Publisher's Weekly Review
In this informative, casual narrative, Miodownik (Stuff Matters), a science professor at University College London, gives a guided tour of the strange, wondrous liquids that flow through everyday life. He compresses myriad science lessons into one transatlantic flight on the theory that "there is no better way to illustrate the power and delight we gain from controlling liquids than by taking a look at those involved in the flight of an airplane and the experience of the passengers onboard." From beverage cart and lavatory to sky and tarmac, he finds stories waiting in every conceivable corner. Tea, for instance, started its existence as an assortment of "shoots on a seemingly unremarkable evergreen shrub" which modern-day humans' ancestors didn't notice for millennia. Wine is a vessel for the "dissolved ethanol you're about to consume." Overhead air conditioning exists thanks to "some of the most dangerous liquids on the planet." Even the humble ink needed to fill out a customs form is a marvel, because flowing and solidifying in the right order, and consistently and fast, "is much trickier than it looks." This popular science work straightforwardly and clearly explains "the mysterious properties of liquids and how we have come to rely on them" in a novel, engaging manner. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Miodownik writes an engaging companion to his previous book, Stuff Matters, painting a picture of our relationship with liquids ("a form of matter in which molecules swim around") via a narrative cleverly structured around a transatlantic flight. The volume includes many hands-on examples, not surprising coming from the director of the Institute of Making (Univ. Coll. London). Some of these are funny as well as instructive, such as when inadvertently drooling on his seat mate while sleeping on a flight leads to a discussion of bodily fluids. The one-word chapter titles concisely describe many of the characteristics of liquids: explosive, sticky, refreshing, fantastic, and sustainable. Each chapter discusses the chemistry (with many illustrations of chemical structures), as well as the physics, biology, history, and social impact of different types of liquids, from kerosene to mucus. Along the way, Miodownik dispels common myths relating to liquids and introduces overlooked scientists such as student Alfred Nobel's professor, Ascanio Sobrero, who first synthesized nitroglycerin. VERDICT This imminently readable book straddles both science and social science and should be enjoyable to readers of high school age through adult.-Sara R. Tompson, Lawrence, KS © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.