (296)

Jim’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (0)
read (2258)

Jim’s Friends (177)

Jed

1,061 books | 200 friends

Rex

6,505 books | 279 friends

Brent

61,040 books | 779 friends

V H D

192 books | 43 friends

2,533 books | 555 friends

Lara Maynard

12,382 books | 2,299 friends

Michael

4,047 books | 110 friends

Rocco Versaci

841 books | 168 friends

More friends…

Jim Ottaviani

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://gt-labs.com/

Twitter

gtlabsrat

Genre

Comics & Graphic Novels, Science

Member Since

April 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jim_ottaviani

edit data

I've worked at news agencies and golf courses in the Chicagoland area, nuclear reactors in the U.S. and Japan, and libraries in Michigan. When I'm not staying up late writing comics about scientists, I'm spraining my ankles and flattening my feet by running on trails. Or I'm reading. I read a lot. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Jim Ottaviani questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

I was raised in a fundamentalist home, literally taught the story of "The Flood" as science/history in the school I attended, and am now trying to educate myself about science as a 40-something. Could you recommend some good, basic texts with which to start? (Reading your books helped sparked my interest to try this, btw; thank you!)

Jim Ottaviani Hi Gwynfor,

Thanks for the note, and how exciting that you've decided to open the doors to this world!

(Also, I'm delighted that books I've written are …moreHi Gwynfor,

Thanks for the note, and how exciting that you've decided to open the doors to this world!

(Also, I'm delighted that books I've written are how you got interested in learning more...thank you for the compliment, since this is the best possible result of making them, from my perspective.)

Where to start, then? There are many right answers, and I don't know what will work best for you. But since you asked me — ask other people too! — I'm going to offer a couple books I have in my own library that are written for non-specialists, and most (though not all) have a strong biographical arc to them. None are hardcore science books. Think narrative as the main course, with science as both the sides and dessert!

If any of these pique your interest, you'll find more to read in these books' bibliography and/or you can head over to your local community college to go deep.

Natural history/evolution
"The Beak of the Finch" by Jonathan Weiner
"Why Fish Don't Exist" by Lulu Miller
"An Immense World" by Ed Yong

Physics
"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson
"In Search of Schrodinger's Cat" by John Gribbin

Math
"How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking" by Jordan Ellenberg
"Men of Mathematics" by E.T. Bell (dated title, and written in 1937, but a good introduction nonetheless)

Astronomy/Cosmology/Space
"Galileo's Daughter" by Dava Sobel
"The Universe in a Nutshell" by Stephen Hawking
"Packing for Mars" by Mary Roach (everything by her is fun to read)

Chemistry
"Bright Earth" by Philip Ball

General/Science and Society
"Seeing Further" by Bill Bryson (ed)
"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes

Comics
Anything and everything by Jay Hosler
The "Science Comics" series published by First Second
(note: Jay's a friend, and First Second has published many of my books, so I'm probably biased. But I've bought many with my own money, so I'm the opposite of a paid advertiser :)

I could go on and on here, but I hope this is enough to help get you started. And...thanks again!

Jim(less)

flag

2 likes · like
1 comment

Who are the other scientists whose biography you plan to cover in the times to come?

Jim Ottaviani Thanks for asking: I'm working on a book about scientists who study water — oceans, lakes, and more — right now!…moreThanks for asking: I'm working on a book about scientists who study water — oceans, lakes, and more — right now!(less)

flag

1 like · like
1 comment

See 2 answers from Jim Ottaviani…

Combine Editions
Jim Ottaviani’s books

Average rating: 3.78 · 20,581 ratings · 2,749 reviews · 23 distinct works • Similar authors

	Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Maris Wicks (Illustrator) 3.84 avg rating — 7,335 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Feynman by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Leland Myrick (Illustrator) 3.81 avg rating — 7,086 ratings — published 2011 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Imitation Game by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Leland Purvis 3.61 avg rating — 1,904 ratings — published 2014 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Maris Wicks (Illustrator) 4.03 avg rating — 838 ratings — published 2020 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hawking by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Leland Myrick (Illustrator) 3.54 avg rating — 745 ratings — published 2019 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	T-Minus: The Race to the Moon by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Zander Cannon (Illustrator), Kevin Cannon (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.73 avg rating — 554 ratings — published 2009 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Naturalist by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author) (Adapter), Edward O. Wilson, C.M. Butzer (Illustrations) 3.91 avg rating — 338 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Suspended In Language: Niels Bohr's Life, Discoveries, And The Century He Shaped by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Leland Purvis (Illustrator), Roger Langridge (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.82 avg rating — 304 ratings — published 2004 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fallout: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard, and the Political Science of the Atomic Bomb by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Janine Johnston, Jeffrey Jones (Artist) 3.50 avg rating — 305 ratings — published 2001 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Einstein by Jim Ottaviani (Goodreads Author), Jerel Dye (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.65 avg rating — 228 ratings — published 2022 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Jim Ottaviani…

183 posts
Jim Ottaviani's Blog

Place Names Matter

A round of recent executive orders manages to add insult to real injuries by proposing name changes that disrespect…everything.

The insult brought to mind the following from a lovely (and freely available; click on the title) book about Glacier National Park that I read not long after visiting. Because names matter, I’ve used the modern and factually correct ‘Native American’ in place of the old wo

rss
Jim’s Recent Updates

Jim made a comment on his review of Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home " Overall I liked it, and would recommend it to anybody interested in what it's like to be a mail carrier. (As a fan of the USPS in general and someone ...more "
Nov 12, 2025 08:29AM · see review
Jim rated a book really liked it Resurrection Walk (The Lincoln Lawyer, #7; Harry Bosch Universe, #38) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 12, 2025 08:25AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jim rated a book really liked it Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook by Ernie Harwell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 12, 2025 08:25AM · like
Jim has read Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook by Ernie Harwell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 12, 2025 08:25AM · like
Jim rated a book really liked it Science Comics: Computers: How Digital Hardware Works by Perry E. Metzger	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 12, 2025 08:24AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Science Comics by Perry E. Metzger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Science Comics by Perry E. Metzger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jim rated a book liked it Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 07, 2025 06:11AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mailman by Stephen Starring Grant. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mailman by Stephen Starring Grant <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jim rated a book really liked it When the Women Come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 01, 2025 03:10PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of When the Women Come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — When the Women Come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jim rated a book really liked it Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1) by Dan Simmons	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 01, 2025 03:10PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hyperion by Dan Simmons <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jim has read Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1) by Dan Simmons	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 01, 2025 03:09PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hyperion by Dan Simmons <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jim rated a book liked it Precious Rubbish by Kayla E.	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 21, 2025 12:19PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Precious Rubbish by Kayla E.. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Precious Rubbish by Kayla E. <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Jim's books…

Polls

Let's pick a book to read in September! Our theme is informative / biographical.

This poll will close to votes at 11:59 pm Eastern time on Wednesday, 8/31/16.

The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death Under Soviet Rule by Igort

2 votes, 50.0%

Paleo: The Complete Collection by Jim Lawson

1 vote, 25.0%

Feynman by Jim Ottaviani

1 vote, 25.0%

Escape to Gold Mountain: A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America by David H.T. Wong

0 votes, 0.0%

The 9/11 Report by Sid Jacobson

0 votes, 0.0%

4 total votes

1 comment

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Nothing But Readi...: Level 3 of the Serious Readers Challenge for 2011	167	291	Jan 01, 2012 08:27PM
Wild Things: YA G...: Reading Challenge #16 - Report Points Here	124	111	Jul 06, 2013 09:38PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2013: Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE POSTS)	2481	641	Nov 30, 2013 09:01PM
2025 & 2026 Readi...: Karina's 101 in '14	13	77	Apr 27, 2014 02:15AM
Reading with Style: Su 2015 RwS Completed Tasks - Summer 2015	1153	115	Aug 31, 2015 09:01PM
Young Adult Book ...: A-Z Reading Challenge 2015	156	823	Dec 31, 2015 06:41PM
Reading with Style: SP 2016 RwS Completed Tasks Spring 2016	1188	101	May 31, 2016 09:01PM
Crazy for Young A...: * 29th Two Month Challenge: June 2017 and July 2017	44	153	Jul 31, 2017 09:19PM