December 6, 2004
This entertaining look at how electricity works and affects our daily lives is highlighted by Bodanis's charming narrative voice and by clever, fresh analogies that make difficult science accessible. Bodanis examines electricity's theoretical development and how 19th- and 20th-century entrepreneurs harnessed it to transform everyday existence. Going from "Wires" to "Waves" to computers and even the human body, Bodanis pairs electrical innovations with minibiographies of their developers, among them Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Guglielmo Marconi, Heinrich Herz and Alan Turing. In each case, Bodanis deepens his narrative by charting early failures—Edison's difficulty in finding a workable filament for the electric light bulb, for example—and financial struggles. And Bodanis can be a wry commentator on his subjects, noting, for example, how bedeviled Samuel Morse was by his telegraph patents—when the telegraph was actually invented by Joseph Henry, who refused to patent it. Surprisingly, Bodanis goes beyond the inorganic world of devices, delving deeply into the role electricity plays in the seemingly inhospitable "sloshing wet" human body, such as why being out in the cold makes us clumsy, or how alcohol works in the nervous system. Those who don't generally read science will find that Bodanis is a first-rate popularizer—as he also showed in his earlier E=MC
2—able to keep a happy balance between technical explanation and accessibility. Agent, Katinka Matson.
September 1, 2005
Many people think of electricity as that mind-numbing subject they daydreamed through during science class. Bodanis alternates amazingly clear, low-tech descriptions of scientific discoveries with fascinating biographical vignettes of the eccentric geniuses, unscrupulous entrepreneurs, and others who created today's electrical network. The author's phrasing is ideally suited to the audio format, and Del Roy's lucid reading style supports the listener in untangling a sometimes complex subject. This is a rare example of a popular science book that is both fun to listen to and informative, even for the nonscientist. While listeners looking for a detailed or comprehensive history of electricity may be disappointed, "Electric Universe" should be on the list of anyone trying to teach science to unengaged adolescents. Recommended for all libraries. -I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA
Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 4, 2005
Levy delivers a smart, crisp performance of Bodanis's enjoyable survey of the history of electricity. The text is mainly straight narration, with some diary excerpts and dialogue thrown in, but Levy wisely eschews character voices, letting the material—which is nicely augmented with compelling anecdotes and brief biographies of the scientists and inventors involved— speak for itself. In this way, listeners learn not only how Alexander Graham Bell developed the telephone, but also that his research was tied closely to his work with the deaf and his desire to win over a woman who had lost her hearing through illness. Levy's reading is nicely paced and features a direct, unembellished approach that works well for a book of science. Those looking for a lively popular science primer that will spark their curiosity could do no better than this fascinating audio. Simultaneous release with the Crown hardcover (Forecasts, Dec. 6, 2004).