Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman

 

Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman and narrated by Peter Ganim is my second read (or listen rather) I finished during the month of September 2023.

I am most definitely not a science geek! With the exception of biology, I always shied away from the sciences and math in high school and college. I wish I hadn't been so disinterested in learning more about math or science now, as I find these areas fascinating, especially the sciences in general. Not to mention, my husband is a scientist and his job sounds like one I'd love to be doing as a career.

Bare with me here on how I ended up choosing to read Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman. First off the topic of invisible light and its history did sound intriguing. Additionally, my husband's college educational background is in physics as he has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics. My husband focused his area of attention/studies in graduate school on optics, photonics, and lasers. So, the subject matter contained within Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light is essentially stuff he is very familiar with as he has applied what he has learned to his choice of career. I ended up choosing to listen to Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman not only out of interest, but also because it would be fun to discuss what I was learning with my husband. I was also able to ask my husband questions I had about the different topics I was hearing discussed in the book, which was great as it helped me understand some of the concepts I was curious about in more detail.

Now for the review of Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman. I truly enjoyed this book! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading nonfiction, science, and physics related books especially. This book is well narrated, well organized, and covers a lot of ground! I learned so much from this book. If you aren't a science geek, you'll still be able to enjoy this book and learn a lot.

Below is the publisher's summary for Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman I discovered on the Goodreads website:

How much do you know about the radiation all around you?

Your electronic devices swarm with it; the sun bathes you in it. It's zooming at you from cell towers, microwave ovens, CT scans, mammogram machines, nuclear power plants, deep space, even the walls of your basement. You cannot see, hear, smell or feel it, but there is never a single second when it is not flying through your body. Too much of it will kill you, but without it you wouldn't live a year.

From beloved popular science writer Bob Berman, Zapped tells the story of all the light we cannot see, tracing infrared, microwaves, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays, radio waves and other forms of radiation from their historic, world-altering discoveries in the 19th century to their central role in our modern way of life, setting the record straight on health costs (and benefits) and exploring the consequences of our newest technologies.

Lively, informative, and packed with fun facts and "eureka moments," Zapped will delight anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of our world.

I am giving Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!