Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by tonstantweader
Decoding the World: How the Future of Humanity Is Mutating by Po Bronson, Arvind Gupta
4.0
Decoding the World is a collection of essays going back and forth between authors Po Bronson and Arvind Gupta. Each essay is introduced from a real news headline though how directly or tangentially those headlines relate to the subject varies widely.
Arvind Gupta founded IndioBio and this year, Po Bronson took over as managing director as Gupta went elsewhere. As part of this transition, they co-wrote this book capturing the excitement of the massive changes in how we understand the world through science and looking at the threats to humanity and the planet with some ideas for improvements, even in health care reform.
From saving the bees to creating life, Bronson and Gupta takes us on a wild bioscience ride that is mind-blowing. I often had to stop and read something again not so much to understand it but to accept it. An understanding was fairly easy as both Bronson and Gupta are skilled at communicating complex ideas with effective metaphors and clear prose.
Decoding the World is an excellent introduction to the wild frontier of bioengineering, DNA hacking, and RNA funkiness. It also addresses serious issues such as climate change, inequality and health care reform. Bronson and Gupta are bold thinkers and clear leaders. They write well, explain clearly, and know a lot about a lot.
I did not care for their gimmicky way of introducing ideas with texts or conversations between them. It simply felt like a strategy for two smart men to appear more relatable for those who may be in awe of their intellect. For me, it felt like condescension. I would l like the book better without it.
The danger for people who know a lot is to think they know everything - or at least know how to give their opinion on how to fix everything even when it's completely out of their wheelhouse. The chapter on health care costs was excruciating, a technocrat commenting from the outside and completely missing the point. He had the idea of addressing health the way we would address climate change - but seriously decarbonizing our diet would be good. It won't fix a broken arm for a twelve-year-old child whose parents have no health insurance. Proposing tort reform before universal health care is the sign of someone who really should go back to the drawing board.
But these are small complaints about a book that I like very much. All in all, I like the book and find it an optimistic and ambitious look into the future.
Decoding the World will be published October 6th. I received an ARC from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/decoding-the-world-by-po-bronson-and-arvind-gupta/
Arvind Gupta founded IndioBio and this year, Po Bronson took over as managing director as Gupta went elsewhere. As part of this transition, they co-wrote this book capturing the excitement of the massive changes in how we understand the world through science and looking at the threats to humanity and the planet with some ideas for improvements, even in health care reform.
From saving the bees to creating life, Bronson and Gupta takes us on a wild bioscience ride that is mind-blowing. I often had to stop and read something again not so much to understand it but to accept it. An understanding was fairly easy as both Bronson and Gupta are skilled at communicating complex ideas with effective metaphors and clear prose.
Decoding the World is an excellent introduction to the wild frontier of bioengineering, DNA hacking, and RNA funkiness. It also addresses serious issues such as climate change, inequality and health care reform. Bronson and Gupta are bold thinkers and clear leaders. They write well, explain clearly, and know a lot about a lot.
I did not care for their gimmicky way of introducing ideas with texts or conversations between them. It simply felt like a strategy for two smart men to appear more relatable for those who may be in awe of their intellect. For me, it felt like condescension. I would l like the book better without it.
The danger for people who know a lot is to think they know everything - or at least know how to give their opinion on how to fix everything even when it's completely out of their wheelhouse. The chapter on health care costs was excruciating, a technocrat commenting from the outside and completely missing the point. He had the idea of addressing health the way we would address climate change - but seriously decarbonizing our diet would be good. It won't fix a broken arm for a twelve-year-old child whose parents have no health insurance. Proposing tort reform before universal health care is the sign of someone who really should go back to the drawing board.
But these are small complaints about a book that I like very much. All in all, I like the book and find it an optimistic and ambitious look into the future.
Decoding the World will be published October 6th. I received an ARC from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/decoding-the-world-by-po-bronson-and-arvind-gupta/