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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
The first few chapters were insightful but then the book started to dumb itself down with information that is quite commonly known.
Richard Dawkins, bestselling author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion, needs little introduction; and neither does illustrator Dave McKean, who has worked with a number of well-known authors, including Neil Gaiman, and was the creator behind the movie MirrorMask. Now the two have joined together to bring you a unique book of science and evolution called The Magic of Reality.
In the first chapter of The Magic of Reality, Richard Dawkins sets the stage with an important explanation of the differences between reality and how incredible it can be, and the impressiveness of magic and miracles and how they are just illusions and not real. The book explores a number of astonishing things about our world and universe, and how we have come to know it, such as: who the first person was, what things are made of, what is the sun, what is a rainbow, and what is an earthquake, to name a few. The last two chapters are perhaps the most important, as Dawkins talks about why bad things happen to people, and what exactly a miracle is.
The Magic of Reality is an important read for anyone who is uncertain about the world we live and how it came to be the way it is. Dawkins puts thoughts and sayings, extreme coincidences, good and bad luck in perspective, saying you may think it an incredible series of incidents to lead to a specific point that it may seem like there is some power or force behind it, but when you study each of those incidents on a scientific level, it all makes perfect sense to be just that: an incredible coincidence. Coupled with Dave McKean’s captivating and mind-blowing illustrations to help illustrate points and reveal the complexity of seemingly ordinary things, The Magic of Reality is an important book to have, whether you’re looking to help an adult make up their minds about something, or constructively and efficiently educating a youngster who is learning about science and the way of life.
Originally written on November 20, 2011 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews and exclusive interviews, go to BookBanter.
In the first chapter of The Magic of Reality, Richard Dawkins sets the stage with an important explanation of the differences between reality and how incredible it can be, and the impressiveness of magic and miracles and how they are just illusions and not real. The book explores a number of astonishing things about our world and universe, and how we have come to know it, such as: who the first person was, what things are made of, what is the sun, what is a rainbow, and what is an earthquake, to name a few. The last two chapters are perhaps the most important, as Dawkins talks about why bad things happen to people, and what exactly a miracle is.
The Magic of Reality is an important read for anyone who is uncertain about the world we live and how it came to be the way it is. Dawkins puts thoughts and sayings, extreme coincidences, good and bad luck in perspective, saying you may think it an incredible series of incidents to lead to a specific point that it may seem like there is some power or force behind it, but when you study each of those incidents on a scientific level, it all makes perfect sense to be just that: an incredible coincidence. Coupled with Dave McKean’s captivating and mind-blowing illustrations to help illustrate points and reveal the complexity of seemingly ordinary things, The Magic of Reality is an important book to have, whether you’re looking to help an adult make up their minds about something, or constructively and efficiently educating a youngster who is learning about science and the way of life.
Originally written on November 20, 2011 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews and exclusive interviews, go to BookBanter.
I wish I had kids to reads this book to. That does not seem like valid reason to have children though.
This is about a ninth grade general science level explanation of our best current general understanding of nature. It also contains one of Dawkins' gentler critiques of religion, especially Christianity. This would be a good recommendation for high school kids of average ability, with the hope that they will be motivated to ask for fuller explanations.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This time a book for teenagers.But Dawkins still has the ability to teavh science in a popular, easy to understand way. I did not learn anything new, but Dawkins style makes it a pleasure to read anyhow.
Buku dengan format seperti buku gambar dan 'dongeng' seputar 'realitas'. Format penulisannya sendiri seperti dongeng sains. Cocok dibaca di kala santai saat rehat untuk menambah pengetahuan umum. Cocok juga sebagai bahan 'diskusi' dengan anak-anak.
In The Magic of Reality, biologist Richard Dawkins addresses the science behind occurrences commonly given magical explanations in mythology and folklore. Dawkins contends that the world is poetically magical without needing to be supernatural, and he sets out to make us think differently about how amazing our current scientific knowledge really is. Even more refreshing, he freely admits when there is something that science does not yet fully understand. In twelve chapters, Dawkins introduces a natural phenomenon, such as the rainbow or earthquakes, describes some of the myths used to explain these occurrences in various cultures, and then explains what we really know about why these things happen.
The book is written at a level suitable for older children (iTunes recommends ages 9+), but even the adult reader may find a new perspective in these pages. Dawkins uses scientific thought experiments to get the reader to think differently about commonly known facts. For example, Dawkins asks the reader to stop for a moment and try to image what your 185 million-greats-grandfather looked like. If you imaged anything other than a fish, you might benefit from reading this book. (I imagined an ape, which is far too few greats.) However, some of these thought experiments are difficult to describe or visualize, such as when Dawkins tries to use pins and string to explain why a circle is a special case of an ellipse.
In the paperback edition of this book, to say that it is illustrated by Dave McKean is a bit of an overstatement. The only illustrations are the black and white pictures at the head of each chapter. In fact, most of McKean’s work on this book is only available in the hardcover and iPad editions of the book. The iPad app version of the book is colourfully illustrated and even animated by McKean. The illustrations, animations and in-book games are extremely useful because they concretize some of the thought experiments and concepts that are difficult to explain in words alone. For example, instead of trying to visualize Newton’s famous multi-prism experiment, one of the games gives you the opportunity to recreate it. And instead of trying to describe how the sound of English language has evolved in the last 500 years, the app includes an audio file of a reading from a portion of The Canterbury Tales. If you have an iPad, the app, which is $2 more than the iBook, blows the paperback edition of the book out of the water. The illustrations, animations, games and audio enhancements take the book from merely good to outstanding. But whatever edition you decide to buy, look carefully; there is a great deal of variability with this title.
3/5 Paperback edition
5/5 iPad edition
4/5 Average
The book is written at a level suitable for older children (iTunes recommends ages 9+), but even the adult reader may find a new perspective in these pages. Dawkins uses scientific thought experiments to get the reader to think differently about commonly known facts. For example, Dawkins asks the reader to stop for a moment and try to image what your 185 million-greats-grandfather looked like. If you imaged anything other than a fish, you might benefit from reading this book. (I imagined an ape, which is far too few greats.) However, some of these thought experiments are difficult to describe or visualize, such as when Dawkins tries to use pins and string to explain why a circle is a special case of an ellipse.
In the paperback edition of this book, to say that it is illustrated by Dave McKean is a bit of an overstatement. The only illustrations are the black and white pictures at the head of each chapter. In fact, most of McKean’s work on this book is only available in the hardcover and iPad editions of the book. The iPad app version of the book is colourfully illustrated and even animated by McKean. The illustrations, animations and in-book games are extremely useful because they concretize some of the thought experiments and concepts that are difficult to explain in words alone. For example, instead of trying to visualize Newton’s famous multi-prism experiment, one of the games gives you the opportunity to recreate it. And instead of trying to describe how the sound of English language has evolved in the last 500 years, the app includes an audio file of a reading from a portion of The Canterbury Tales. If you have an iPad, the app, which is $2 more than the iBook, blows the paperback edition of the book out of the water. The illustrations, animations, games and audio enhancements take the book from merely good to outstanding. But whatever edition you decide to buy, look carefully; there is a great deal of variability with this title.
3/5 Paperback edition
5/5 iPad edition
4/5 Average
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I don’t think this was intentionally written for children, but I think it’s perfect for kids who have a serious interest in science.
All of the science covered is pretty basic. But the presentation is so pleasant that I was never bored with it.
All of the science covered is pretty basic. But the presentation is so pleasant that I was never bored with it.