Ackerman, a poet, New Yorker writer, and author of On Extended Wings (1985), offers a luscious tribute to the joys of corporeality. Eager to appear sophisticated and civilized, modem-day human beings tend to ignore the physical world—so claims Ackerman as she sets out to re-create in her uniquely luxuriant prose the experiences of touch, taste, hearing, vision, and smell. Eh. cased in pantyhose or three-piece suits, surrounded by smog, noise and fluorescent light, preoccupied with worldly concerns and too rushed to pay attention to outside stimuli, we miss the variations of scent in a rose garden, the flash of green in the sky just after sunset, the sensations offered by a whiff of eucalyptus at a corner flower stall. Certainly no more appropriate writer exists than this romantic stylist to snap us back to our mammalian origins, a feat achieved as she guides us through a Manhattan, perfume laboratory, an aromatic massage session, and a delicious high-protein lunch designed to stimulate the mind. Accompanying widely known facts regarding the workings of our nose, eyes, ears, and mouth are such intriguing tidbits as: ginger fights motion sickness better than Dramamine; Charles Dickens instantly reexperienced the anguish of his early years whenever he caught a whiff of a certain kind of paste; and "Caesar," "kaiser," and "tsar" all mean "long-haired," which means virile. Though her enthusiasm does occasionally exceed reasonable bounds ("Symbolic of life, hair bolts from our head") and her emotionality can veer toward the maudlin (inhaling the scene of a eucalyptus branch, she bursts into tears), Ackerman's intentions are honorable—and her passion for the world around her is contagious.
Pub Date: June 1, 1990
ISBN: 0679735666
Page Count: 356
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1990
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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