The Short History of Nearly Everything

August 26, 2016

I don’t read much non-fiction. Unless there is a strong narrative, non-fiction struggles to hold my attention. A few years ago I read Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson an absolutely loved it. So when I came across The Short History of Nearly Everything in a second-hand store here in Tonga, I though I’d give it a read. Despite my lack of interest in non-fiction I’m a bit of a science nerd. I aced Chemistry in high school and actually considered studying it at university as well (I actually bought some old chemistry textbooks at the market so I could refresh my knowledge). Alas I decided to study writing instead, and here we are. The Short History of Nearly Everything is the perfect balance between the science and writing parts of my soul. It has a strong narrative that takes the reader on a journey from the Big Bang through to the creation of humanity touching on all the science that came in between but was only understood much later. And underscoring it all is Bryson’s genuine fascination with the ‘facts’ as they have been known throughout history, and a comforting suggestion that scientists don’t really know what they are doing either they’re just better at guessing than most of us. Overall it’s an incredibly enjoyable read that will satisfy even the most voracious trivia junky.