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This was pretty good, I definitely skipped around a lot, but the building blocks of our reality have such human stories behind them, it was cool to read about.
Lots of good learning. I’m not well trained in chemistry, but I was still able to understand most of the concepts.
funny
informative
lighthearted
It was a long read for me, but often engaging, funny, and inspiring. Though the author sometimes ends chapters poorly (attempts at deeper reflection on topics touched on falling flat), the majority of the book is a joy to read, even when the topic is a little beyond my grasp (and it never lingers on one topic for too long). Overall I enjoyed it and I'm glad I read it.
There were some interesting tidbits/stories here and there, but overall it just dragged on. Definitely didn't grab my interest. Doesn't feel very accessible to a non-scientific mind.
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I just couldn't get into this book. Lots of information, and the author tried really hard to make it interesting. Unfortunately, it was too much like college chemistry, which wasn't all too pleasant the first time around.
I finally decided I just wasn't enjoying it, and moved on.
I finally decided I just wasn't enjoying it, and moved on.
funny
informative
medium-paced
Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: war crimes, human experimentation, mention of racism, misogyny
Content warnings: war crimes, human experimentation, mention of racism, misogyny
Sam Kean weaves a yarn that takes a trip through the entire periodic table. It’s mostly in order by linear history and delves into a bit about how the table itself can be a communication tool with extra-terrestrials beings (which are more likely to exist than one might think).
Much like The Icepick Surgeon, Kean delivers again on engaging storytelling with appropriate historical context, where madness isn’t as much the focus as it is an emergent property of scientific history.
Where was this book when I was in high school and college? The way Kean presents otherwise complicated physics and chemistry concepts with such empathy for his audience. He wants readers to understand the fundamentals before getting into the complexities that are foundational to contemporary physics – especially nuclear physics. The footnotes are also particularly helpful, if at times glib, but do a great job pointing back and referencing stories and concepts introduced in earlier parts of the book.
The contextualization in particular is most impressive. Kean provides historical grounding for why elements were named the way their were, the near-misses of “discovery,” and how credit gets attributed between scientists. It’s where the book shines and makes it such a neat account despite the dry-at-first-glance subject matter.
