The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
vanillafire's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
kwalks's review against another edition
4.0
Angier's approach is playful and smart and seems most suited to those educated in the liberal arts.
Word nerds will appreciate her vocabulary and her puns. Those with a passing interest in science will appreciate the real-world analogies.
Word nerds will appreciate her vocabulary and her puns. Those with a passing interest in science will appreciate the real-world analogies.
ntedeyan's review against another edition
2.0
Came so close to giving up on this one, multiple times... Her subject matter is fascinating, but her writing style is tedious, with copious forced puns. I love me a Dad Joke... Here and there. Not every third sentence.
abpetitex11's review against another edition
2.0
A struggle
I picked up this book hoping that I would finally be able to understand the variety of scientific concepts that seem so simple to scientists. Unfortunately, what I got was a dense explanation that didn’t really explain. Analogies that required a special knowledge base in and of themselves, making them useless at actually explaining the concept they were trying to clarify. I found only the evolution and astronomy sections even remotely understandable; however, they were the two aspects of science I already felt the most comfortable with. I would not recommend this book unless you already have a strong grounding in science.
I picked up this book hoping that I would finally be able to understand the variety of scientific concepts that seem so simple to scientists. Unfortunately, what I got was a dense explanation that didn’t really explain. Analogies that required a special knowledge base in and of themselves, making them useless at actually explaining the concept they were trying to clarify. I found only the evolution and astronomy sections even remotely understandable; however, they were the two aspects of science I already felt the most comfortable with. I would not recommend this book unless you already have a strong grounding in science.
woodge's review against another edition
4.0
Science is cool. I didn't think so back in high school but I like to think I've matured since then. Back then I evaded chemistry by taking an earth science course (Rocks for Jocks). Seems a shame because now I find that stuff very interesting. What Ms. Angier so ably and entertainingly covers in this slim -- under 300 pages -- volume is the scientific method, probabilities, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy. You don't have to be a Ph.D. to understand it either. I only wish some of my teachers in high school had been as interesting as Ms. Angier. (In particular, my physics teacher in high school was a waste of meat.) I've read about several of these subjects before in some other entertaining books. Two that come to mind are Innumeracy by John Paulos and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I'd recommend all of these books as they complement each other and if you're interested in learning cool stuff and filling in a few gaps in your knowledge, these three books are excellent and a good place to start. And Ms. Angier has some fun turning a good phrase here and there. One passage that stood out was one in which she explains just what it means to be a scientific theory. It should be taught in school. The rigorous work and facts behind an established theory (like, say, evolution) makes a statement like "Of course, it's just a theory," sound especially obtuse.
sbeganskas's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
ercm's review against another edition
3.0
Her metaphors and similes are often over the top. It's like she secretly thinks that everyone who reads her book will think science is boring so in an effort to make it as exciting as possible she gets a bit carried away...
rachel_b_824's review against another edition
4.0
Natalie Angier is a funny and engaging writer. The chapter on natural biology, which is mostly about evolution, is lovely and should be required reading in schools. The fact that my brain gags on anything to do with physics is entirely my fault and not at all hers.