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Jamie's Reviews > A Short History of Nearly Everything
A Short History of Nearly Everything
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Good grief if I had even one textbook half this enthralling in high school, who knows what kind of impassioned -ologist I would have grown up to be. I hereby petition Bryson to re-write all curriculum on behalf of the history of the world.
I would run across things half-remembered from midterms and study guides and think, "You mean this is what they were talking about? You have got to be kidding me." It's never condescending, always a joy.
In fact, what I loved most is the acute, childlike sense of wonder seeping through the pages. How fantastic little we know about the world in which we live. All the great scientific leaps fallen through the cracks, all the billions of leaps that will never be made, every scientist who with an amiable grin shrugs to say, "I don't know. We don't know. Who has any idea?" The world is a magically baffling, enchanting place, and after nearly everything there is infinitesimally more.
I would run across things half-remembered from midterms and study guides and think, "You mean this is what they were talking about? You have got to be kidding me." It's never condescending, always a joy.
In fact, what I loved most is the acute, childlike sense of wonder seeping through the pages. How fantastic little we know about the world in which we live. All the great scientific leaps fallen through the cracks, all the billions of leaps that will never be made, every scientist who with an amiable grin shrugs to say, "I don't know. We don't know. Who has any idea?" The world is a magically baffling, enchanting place, and after nearly everything there is infinitesimally more.
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Reading Progress
April 1, 2009
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April 1, 2009
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Finished Reading
April 16, 2009
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Ashley
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rated it 4 stars
Apr 29, 2009 10:37AM
Okay, you are so right about Bryson. He is a magical wordsmith. But the part about how the huge ass volcano under Yellowstone that was supposed to explode like 100,000 years ago is going to do that really soon and kill us all? Could have lived without it.
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Your review made me drool. But honestly, thanks to you I found out a part of what I was looking for. Everything that is.
PLEASE READ* Do you remember when he talked about stromatolites-the ancient rock structure dated from 3.5 billion years ago, made from cynobacteria-blue/green algae. He says the scientist agree that these were the first origins of life. My question is how do scientist know that the rock is the object that is 3.5 billion yrs old and not the organisms? Because the organisms could just have appeared when man first appeared.(Adam and Eve)
Hi Kenny. I don’t remember off-hand what he said about stromatolites. It’s been a few years since I’ve read the book and I’ve read a lot more since. But, some research and Google searches should turn up some more information on it if you’re curious. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, I think the dating of stromatolites has them much older than 3.5 billion years. Closer to tens of billions of years.In any case, the science involved in dating them is much more rigorous than mistaking the age of the organisms for the age of the rock. You might want to do some reading on evolutionary theory if you haven’t already. The story of Adam and Eve is the Bible’s account of creation, which doesn’t fit at all into the scientific theories of how life appeared on earth.
You have said it all for me. I absolutely agree.
To Jamie: I don't mean to sound bad, and your review was really helpful, but on the topic of stromatolites: the Earth itself is only 4.5 billion years old. Life on earth originated around 3.5 billion years ago, so stromatolites could never be tens of billions of years old.
To Jamie: I don't mean to sound bad, and your review was really helpful, but on the topic of stromatolites: the Earth itself is only 4.5 billion years old. Life on earth originated around 3.5 billion years ago, so stromatolites could never be tens of billions of years old.
You review is exactly what I wanted to write.
I agree with you Martijn and of course with Jamie too. If there only were some pictures too!
This is a very interesting point of view. It would be very nice if the author wrote a textbook, then it would be a lot easier and nicer.
No intellectual ladder necessary to mount this flying steed.
Every teachers should be that enlightening.
Word!! So sad spend so many precious hours, not learning.
Perfect review of this book!
Great post!😂
You mirror my thoughts exactly . Totally agree !!!!
Hi Jamie. I had hoped that my review would help to motivate people to read this wonderful book. Then I read yours and realized that all the motivation necessary had already been posted!
I'd like to read this book again.
If there's a petition to have Bryson re-write history or geography textbooks I'll definitely sign it. Totally agree.
A lot of precious time was wasted in my early education…I think I would have been an inspired - oologist of some sort , as well. There is synaptic-plasticity now, never too late!!
Agreed 100 percent! I hated science in school because I found it so boring and dry. But after reading this book, it makes it so much more exciting to learn about! Though I couldn't see myself as a scientist and dealing with all that math, it sure is fascinating to learn about and try to comprehend and Bryson does an incredible job of putting it all into laymen's terms.
Loved it. Wish Bryson would update to 2023
Sold. Just because or your review I’m reading him for the first time
