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spamrisk's review against another edition
4.0
If I were smarter,
I think I'd like this book more.
Needed more pictures.
I think I'd like this book more.
Needed more pictures.
omegabeth's review against another edition
2.0
Not for me. Too much atomic science, not enough story. Nearly DNF, but after chapter 3 or so things did pick up. I also found that reading the endnotes as they came up helped me stay engaged. The writing is decent, and I could see that for the right person/brain/state of mind this could be a lot of fun, but did not enjoy it.
demosthenes's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Super interesting, I really liked it! I learned a lot, and I wasn't bogged down by boring descriptions. It was informational but not dry, and I always got a little kick of intellectual pleasure whenever I found a new little fun fact. It makes me feel unique, knowing about these elements (like that meme with one person at a party, and im the person, and im thinking 'nobody knows that polonium was found by Marie Curie and is named after the Latin word for Poland (Polonia) and not Polonius from Hamlet,' thats what im thinking).
inkfire's review against another edition
3.0
This book was super interesting and I learned a lot about chemistry and physics and history while I was reading. But there were also a ton of biases embedded in the narrative that didn't seem to be based on anything real.
Like the idea that the Periodic table was justified by research after it was made because the one we have now is as correct as it is possible to be, and any other arrangement of elements would therefore be wrong. Which he then disagreed with in the last chapter. It was weird.
It was all very interesting, though.
Like the idea that the Periodic table was justified by research after it was made because the one we have now is as correct as it is possible to be, and any other arrangement of elements would therefore be wrong. Which he then disagreed with in the last chapter. It was weird.
It was all very interesting, though.
megadeathvsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic piece of science writing. It's a fascinating look at the history of the periodic table. And that's way more interesting than you would think.
librarymouse's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The author is genuinely funny in his delivery of the material, making jokes and grounding theoretical subjects in tangible metaphors/analogies/examples. At a certain point, near the 3/4 mark of the book, the physics and chemistry started to go over my head, and kept at that level. The history aspect was consistently engaging and accessible to someone who hasn't had formal instruction in physics or chemistry for the better part of a decade The author consistently ties the biographical information and historical events back into the science science, referencing back to the individuals mentioned in earlier chapters as they came up again and again. Overall, a really engaging read. I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because I had to restart the book after my first attempt at the introduction and first chapter. That very well may have just been a me problem, and not the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Sexism, War, Torture, Car accident, Death, Genocide, Cancer, Violence, and Body horror
ptothelo's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed it thought it was pretty dense. It also brought back a lot of memories of chem classes and physics classes and how in another life I might have been a physicist. I love how some of this stuff really bends your mind. It a fun mix of science and history and in a way, psychology (of all the scientists).
My favorite story had to be the one where someone melted his friends' Nobel medals smuggled out of Germany so the Nazi's couldn't find it. It sat in a beaker in the lab as an orangish liquid. He went back after the war and isolated the gold again and the Nobel committee recasted the medals. A small and cool act of defiance among all the craziness. And wives trying to shield their husbands from Marie Curie? I never read about this back in HS
My favorite story had to be the one where someone melted his friends' Nobel medals smuggled out of Germany so the Nazi's couldn't find it. It sat in a beaker in the lab as an orangish liquid. He went back after the war and isolated the gold again and the Nobel committee recasted the medals. A small and cool act of defiance among all the craziness. And wives trying to shield their husbands from Marie Curie? I never read about this back in HS
lowells's review against another edition
2.0
Started of well but unfortunately became boring as the book went on. I actually enjoyed his style of writing, each chapter seemed to start well, however it then seemed to disintegrate into dull scientific speeches. I am sure some would enjoy this book but it wasn’t for me.