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A review by bailey_bea
American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron
3.0
"A total eclipse is a primal, transcendent experience. The shutting off of the sun does not bring utter darkness; it is more like falling through a trapdoor into a dimly lit, unrecognizable reality. The sky is not the sky of the earth-neither the star-filled dome of night nor the immersive blue of daylight, but an ashen ceiling of slate."
I grabbed this book after experiencing the magnificent total solar eclipse of August 2017. American Eclipse describes a young country recovering from a bloody war, coping with social change, and thirsting to be considered equal with Europe. Or that's at least how the book starts. Baron goes on to introduce a number of scientists, including James Craig Watson and Thomas Edison, and focuses on their lives before, during, and after the eclipse. So much so, it sometimes seems the book is just a compendium of small biographies and scientific rivalries.
While the actual information provided in American Eclipse is interesting, the book itself is quite tedious. I never really enjoyed reading it. In fact, I was ecstatic to find out that of its 330 pages, the book ends on page 238 (the latter half is used for notes, indices, and bibliographic information).
I grabbed this book after experiencing the magnificent total solar eclipse of August 2017. American Eclipse describes a young country recovering from a bloody war, coping with social change, and thirsting to be considered equal with Europe. Or that's at least how the book starts. Baron goes on to introduce a number of scientists, including James Craig Watson and Thomas Edison, and focuses on their lives before, during, and after the eclipse. So much so, it sometimes seems the book is just a compendium of small biographies and scientific rivalries.
While the actual information provided in American Eclipse is interesting, the book itself is quite tedious. I never really enjoyed reading it. In fact, I was ecstatic to find out that of its 330 pages, the book ends on page 238 (the latter half is used for notes, indices, and bibliographic information).