It is that time of year, when the lists of “best of…” begin to appear. As they have in previous years, the Amazon Books editors have gotten into the act. Yesterday they announced their picks for 2022’s Best Books of the Year, including those within the general interest science category.
Amazon Books editors read thousands of books annually to make selections for Best Books of the Month, Best Books of the Year So Far, and Best Books of the Year, and offer recommendations on the Amazon Book Review. After reviewing titles released from January through December this year, Amazon editors made their selections for the books that stood out over the course of 2022.
The editors chose Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin as this year’s Best Book of the Year.
In the press release announcing the selections, Sarah Gelman, editorial director for Amazon Books, said: “We’ve had a bumper crop of amazing books to choose from this year. But to get our passionate (read: opinionated!) team of editors to agree on one they loved is almost a miracle. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is that miracle—a simply perfect book about the complexities of human relationships, the importance of human connection, the innocence and optimism of youth, our journey with technology, and the many shades of love.”
In the general interest science category, Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book, The Song of the Cell: An Explanation of Medicine and the New Human, topped this year’s list. Mukherjee is a cancer physician and researcher, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the book The Emperor of All Maladies, a biography of cancer. Another of his books, The Gene, was a Number 1 New York Times bestseller.
“Mukherjee has an incredible ability to make science not only accessible but thoroughly engaging,” said Amazon Books editor Al Woodworth. “In his latest feat of storytelling, the Pulitzer Prize-winner weaves together the history, his personal anecdotes, and the most current health research of the cell and the result is nothing short of astounding. With vivid prose, wonder and humor, Mukherjee explains how cellular biology can reshape public health, medicine, and therefore, our world.
“We are thrilled to name The Song of the Cell as our Best Science Book of 2022,” Woodworth added. “Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus, which we named the Best Book of the Year So Far, came in a close second. There are so many great books on this list—whether you’re looking to understand how animals experience the world (An Immense World by Ed Yong), a personal story of chronic illness (The Invisible Kingdom by Megan O’Rourke), how people think differently (Visual Thinking by Temple Grandin), or the cosmos (Starry Messenger by Neil deGrasse Tyson), our list offers something for everyone.”
Below is the list of the Top 20 picks of 2022 within the general interest science category.
