Book Club Monday: Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton Title: Jurassic Park Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Date Published: 11/20/1990

Read Dates: 05/31/2026- 06/04/2026
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This was my library book club pick for June.

Jurassic Park is a science fiction book set in the early 1990s about a private genetics company that finds a way to clone dinosaurs and wants to market them for entertainment purposes. But when the building of the park has more than a few snags, investors insist on an inspection by outside experts. The owner bring in several experts, including Dr. Grant, a paleontologist, Dr. Sattler, a paleobotanist, and Dr. Malcolm, a mathematician, along with his two young grandchildren, to tour the facility. But, predictably, dinosaurs are not the best zoo attractions and it quickly falls apart in a disastrous way!

I first read this in middle school and saw the movie several times over the years. The book is, in some ways, similar, but there are some significant differences. I remembered some of them but had forgotten a lot of them, so it was interesting to go back and read it again. It held up well, in my opinion, and I’m glad the book club picked this one!

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price.

Until something goes wrong. . . .

In Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton taps all his mesmerizing talent and scientific brilliance to create his most electrifying technothriller.