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A review by thayerbowen
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
informative
slow-paced
2.0
This was published in 2002. It has not aged well. The bit about viruses and pandemics is to be expectedly both naive “they had to wear masks!” and threatening “we don’t know if there could be a pandemic any at now”. The any day now also applies to Yellowstone National Park blowing up. As of this review it has not blown up, to borrow Bryson’s dry wit, which he has in spades.
Lots of science has progressed amazingly in the past 20 years, of what I know has changed is the definite confirmation that we all have Neanderthal genes, climate change is happening. Problem that are resolving: the ozone hole.
A good read but don’t take the conclusions as fact. Not Bryson’s fault but I had to down-star as a result.
Lots of science has progressed amazingly in the past 20 years, of what I know has changed is the definite confirmation that we all have Neanderthal genes, climate change is happening. Problem that are resolving: the ozone hole.
A good read but don’t take the conclusions as fact. Not Bryson’s fault but I had to down-star as a result.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
I may have missed some content warnings. Not all warnings apply to the author, often he is reporting awful things said historically. Also big content warning for a section on bugs that … could-habitate with us.