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This book was a lot of fun. It is like "don't know much about the periodic table". It reads quickly, and is organized by column and explains the elements in each column and how they interact with each other and how they relate to their neighbors. The book also details anomalies around elements, how they were discovered and what purpose they have.
challenging
funny
informative
slow-paced
Fascinating read with loads of information about chemistry and physics, but also history, trade, relationships, wars and so much more! Not always easy to follow when your chemistry lessons are a distant memory, but the author makes a real effort to simplify the material and make it compréhensible to everyone. Awesome book!
Great book and history of the periodic table. I've read quite a bit of scientific non-fiction, and I was impressed with the number of stories about elements and their history I had never heard before that Sean Kean reported quite well (though sometimes a bit long-windedly and a few too many cliches). I was very intrigued by the stories of molybdenum, one of my favorite elements and its use by the Germans in WWI who acquired it illegally from a Colorado mine. Also the story of Fritz Haber was fascinating, had no idea he was such an evil guy. I'd never heard of the natural nuclear fission reactions at Oklo in Gabon either. Really a wonderful read for scientists and non-scientists alike.
Most fun I've had with a lay science book since Dr Scott's Dinosaur Odyssey.
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A good book, but i found that it couldn't hold my attention at this time.
There’s a reason it took 2 months for me to get through this. There are definitely some really interesting bits, but then there are all these sections where he rambles on and I got bored. And it’s not because I am not a science person because I most definitely am. I had to force myself to continue this book and now I’m rejoicing that I’m done. Off my to do list and going in hiding in my bookshelf.
I HIGHLY enjoyed this book. So fun, fascinating, and educational.