We follow Anna through her science journey, starting at undergraduate university and seeing her progression through academia, out into the world of policy and politics, and beyond. Seeing into these very different, but interlinked, industries in the US was really interesting.

The fieldwork sections of this book made me especially jealous, I picked this book up as a geology graduate who enjoys a good non-fiction so I've done my fair share of fieldwork and there's nothing quite like being somewhere out in nature that almost no-one will ever get to go. Hearing about Anna's various projects and how she described them made me nostalgic for my university days but also very jealous that she got to do this as an academic and as a job! It was written so well and absolutely took me back there.

The switch between pure scientist and policymaker is a difficult one, and seeing the realistic ways that Anna managed this adjustment was really relatable. Whilst lab research is invaluable it's difficult to get that into policymakers heads, and I completely empathise with the desire to actually do some good and make changes to the world with the information you've gathered. There was a questionable section about a politician Anna had worked for, and liked, and some sexual misconduct charges that she blew off. It's not mentioned whether these were substantiated and as a Brit I wasn't familiar with the case so I did just feel

Clearly I just saw geo-non-fiction and just said "yes please" because I didn't properly look into this book and so I wasn't expecting all of the motherhood aspects but it was a really pleasant surprise! Seeing how parenting can be balanced with a career, but also the strains that this brings and how poorly it is often managed by workplaces. As someone who doesn't have children I appreciated being able to see the reality of being pregnant and breast feeding but also doing that whilst working in a fast-paced environment.

This book is so multi-faceted and is such a great look into how scientists look to move into politics in order to actually action the solutions to their research. As well as the difficulties that you face both in politics and in the lab.

I am glad that in the nearly ten years since the publication of Hope Jahren's groundbreaking "Lab Girl," memoirs of women scientists have become something of a genre. I welcome each new one, as they continue to challenge stereotypes and provide role models for a new generation. But some of them are also just a great read - and this is the case with "Core Samples".

It is beautifully written, full of keen observations and profound reflections not only on fieldwork and academia, but also on motherhood, politics and art, and explores the question of what it means to be a scientist.

Thanks to the publisher, University of Minnesota Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for this ARC.
I love that this is another memoir by a woman scientist who had experience both in the field and, also, in policymaking. That made this an interesting addition to the great scientist memoirs like Lab Girl. I did feel part of the time like the writing style felt like I was being kept at an arms length from the author's actual story and feelings; it was kind of "now this, and then this happened, and then this happened." So that knocked it down a star for me. But it's a valuable memoir.