askmashka's review

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adventurous informative relaxing medium-paced

deepgreensandblues's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

iammyowngodandmartyr's review against another edition

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3.0

I was hoping for something materials science focused, but this was more like a series of history of science lectures. It was usually interesting in a superficial kinda way although sometimes the stories felt random/disconnected and the conclusions seemed skewed towards "watch out, technology is unnatural => bad".

kiramke's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5

This exploration of moments in history through the lens of material science is a very interesting perspective, well-researched and informative.  Yes, there are a few comments on causality and conclusions I don't fully agree with, but that's the same for any commodity history and they are far outweighed by the value of the history that is included.  I'm curious how (certain reviewers) could say so much about a few sentences on the effect of texting on modern language while completely ignoring the section about Polaroid in South Africa. Curious.

blonberg's review

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*Audiobook

michaelgauchat's review against another edition

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adventurous informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

sharonskinner's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed the narrative approach to this look into materials science, related discoveries, and their impact on our daily lives.

I particularly appreciated the annotated bibliography, which provides a variety of resource materials for further investigation.

elementchaos's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

3.75

Was more about American history than I thought it was going to be. 

hannahkane's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

zeasea's review against another edition

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funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

A fascinating look at both the positive and negative impacts of some of the world's most important scientific developments. Some impacts are things you wouldn't expect and the author does a great job of introducing complex concepts in an understandable way.