A book offers a history of science and the figures who helped develop its major pillars, presented in a biographical style to raise interest in the discipline.
In this “science story,” the development of four of the most important topics in the study of mathematics, chemistry, and physics—energy, entropy, atoms, and quantum mechanics—is presented with an in-depth look at the experts whose inquiries and experimentations established them. This includes the influences, upbringings, and reputations of these trailblazers as well as the not always receptive times they worked in. Energy’s origins are traced back to Galileo’s interests in Euclid and Aristotle, then up to Isaac Newton’s laws of motion and beyond. Entropy looks at the growth of Sadi Carnot and the competing work by both Rudolf Clausius and William Thomson, only to be set aside by later scientists such as James Clerk Maxwell. The atom’s discovery is told from the earliest notions in Greek culture, with its understanding through history tied to a battle between rational study and spiritual pressures. Scientists ranging from John Dalton to J.J. Thomson and Niels Bohr labored not only under the scientific burden of proof, but societal measures of acceptance as well. The quantum mechanics section examines Albert Einstein and his work up until his death as well as those who preceded him in the development of what would become quantum theory. Throughout, their research or their inspirations and interactions with one another (when historically possible) are chronicled, while simple, approachable examples of what they’re attempting to prove or disprove are demonstrated by the author. Bembenek (Calculation of the Surface Tension of Oxygen Using Molecular-Dynamics Simulations, 2006, etc.) employs a largely casual narrative tone, never talking down to his readers even when broaching big ideas. Overall, the book acknowledges that scientific theories and experimentation can be seen as boring or tedious and encourages readers to engage with the material in a manner comfortable for them. The volume suggests starting with the concepts readers feel ready to tackle while skipping certain mathematical equations or illustrations they are not yet ready for. Extensive citations and a full bibliography with thorough footnotes should give interested readers numerous reasons to revisit the personable text and seek out other works. A superb resource for science fans or those struggling to understand the subject; an impressive fit in an age of Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson Web videos.
Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 315
Publisher: Zoari Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular...
A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.
Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8840-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
