Surprised to see science and politics seamlessly packed into a book in an intriguing and engaging manner. This book is a must-read. I wish schools could make it a compulsory read.

And now the White House will be a madhouse, too

The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy by Michael E. Mann & Tom Toles (Columbia University Press, $24.95).

Teaming up a noted climate scientist and writer (Michael E. Mann, Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change) with a political cartoonist (Tom Toles, Washington Post) is really the best of both worlds: an illustrated compendium of horrifying science that also provides a few laughs. Even hardcore deniers may be attracted by the cartoons and stick around to get the facts. Mann first sorts out what’s actual climate science and what’s not, and the section where Toles illustrates some of the wacky, sci-fi solutions proposed is actually pretty funny.

The bottom line is simple enough—we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—but there are still a surprising number of people who need to be persuaded. Unfortunately, even a book with cartoons may not be enough to do it.