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Title: Electric Universe

Subtitle: The Shocking True Story of Electricity

Author: David Bodanis

Narrator: Del Roy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-16-05

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 455 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Technology

Publisher's Summary:

From the author of the bestselling E=MC2 comes a mesmerizing journey of discovery illuminating the wondrous yet unseen force that permeates our world and the scientists who've probed its secrets. Before 1790, when Alessandro Volta began the scientific investigation that spurred an explosion of knowledge and invention, electricity was perceived as little more than a property of certain substances that sparked when rubbed. Now we know that this force is responsible for everything from the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains. Bodanis, a superb storyteller, tells a story filled with romance, divine inspiration, fraud, and scientific breakthroughs revealing how we learned to harness electricity's powers. The great scientists such as Michael Faraday and Samuel Morse come to life, complete with all their brilliance and idiosyncrasy.

©2005 David Bodanis; (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"This entertaining look at how electricity works and affects our daily lives is highlighted by Bodanis' charming narrative voice and by clever, fresh analogies that make difficult science accessible." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Electric Electricity

This was arguably one of the most enjoyable books I've listened to in a long while. While my own background is Electrical Engineering, there were concepts and ideas presented in such a simplified manner that this book should be required reading for all students. The history of how our version of electricty came to be was interesting not so much for how the various discoveries came about but the from the human side. There were many interesting stories that I had not heard before or fully understood the personalities involved. The narration is very well done which adds to the enjoyment.

An example is the authors discription of how RADAR really works, not how people thinks it works and how something devised to protect England was taken from the creator and used to firebomb a German city to the absolute distress of the creator. You get the full impact from the joy of discovery to the total dispair as women and children were incinerated.

You feel the joy of Alexendar Graham Bell working to help the deaf while bringing us the Telephone which revolutionized the world.

And while the all widgets are cool, the author goes into how electricty makes us humans work. I learned more from this book than I did in two semesters on biology. Maybe I paid more attention this time but I dont think so, I think it was the excellent presentation of what could be very complex material.

All in all, this is must-listen to audiobook.

Go Ahead, Plug In

Given the number of medium to bad reviews here, I thought I'd throw in my "plug." Since I never use audiobooks for scholarly reference, I am not as concerned about accuracy as I might be reviewing a printed text. While the points on accuracy or oversimplification made by some of the reviewers here are well taken, they didn't affect my pleasure in the work, which I thought an excellent audiobook. The writing is quite good and intelligent, at a good pace for audio, so even the author's digressive flights of fancy on the social effects of the transistor, for example, are enjoyable, imaginative riffs. The history of electricity presented here is periodic and a bit quirky, not at all comprehensive.