With the warmth of the summer sun shining down, there is no better time to take a break with an exciting book. Whether in the ocean air, by the pool, or at home on a quiet night, the following summer reading recommendations have been prepared to bring pleasure and information to professionals in multiple disciplines. At Chemsafe Srl, our field of competence includes five Business Units: Chemical, Pharma, Food, Medical Devices, Cosmetics, and Agro/Biocides. With the help of our staff, we want to suggest some of the best-known books that are coherent with these industries. Our book list moves from classics to popular.
CHEMICAL:
“F***ing genius” by Massimo Temporelli
A book that tells the lives of eight great scientists who, with their vision and their work, have changed the history of humanity forever.
F***ing genius helps the reads to learn more about not only the discoveries but also the lives of 8 fundamental geniuses in the history of humanity. To innovate and change the course of human history forever, these geniuses had to go through challenges, difficulties, skepticism, resistance, both theoretical and, often, social. So, their lives are not only compelling and epic, but they are also an example from which we can draw inspiration.
PHARMA:
“The Island of the Colorblind: And, Cycad Island” by Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks has always been fascinated by islands–their remoteness, their mystery, above all the unique forms of life they harbor. For him, islands conjure up equally the romance of Melville and Stevenson, the adventure of Magellan and Cook, and the scientific wonder of Darwin and Wallace.
Drawn to the tiny Pacific atoll of Pingelap by intriguing reports of an isolated community of islanders born totally colorblind, Dr. Sacks finds himself setting up a clinic in a one-room island dispensary, where he listens to these achromatopic islanders describe their colorless world in rich terms of pattern and tone, luminance and shadow. And on Guam, where he goes to investigate the puzzling neurodegenerative paralysis endemic there for a century, he becomes, for a brief time, an island neurologist, making house calls with his colleague John Steele, amid crowing cockerels, cycad jungles, and the remains of a colonial culture.
The islands reawaken Sacks’ lifelong passion for botany–in particular, for the primitive cycad trees, whose existence dates back to the Paleozoic–and the cycads are the starting point for an intensely personal reflection on the meaning of islands, the dissemination of species, the genesis of disease, and the nature of deep geologic time. Out of an unexpected journey, Sacks has woven an unforgettable narrative which immerses us in the romance of island life, and shares his own compelling vision of the complexities of being human.
FOOD:
“Ultra-Processed People” by Chris van Tulleken
In this eye-opening book, doctor and broadcaster Chris van Tulleken explores how ultra-processed foods (UPFs) products filled with industrial ingredients and additives—have come to dominate our diets and harm our health.
Through a personal experiment eating 80% UPFs for a month, van Tulleken experiences weight gain, poor sleep, anxiety, and signs of addiction. But the problem, he argues, isn’t just individual choice, it’s systemic. UPFs are cheap, convenient, and aggressively marketed, while being linked to obesity, chronic disease, and even cognitive decline.
Blending science, storytelling, and social critique, the book calls for urgent reform: better regulation, clearer labeling, and a cultural shift back to real food.
It’s not just about what we eat—it’s about how modern life is shaping us.
MEDICAL DEVICES:
” They gave me a dream. Fencing, spritz and the Paralympics” by Bebe Vio
Bebe, just 18 years old, like all kids her age loves to have fun: going to the mall or concerts with her friends, getting dressed up to go out at night… There would be nothing strange about this if we were not talking about Beatrice Vio who, at the age of eleven, suffered leg and arm amputations after being struck by a form of acute meningitis. But for Bebe the disease is not the end, in fact it represents only a small parenthesis between what she used to be-a little girl with a great family, lots of friends and the “three S’s” (school, scouts, fencing)-and what she has become, which is a happy teenager, with even more friends than before and still the “three S’s,” but a little changed: today she attends high school, has now received her scout name (Phoenix Radiant) and has already won several medals in Paralympic fencing competitions, including international ones, at the highest level. An exceptional athlete and at the same time a girl bursting with life, Bebe tells her story in these pages that overflow with enthusiasm: from competitions around the world to vacations in Elba, from TV stunts to the joys of heeled prosthetics, from face-to-face with her myths to the motivational meetings she holds in town squares and schools. And of her dreams. Because after having founded with his parents art4sport (a non-profit association that brings kids with physical disabilities closer to sports), having been a torchbearer at London 2012 and having competed with the world’s top female athletes.
COSMETICS:
“The Skincare Bible: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Great Skin” by Anjali Mahto
For anyone who loves straight-talking, practical advice on skincare, this book is the perfect, beautiful gift. We all know that taking good care of our skin is the key to any effective health and beauty regime. But with so much conflicting information, the path to healthy skin can seem far from clear. Dr Anjali Mahto is one of the UK’s leading consultant dermatologists. Equipped with years of expertise, she sets out to cut through the noise and distinguish the nuggets from the nonsense! Tackling common complaints such as acne, dryness, rosacea and aging, The Skincare Bible is your definitive companion to your body’s biggest organ. Clear, concise and packed full of tips on the best products and routines, it will help you discover what works for you and find confidence in your own skin. ‘I now feel safe in the knowledge that I’m armed with the latest science-backed information about how to care for my skin’ Chloe Brotheridge, author of The Anxiety Solution ‘A refreshing, fad-free guide to glowing skin. A must-read for anyone struggling with their skin health’ Dr Megan Rossi, author of Eat Yourself Health.
AGRO/BIOCIDES:
“Plants That Kill: A Natural History of the World’s Most Poisonous” by Elizabeth A. Dauncey, Sonny Larsson
This richly illustrated book provides an in-depth natural history of the most poisonous plants on earth, covering everything from the lethal effects of hemlock and deadly nightshade to the uses of such plants in medicine, ritual, and chemical warfare.
Plants That Kill explains how certain plants evolved toxicity to deter herbivores and other threats and sheds light on their physiology and the biochemistry involved in the production of their toxins. It discusses the interactions of poisonous plants with other organisms–particularly humans―and explores the various ways plant toxins can target the normal functioning of bodily systems in mammals, from the effects of wolfsbane on the heart to toxins that cause a skin reaction when combined with the sun’s rays. This intriguing book also looks at plants that can harm you only if your exposure to them is prolonged, the ethnobotany of poisons throughout human history, and much more.
