The book opens with a discussion of the opium addiction crisis that became prominent in the U.S. political arena during the …show more content…
Given the scientific topic of the book, I was surprised to find that Snyder had set up his book in a narrative format. This book is unique in the way that it is built upon the narrative of the discovery of opium receptors while at the same time explaining scientific information as it relates to that narrative. The story captivates the reader, making it feel as if the reader is in the room with the scientists as they perform their experiments. The narrative allows the reader to triumph with the scientists when they succeed in their work and to analyze along with the researchers what went wrong when the experiments fail. Through the use of the narrative, Snyder allows his audience to get a glimpse into what it is like to solve problems and interpret results in a scientific research