Okay, so we’ve all read it. Right? Right? I read this book at least 4 times in the first 2 years after it was published. I was even assigned to read it for 7th grade science. Obviously, there was a reason I read it 4 times. It’s a good book! And reading it just now, I had an even greater appreciation of the book with increased vocabulary from high school and college. After 8 years of watching the movie, I was shocked into remembering the book is so philosophical. Besides the basic plot, the constant barrage of technological and scientific history, and the somewhat comical description of chaos theory, make it a fun read. Just think of it! Freaks, geeks, and dinosaurs! (Okay, really, all of the characters are lovable- even the non-geeks.) Even if you hated the movie, I highly recommend reading the book. Just like most of Michael Crichton’s work, the movies are to the books as imitation crab is to fresh lobster.

“Yes,” Malcolm said. “Look here. The basic event that has occurred in Jurassic Park is that the scientists and technicians have tried to make a new, complete biological world. And the scientists in the control room expect to see a natural world. As in the graph they just showed us. Even though a moment’s thought reveals that nice, normal distribution is terribly worrisome on this island.”
“It is?”
“Yes. Based on what Dr. Wu told us earlier, one should never see a population graph like that.”
“Why not?” Gennaro said.
“Because that is a graph for a normal biological population. Which is precisely what Jurassic Park is not. Jurassic Park is not the real world. It is intended to be a controlled world that only imitates the natural world…Nature manipulated to be more natural than the real thing, if you will.”