Why must it be non-fiction? I'll stick to non-fiction since you asked, but I think its an odd limit to put in place in this discussion.
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In my opinion the essential book for anyone interested in science and technology would be How To Win Friends and Influence People. By far the most important book. By far. I really can't overstate the importance of learning to interact with other people in polite, persuasive and friendly ways.
In my four years at an engineering university (RPI) the amount of people I ran in to that couldn't relate to others in a meaningful way and carry a normal conversation blew my mind. It was surreal. And I don't know what percent of them were aware of this but I would guess it can't be too high.
The number one thing I wish I saw more of in engineers isn't an understanding of other sciences or deep domain knowledge. It's consideration. Plain, pure consideration for other people and how they might feel about things.
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The Selfish Gene would perhaps be a close second.
Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond is also a good read for people in STEM fields.
The Emperor of All Maladies, a book about the history of cancer. Extremely fascinating read, and accessible regardless of your level of biology knowledge.
Comments
Why must it be non-fiction? I'll stick to non-fiction since you asked, but I think its an odd limit to put in place in this discussion.
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In my opinion the essential book for anyone interested in science and technology would be How To Win Friends and Influence People. By far the most important book. By far. I really can't overstate the importance of learning to interact with other people in polite, persuasive and friendly ways.
In my four years at an engineering university (RPI) the amount of people I ran in to that couldn't relate to others in a meaningful way and carry a normal conversation blew my mind. It was surreal. And I don't know what percent of them were aware of this but I would guess it can't be too high.
The number one thing I wish I saw more of in engineers isn't an understanding of other sciences or deep domain knowledge. It's consideration. Plain, pure consideration for other people and how they might feel about things.
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The Selfish Gene would perhaps be a close second.
Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond is also a good read for people in STEM fields.
The Emperor of All Maladies, a book about the history of cancer. Extremely fascinating read, and accessible regardless of your level of biology knowledge.
"normal" conversation? what's that?
In all seriousness, in my opinion, there's not such thing as normal conversation, people are different, conversations too.
The Emperor of All Maladies was a great book. Even with all the weight it carried dealing with such a serious topic, I could hardly put it down.