Scan barcode
miocyon's review against another edition
2.0
Writing about the entire history of the universe is hard to do in a way that is accessible and doesn't take up 30 volumes. This books tries to do it in 115 pages, and doesn't do a great job of it. It says right off the bat that it's a vanity project of a well-known geophysicist, and it feels like it. The book is strongest in the parts that he knows well, and laughably inadequate (or down right wrong) in the parts he doesn't (e.g., the chapter on human evolution). We tried this as a book for a broad, multi-quarter general education sciences class that I teach (it was chosen by one of my co-instructors), and I wouldn't use it again. Too glib, lacking in illustration, and uneven, a chapter or two of it may be useful, but as whole, unsatisfying. Wait for my own vanity project on the topic...
tessa_grayreading's review against another edition
4.0
I'm starting to realize that I like listening to non-fiction audiobooks about space and (some) physics, even though I'm also the first to admit that maybe that isn't the best way to actually absorb or understand the information (and also that I'm not really gifted when it comes to science). I'm completely fine with that, though. The narrator for this does a great job and Bercovici is obviously a great professor, his writing is concise and clear with a bit of fun sprinkled in and he does a great job of explaining, well, everything, in this small book. I mostly enjoyed listening to so much knowledge and intelligence and even learned a few things, so overall I was very happy with the book. The only thing I really didn't care about was the biology part towards the end and how humans came to be, because I feel like that's the only part of all this I was taught repeatedly and I also think that it didn't fit the rest of the book, I think it should have stopped with the explanation of how life came to be, which is why this book didn't get the full five stars. I'd still definitely recommend the book though!
raviwarrier's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't appreciate that most of the book was dedicated to covering geological history. I understand that the author is a geologist, but not covering the physics and biology of everything in depth just seemed incomplete and biased.
Bill Bryson's Short History is a far better book if you want to read about the subject. Of course, it's not ~100 pages, but ~3x more.
Bill Bryson's Short History is a far better book if you want to read about the subject. Of course, it's not ~100 pages, but ~3x more.
mystereity's review against another edition
4.0
See my full review at Mystereity Reviews
David Bercoivci's The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less) is actually closer to 150 pages, which still makes it a short, concise book considering there's 14 billion years of history packed into it.
I've always had an interest in the origins of the universe and life on Earth, but my knowledge is rudimentary. Before starting the book, I'd say my knowledge of the subject was pretty basic, limited to a few college courses years ago, some science documentaries on tv and an article here and there.
The author admits that "the goal of this book is not meant to be deep and comprehensive, but instead to be boldly (or badly) shallow and superficial in the best sense of these words." Which is a good thing, because although the book is written to be understood by anyone, part of it were still over my head. I had to read this bit by bit, because it was easy to overload on the information and at that point, it was hard for me to absorb the information. So I'd take a break for a bit, then go back to it.
Starting with The Big Bang and the formation of Earth, continuing through plate techtonics and finally the evolution of life on Earth, The section that interested me the most was the formation of our planet, including how and why Earth is the only temperate and habitable planet. I was fascinated by the explanations that answered many of the questions I had, such as why Venus didn't evolve like our planet did and even raised new questions that I can explore.
Overall, The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less) is an excellent book that covers the basics of Planetary physics and Geophysics and is a great overview for those starting out in learning, or who want to expand their knowledge.
Thank you to Yale University Press and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
David Bercoivci's The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less) is actually closer to 150 pages, which still makes it a short, concise book considering there's 14 billion years of history packed into it.
I've always had an interest in the origins of the universe and life on Earth, but my knowledge is rudimentary. Before starting the book, I'd say my knowledge of the subject was pretty basic, limited to a few college courses years ago, some science documentaries on tv and an article here and there.
The author admits that "the goal of this book is not meant to be deep and comprehensive, but instead to be boldly (or badly) shallow and superficial in the best sense of these words." Which is a good thing, because although the book is written to be understood by anyone, part of it were still over my head. I had to read this bit by bit, because it was easy to overload on the information and at that point, it was hard for me to absorb the information. So I'd take a break for a bit, then go back to it.
Starting with The Big Bang and the formation of Earth, continuing through plate techtonics and finally the evolution of life on Earth, The section that interested me the most was the formation of our planet, including how and why Earth is the only temperate and habitable planet. I was fascinated by the explanations that answered many of the questions I had, such as why Venus didn't evolve like our planet did and even raised new questions that I can explore.
Overall, The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less) is an excellent book that covers the basics of Planetary physics and Geophysics and is a great overview for those starting out in learning, or who want to expand their knowledge.
Thank you to Yale University Press and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
More...