Louis Pasteur: Founder of Modern Medicine (Sowers.)

I worked 40 years as an RN in ICU and ED in the hospital setting and knew very little of Pasteur's contributions while knowing that he had made significant contributions to health care. I found it such a good read that I had to pass it around to fellow nurses.

I'm an adult and I enjoyed this book a lot and learned so much! It was easy to read and absorbing. It is written in more of an informal way (there are direct quotes throughout it) which made it more fun to read.I plan to use this for homeschool and think it would be excellent for that. It would probably take 15 lessons (there are 15 chapters). There are lots of ways to expand learning based on almost every chapter. I actually wrote up a curriculum to go with it :D I feel like I have a great understanding of Louis Pasteur's life now, who he was, and how he went about his accomplishments. It is fascinating! I felt like I was right there with him.I especially loved how seamlessly examples of good character were included in the book. I came away with a feeling that Pasteur was a really good guy. One example was his proposal of marriage to Marie. He wrote a letter to Marie's father (which is included in the text) telling him that he doesn't have a lot of money but has an education. He also says that no one knows that he's proposed marriage so they could say no and it would bring no shame to their family. No wonder they said yes! Another example was after he got a little fame, he returned to his home town and they offered to give him anything he wanted and money to continue his work and he said no, he couldn't take their money. He often worked in very humble settings with primitive equipment or equipment he had to make himself or buy with his own money. Also, instead of getting a patent for pasteurization and making a ton of money, he released the patent to the public. Wow! The book wasn't overly about character and it didn't feel forced, but it definitely gave the overall feeling that good character is admirable. I really liked that the book gave off that message to my kids. (A stark contrast to the rest of society). It was a breath of fresh air. If you're going to read a biography, definition pick this one! I'm excited to see what the others in the series are like. I already knew I liked John Tiner because of a couple other of his books. Not all books in this series are written by him though.I am a little bit surprised that God wasn't a bigger part of the book. The author discusses Pasteur's faith several times and I think there are 2 scripture verses quoted in the book. But for a book that is 176 pages long, two verses is not a lot. Much of the book had nothing to do with God or faith. It was simply an enthralling biography. This seemed to be the most controversial text in the book (the rest of the book did not discuss evolution/creation): "So far as any law of biology can be firmly proved, it is the law that life must arise from life. This conclusion directly contradicted the theory of evolution. Instead, it supported the biblical account of Creation. Louis questioned the theory of evolution because Darwin did not base his ideas on experimental proof. Charles Darwin's writings owed too much to imagination and too little to hard scientific facts." So you can make your own opinions about that, but know that this is a very very very small part of the book and does not in any way summarize what the book is like. I would still get this book even if you are a staunch supporter of evolution.This is an excellent book that goes beyond being simply a biography. It tells the story of a very successful, hardworking man who exemplified the character you want your kids to have, and that's a book worth reading.

Great and amazing story, my 11yo cant put it down. Thankfull for men like Louis who used their God given abilities to make this world a safer place.

This started off a little slow, but once it got going, it was terrific.

Very insightful and great for great minds

This is a nice book for a high school student or anyone curious to know a little more about this interesting scientist. His story is so much more than just pasteurized milk that we owe him thanks, get the book and read why.

In an easy to read and understand inventive biography of Pasteur, the reader will discover that he saved the lives of millions of people throughout the world, simply by promoting scientific methods of experimentation and reporting on the results. Must read for children considering a vocation in science or medicine.

Lots of facts in a story like way. Used for a 3rd grade project, worked perfect.

greatest scientist in history - and a pious Catholic