philosophy

I like Bill Bryson's writing style. This is a book one wishes they read as a teenager. It really brings science alive. One feels like they are witnessing events as they occur in the first person. I like how Bryson takes scientific topics and makes them simple too understand. Bryson puts numbers in perspective and helps the reader understand the spatial enormity or complexity of the elements, atom, planets, and stars. Its easy to retell a Bryson story because they have good imagination well connect ideas that flow into an interesting story without sounding too intellectual. Like, "What is it like to be inside of an Cell? How do cells work? Who discovered DNA and why?" Question like these.

I think reading "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a great introduction to science, astronomy, biology, and geology. Bryson keeps the narrative down to earth, terminology to a minimum, and brings out interesting viewpoints on the birth of the cosmos, the self-repairing DNA, life on planet earth, and the composition of the earth.

Bryson did a job not boring the reader with the mysteries of science. Its entertaining reading and not difficult material to understand. Bryson presents thought provoking material that makes one want to read many other published books by Bryson.

This book is a travelogue of scientific discoveries and the people responsible for them. It is not a science textbook; it's an exploration of how we know what we know about the vastness of the universe down to the infinitesimal atoms that everything is made of. Bryson's chatty style makes this a pleasure to read. He injects humor into what would otherwise be a dry recitation of facts. The personalities of the people involved, the odd and interesting factoids, and the exploration of various dead-end theories make the story come alive.

Bryson is not a scientist, and this isn't intended to be a comprehensive, perfect guide to scientific knowledge. But if this book excites your interest and makes you want to know more about the details, it will have achieved its goal. Bryson includes a very thorough bibliography for those who want to delve into any particular subject.

One of the major themes in the book is that life itself is rather improbable, and a host of calamities may await the human race. But the book overall does not have a depressing outlook. Bryson does a good job of conveying excitement about the marvels contained in the universe and the wonder that can be found in the search for basic truths.

This book is aimed at people who either know very little about science, or who studied it in school and then forgot it all (my case). I read some of the reviews here and was shocked at how people criticize Bryson, especially saying he got scientific terms mixed up or had errors in his book. He is not a scientist and in my opinion that makes this book that much more impressive! Bryson devoted years of his life to learn this material, and to think we can take it all in by reading a book.. well it just doesn't seem fair! I was sad when I reached the end of the book, I wanted it to continue. I learned so much from this book, and it's interesting how many times the subject material in this book comes up in every day conversations.

Bryson approaches history from two angles: Astronomy and what we know about the universe, and Evolution and what we know about life on Earth. I learned so many things I didn't know. Fascinating facts such as that meteorites are used to date the earth with carbon dating (they're the same age). Meteorites contain proteins needed to build life. Human like species have been on Earth for 1 million years. After finishing this book, I find myself thinking about topics like these during my free time. That's how impressive this book is. If you love science, this won't be a book you just read and forget. It's a book that will teach you things you'll be thinking about for a long time.

Honestly I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you're interested in science, it is a must read.

Michael