A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

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Bryson describes graphically and in layperson's terms the size of the universe and that of atoms and subatomic particles. William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, FRS was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and worked in journalism until he became a full time writer. He lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to New Hampshire in America for a few years, but they have now returned to live in the UK.

We are each so atomically numerous and so vigorously recycled at death that some of our atoms probably belonged to Shakespeare, Genghis Khan or any other historical figure. But no, you are NOT Elvis or Marilyn Monroe; it takes quite a while for their atoms to get recycled. The atomic particles that we now know as Quarks were almost named Partons, after you know who. The image of Ms. Parton with her, uh, cosmic mammaries bouncing around the atomic nuclei is VERY unsettling.Thankfully, that scientist guy changed his mind. It’s fascinating stuff – staggering, in fact. I’d heard of the Big Bang theory, of course, but I’d never delved into the detail of it. The explanation here is clear and concise - it’s still mind bending, but I was able to follow most of the explanation. There were some sections where the detail did become a little heavy – the account of plant life being categorised lumbered on interminably – but on the whole the pacing felt spot on. It’s also very well structured, with relevant topics being grouped together. It flowed well and told a compelling story. This book is suitable for the really curious of all ages – or 9 to 109! Words, like the universe bends, “in a way that we can’t really imagine. We are not adrift in some large, ever-expanding bubble. Rather, space curves in a way which allows it to have no actual edge or boundary, but at the same time allows it to be finite” Words do that as they can bring us to places that we can’t imagine imagining. It takes a story-teller to take us there. This book really does cover nearly everything. From the Big Bang to current life on earth, Bill Bryson does wonderful job of breaking down complex theories and concepts to their essential message:Combined with those two new impressions, I am left with the following conclusions, and a slightly rearranged outlook on life.

He then explores the history of geology and biology and traces life from its first appearance to today's modern humans, placing emphasis on the development of the modern Homo sapiens.Secondly, the fact that life is so tenuous makes one a little more philosophical. Since I've finished the chapter about Yellowstone and similar catastrophic threats, I find myself asking "what if today is the day?" It can be rough when you get on the bus at the end of a particularly annoying workday, when the disagreements were petty and you didn't get much done, and think "is that what I did on the last day of my life?"

In “A Really Short History of Nearly Everything” Bill Bryson does it again. He takes an impossible subject, and makes it not only readable, but fun, lively, and it still remains informative. More than informative, actually, it is insightful. Very insightful.

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A Book Review of: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson – Broadway Books, 2003". Jupiter Scientific. 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017 . Retrieved June 30, 2018. The writing style is so accessible that I have to think I'd be some kind of scientists if my high school and college text books were written by Bill Bryson. His easy, breezy style makes even the most complicated topics easier to digest. This is Bill Bryson's reasoning that we all know we have thought to ourselves but never dared ask; often more than once. The book he has written justifies his view, and makes the word of science seem like an interesting, bright and often mind-blowing world of its own, that we can understand.