Book Review - A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

Descended from the apes! My dear, let us hope that it is not true, but if it is, let us pray that it will not become generally known.
-Remark attributed to the wife of the Bishop of Worcester after Darwin's theory of evolution was explained to her

I can picture myself seated in a well-lit-cave like classroom, scratching my head in the hope of arriving at the fourth 'advantage' of biogas plants( advantage of biogas plants over what wasn't specified in the question, but presumably advantage of their existence over their non-existence). Biogas plants needed to have 4 advantages as it was a 2 mark question, which implicitly meant that each advantage was worth half mark. I thought my first 'advantage' was twice as important as the other two, and was justifiably worth one full mark. Obviously the teacher didn't agree with me on this, and to compound my misery, upon receiving my answer sheet, I learnt that I'd lost more marks as my biogas plant was not drawn neatly enough. I was tempted to point out that biogas plants contained manure, and consequently weren’t expected to be neat, and that I'd tried to capture some of that feel in my drawing. I desisted, for I knew her favorite one-liner (or two worder) to be 'minus five!'

If you have a similar tale of woes to share, and treat science books and teachers to be sinister entities well worth avoiding, and expect much printed boredom adorning the book's pages, be prepared for total liberation (I should mention that this isn't the first popular science book I've read.). For one, Bryson doesn't ask you to draw neat labeled diagrams of biogas plants, and ask you to send it over to him for his critical evaluation. Nor does he assault you with a graded questionnaire at the end of the book. Instead he helps you imbibe a lot of good science, and dare I say it- have fun along the way. Bryson takes you an exciting journey that covers a short history of -well nearly everything! From the magnificently distant quasars, the tantalizingly inscrutable big bang, the extremely retiring dinosaurs to the shamelessly promiscuous carbon atom( So much for live life dino size!) , nothing worth a mention escapes his scrutiny. Besides these, Bryson also touches upon Geology, Taxonomy, Paleontology, Chemistry, Particle physics, evolution, DNA, and a lot more!

If you love hearing about what all the eccentric folks are up to , rub your hands in glee, for a sumptuous feast awaits you. Eccentric folks abound here. At times one can't help but think that Bryson picks his scientists not primarily for their contribution to the field, but for the variety and flavour that they bring to the human race.

Sample this - Bryson says ' Darwin played piano to worms'. Fair enough - we all have our hobbies. Bryson is curiously silent on what the worms had to say about this( Worms are rather reticent, aren't they). Given that it's been well over a century since Darwin affectionately engaged in this serenading, and the fact that worms continue to remain earth-bound, and haven't sprouted wings, they presumably did not find the experience - uplifting. I personally think he might have had more success with fish (provided he played the right scales, of course)

There is an unsettling theme that emerges as you make your way through this book. Every so often in science, progress in a field comes to a halt, and seems to need intervention from an incompetent outsider, as history shows again and again. Acclaimed experts in the field hunt for a solution with no success, that miraculously is eventually supplied by an outsider trespassing in their domain. Of course these 'incompetent' folks are treated with much disdain which only seems to slow down the progress, until their views are attached any importance at all. The secret to discovering a solution to a complicated problem seems to lie in naivety. So if you want to enter a field that you are clueless about, history shows that you are eminently qualified.

Bryson offers some survival tips. Don't venture near dormant volcanoes. Lightning and earthquakes might leave you to deal with an electrifying or grave situation. In fact Bryson tells you again and again why should've been history by now, or come to think of it, should never have had an opportunity to have been a part of history. He offers several reasons, all of which are ludicrous enough to be believable, that seek to explain why humans shouldn't be here. He reminds you again and again how lucky you are. And all this repeated luck-reminding is not a necessarily a bad thing- an overpaid overworked soul can occasionally do with some positive reinforcement :)

On the downside, Bryson at times offers explanations that are at best ambiguous. The eccentricity bits are overdone at times, and form the primary content of some of the chapters. When Bryson says the earth is 5 billion years.old, limited by my longetivity, I have no choice but to accept his word for it. The choice of topics is wonderful, and Bryson's witty, self effacing style is a joy to read .Bryson finds the right balance between describing the trade, and tricks of the trade, often leaving with you a feeling that you are in possession of some privileged , esoteric knowledge.

All in all a truly impressive well written book, that will rekindle your interest (and respect) for science, and in general, the wondrous beauty of this world that we inhabit.

Bravo Mr Bryson!