General, Organic, and Biochemistry : Connecting Chemistry to Your Life

Rating:
Summary: So-so intro chemistry text
Review: This book is designed as an introductory text for a yearlong chemistry course targeted to allied health students. It is organized in three parts: general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. It also has a secondary goal to present chemistry from the view point those aspiring to careers in health care and does so via a number of pedagogical features that highlight the role of chemistry in health and make the text a bit more relevant: Chapters begin with a workplace scenario that illustrates the practical use of chemistry; numerous drawings depict how various subjects apply to health and the human body; profiles of health care professionals that use chemistry in their day-to-day work are interspersed throughout; inset essays that describe the role of chemistry in maintaining health, applications of chemistry in everyday life, and in-depth forays into selected topics.

In light of the aforementioned features of this book, I was initially rather optimistic. However, as my course progressed and I needed more in-depth explanations of chemistry concepts, I found time and again that I needed a secondary source for full understanding. This really shouldn't be a knock against the book as it is not designed for the kind of depth and completeness that I am used to in a textbook, but I found it frustrating nonetheless. I would rate organic section as the best followed by the general chemistry with the biochemistry coming in last. I would suggest to those that haven't had chemistry before to get a supplementary text to help you gain a more complete understanding. I had an especially difficult time with the biochemistry section and felt precious little effort was made to explaining some of the biochemical pathways that were presented. All too often, complex pathways like glycolysis and citric acid cycle were just presented as a series of reactions and I never got a feel for the big picture but was often lost and confused amongst all the intermediate steps. A better job should have been done to present this material especially considering the audience.

Overall, it's not a terrible book and a good deal of chemistry can be gleaned from its pages, but some additional effort will be needed to make the most of it. Don't bother with the biochemistry section unless you have a good supplementary text or tutor at hand, otherwise the going will be tough. The redeeming qualities of this book are it's additional features that highlight the role of chemistry in physiology and health and make chemistry seem relevant.