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Most Helpful Reviews
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Liked It “Clearly a must for all modern human beings, Scientologists excluded... obviously.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “An enthusiastic skim across some of the basics, but not as readable or informative as other popular science books, for example A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, or Cosmos by Carl Sagan” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“She makes science sound like fun.”
Jan K wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Clearly a must for all modern human beings, Scientologists excluded... obviously.”
Taylor B wrote this review Friday, October 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Brilliantly written. Witty. Smart. Fascinating. I could go on and on. She made really complicated subjects - not easy, but readable. It is a good book, an important book, and an extremely well written book.”
Mike Mather wrote this review Wednesday, October 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“An enthusiastic skim across some of the basics, but not as readable or informative as other popular science books, for example A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, or Cosmos by Carl Sagan”
Brian H wrote this review Thursday, September 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Decent, broad overview of basic science topics, but her writing style really put me off.”
Alexander T wrote this review Saturday, June 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The basics of science told in a way you nvr thought was possible”
Varun M wrote this review Friday, June 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An amazing vocabulary, that Natalie Angier has. And quite a way with the clever similes and metaphors. Overall I liked the science, but wished she had spent a little more time with the "so what." Her introduction makes a convincing case for science literacy, but then the follow up isn't there in later chapters. Nonetheless, it was worth the time--very funny at times--and definitely educational. One real drawback--no diagrams or pictures. How can you talk about science without pictures!? The first couple chapters which aren't really about a particular science, but about how science works (probability, measurement, etc.) were fascinating.”
Kimberly A wrote this review Tuesday, March 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The topic covered has many of its own amazing hidden diamonds from the smallest of subatomic particles to the ever-spanning universe. I found the verbiage to be distracting bordering on self-grandeur. I had difficulty sorting out what the book was about; the wonders of science or how many quips could be made in the same paragraph. ”
bob r wrote this review Saturday, March 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It's a well written book with efficient prose, but fairly bland in content. If you're interested in science, you won't find any new information, and most of it is much too simplified. On the other hand, you can paraphrase her layman's explanations to explain things to other people. ”
Alice in Madness wrote this review Monday, February 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Overview: Editorial Review.
The Literary Hammer wrote this review Thursday, January 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
In this exuberant book, the best-selling author Natalie Angier distills the scientific canon to the absolute essentials, delivering an entertaining and inspiring one-stop science education. Angier interviewed a host of scientists, posing the simple question "What do you wish everyone knew about your field?" The Canon provides their answers, taking readers on a joyride through the fascinating fundamentals of the incredible world around us and revealing how they are relevant to us every day. Angier proves a rabble-rousing, wisecracking, deeply committed tour guide in her irresistible exploration of the scientific process and the basic concepts of physics, chemistry, evolutionary biology, cellular and molecular biology, geology, and astronomy. Even science-phobes will find her passion infectious as she strives "to make the invisible visible, the distant neighborly, the ineffable affable." ”
