kickerdad - , reviewed on 12/30/2010 + 123 more book reviews

Another Bill Bryson classic. With Bill's classic mastery of words and scything wit, he forays into physics, geology, paleontology, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, and a few other fields to comment on and entertain us with a different perspective on issues such as the creation of the universe, the improbability of our own existence, evolution, formation of the earth, genetics, and much, much more. Sprinkled with intriguing and often humorous anecdotal stories about the characters (such as Einstein and Newton) that many of us learned about in school as well as many, many names most have never heard of who were significant and sometimes infamous in the development of our understanding of what we know today. Or maybe I should say what we think we know, because on nearly every turn of the page, Bill illustrates that what we were taught in school may or may not, and more likely not, be true.

The book is hefty and daunting when you first pick it up. However, it is a great read for folks who don't have lots of time to read because the information is presented in chunks of various sizes that enable it to be put down at any time and still feel satisfied. This was often a good thing for me because I gave me time to consider the most recent page/chapter/topic that I read. And the pondering made the book even more enjoyable.

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