What I'm Reading Now:

Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Invention of Air

Title: The Invention of Air: A Story of Science, Faith, Revolution, and the Birth of America

Author: Steven Johnson

Pages: 6 Discs

Genre: History/Biography

Grade: B


Synopsis: The story centers on the life of Joseph Priestley, who was an eighteenth century scientist, minister and friend of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.  Priestley was a deep-thinker who discovered Oxygen, helped found the Unitarian Church and after being run-out of England emigrated to the United States.

My Review: With a title like "The Invention of Air," I had great hopes for this book.  However, it would have been more appropriately titled as the Biography of Joseph Priestley.  Rarely did the book stray far from Priestley's impact on science, politics and religion during the eighteenth century.  I really enjoyed the parts of the book discussing his discoveries and how they came about, but there were drier parts of the book that went off on tangential topics.

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