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How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World

by Steven JOHNSON
3 CDs. 2:57 hrs. Listening Library. Oct. 2018. ISBN 9780525638414. $30. digital download.
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Gr 5–8—In this book for middle graders, which was adapted from his adult book and PBS miniseries of the same name, Johnson explores inventions and discoveries that make our lives possible. Facts about the six areas of advancement—glass, cold, sound, clean, time, and light—are presented in a lively, entertaining style that lead the listener from prehistoric times to almost futuristic developments. The unpredictable consequences of new discoveries and the interconnectedness of science are apparent through the narrative, which also demonstrates how history, chemistry, and physics interrelate and affect civilization.
VERDICT Read by the author, this is an interesting and informative title, easy to understand, engaging, and amusing.
Reviewed by Denise Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY , May 01, 2019

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