Tory Soma

Photo:  Tory Soma and Iowa Poet Laureate Mary Swander

Dear Michael Crichton,

At first, the only reason I got into reading your books was because of Jurassic Park. It was a great movie and I thought I would give the book a try. I completely did not expect the information that it produced. Your book explained a world of science I had never seen before, not the simple eight planets revolving and rotating around the sun, the stuff that they teach us in school, but biotic engineering, paleontology, and chaos theory, all things that teachers had never even attempted to teach us. I had always been entertained by science, the experiments, the facts, but never before has it been taught to me so deeply. Jurassic Park focuses on the very fabric of not only human nature but all of nature. From that point on, I was hooked into reading your books, which were all just as thrilling as the last. Each one featuring deep information that seemed untouched by standard school curriculum.

I enjoyed every character and was able to relate to them in some way. Hammond represented a lust for money, Arnold carelessness with technology, Grant bravery, and many more. Each seemed to be an allegory to a real world experiences and ideas.

One character, in particular, seemed to jump out at me the most. His name was Ian Malcolm, and I found him the most interesting. He thought in a way that no one else seemed to think, and that made me think, too. I started to understand his ideas and theories and I found them fascinating. I began to think about Chaos theory, and how the slightest change could upset the balance of important occurrences, such as the stock market, the weather, and the natural order of species on planet earth, and how if one group of members, from one species upsets another, all chaos will break loose. One theory that intrigued me was when Malcolm stated that billions of dollars had been wasted on predicting the weather. I soon realized how this could be possible, and how I had never even come to imagine the possibilities of how small changes in complex systems could completely alter them. However, the most marvelous theory of all was the theory Malcolm appeared to have created. That theory tied it all together in an imaginative and explanatory way. He used these theories to point out how unstable life is, and how creating life will completely offset the balance. It amazed me when I realized that one little mistake could completely change the existence of certain species. From the very beginning, he knew the end, and I thought that was brilliant foreshadowing.

Your books introduced me to a new understanding of science that I had never thought of before. After reading your books, I researched many scientific theories because of how creative and original they all seemed. This book changed my view on life, science, and the natural order overall. Everywhere I see life; I am amazed at such a beautiful yet theoretically unstable wonder of nature. Just to think of how everything could be gone in a flash makes me appreciate the things I have now. I mean, if life really is so fragile, then let's learn as much as we can in the time we have. Thank you Michael Crichton, for opening my eyes to a new world of discovery, fascination, and most of all, science.

Sincerely,
Tory Soma