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dimlight's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.0
A very interesting read about different fields of science from the scientists & researchers themselves in the form of interviews. Each interview introduces a new area of knowledge to the reader; the conversations and the stories are bound to fascinate.
kaytemi's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, this was a pretty interesting and enjoyable read. I did have a few problems with it, but that's to be expected with so many different opinions on the same kind of issues.
Stefan Klein interviewed nineteen scientists from different fields. Klein states in his introduction that this leads to a very narrow cross-section of a very large whole, and I have to agree. The interviewees are people with whom Klein himself has wanted to interview, people who have made a difference to his own research and worldview. The majority of these scientists are European due to Klein's own German upbringing.
If not conducted in German, the interviews were then translated into Klein's native tongue. When 'We Are All Stardust' was published in English, all the interviews were translated from the German edition. At times the translation feels clunky and has some trouble with reading.
It could be due to the translation issues, but it feels like Klein has difficulty in asking the right questions. There were a few interviews I felt weren't taking the path they should have been, but that could just be me. Klein's interviews did give a nice insight into the lives and personalities of the scientists themselves but personally I would have preferred to have a bit more insight into their hypotheses and experiments.
Despite my few issues and dislike of one of the scientists, I have to agree that this book achieves what it sets out to do. As it says on the cover: "Scientists who shaped our world talk about their work, their lives, and what they still want to know."
Stefan Klein interviewed nineteen scientists from different fields. Klein states in his introduction that this leads to a very narrow cross-section of a very large whole, and I have to agree. The interviewees are people with whom Klein himself has wanted to interview, people who have made a difference to his own research and worldview. The majority of these scientists are European due to Klein's own German upbringing.
If not conducted in German, the interviews were then translated into Klein's native tongue. When 'We Are All Stardust' was published in English, all the interviews were translated from the German edition. At times the translation feels clunky and has some trouble with reading.
It could be due to the translation issues, but it feels like Klein has difficulty in asking the right questions. There were a few interviews I felt weren't taking the path they should have been, but that could just be me. Klein's interviews did give a nice insight into the lives and personalities of the scientists themselves but personally I would have preferred to have a bit more insight into their hypotheses and experiments.
Despite my few issues and dislike of one of the scientists, I have to agree that this book achieves what it sets out to do. As it says on the cover: "Scientists who shaped our world talk about their work, their lives, and what they still want to know."
kitty_kat21's review against another edition
2.0
Not quite what I was expecting, the subtitle should read ‘meandering conversations between academics’ as there was no structure to the interviews, and often the author completely overtakes the conversation. A great idea, but doesn’t explore ‘mysteries of our existence’, as far as I could tell it was random conversations about their work that felt very surface level.
Took me forever to read, as it wasn’t interesting enough for me to feel the urge to pick it back up. I didn’t really like the author as his presence was overpowering and I felt the scientist selection was biased towards reaffirming the authors politics and worldview. Disappointing.
Took me forever to read, as it wasn’t interesting enough for me to feel the urge to pick it back up. I didn’t really like the author as his presence was overpowering and I felt the scientist selection was biased towards reaffirming the authors politics and worldview. Disappointing.
jaimess's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, until the last "interview" with Leonardo DaVinci which made me cringe.
javajive's review against another edition
3.0
I’m going to mess up the quote but couldn’t find it again. Something to the effect of, “I predict within the next x number of years there will be a pandemic that kills 1 million people or more.” The author seemed taken aback - as if tech would save us from that fate.
This was written many years ago - well before the pandemic. As of this review (Sept 2021) covid has killed 4,558,000+ people and is far from over. How naive of us…
This was written many years ago - well before the pandemic. As of this review (Sept 2021) covid has killed 4,558,000+ people and is far from over. How naive of us…
scribepub's review
[Klein’s] interview subjects explain their science clearly and display their passions vividly, making this an engaging introduction to a great breadth of scientific topics.
American Scientist
Strongly recommended for biography readers and science enthusiasts who want to take a look at what events have shaped the lives of influential scientists, and how their scientific discoveries have changed the way they see the world.
Universe Today
[A] comprehensive book of ideas, distilled in language that even a layperson can understand.
Thuy On, Sunday Age
Klein has chosen an eclectic group to tackle everything from expected questions about their areas of study to issues concerning religion, morality, pain, and parenthood … He is exceedingly well read in the work of his interviewees, and they exchange ideas with ease, moving readily from deeply technical concepts to pop culture, making for an exceedingly welcome volume that will expose readers to all manner of topics that are likely new to them in a manner that focuses first on the lively personalities of the scientists, while slowly diving into their work … Truly enjoyable.
Booklist
If you want to get a glimpse of the workings of some great minds — and find out how a trip in a sports car led to a Novel Prize and what Lord Rees nearly ended up doing for a living — this is the book for you.
BBC Focus
This work will enthral popular science lovers and STEM enthusiasts.
Library Journal
The dazzling clutch of scientific minds caught in mid-thought here makes for a read that provokes thought in its turn … This collection sees science writer Stefan Klein interview the likes of anthropologist Sarah Hrdy and astronomer Martin Rees. Delights abound.
Barbara Kiser, Nature
American Scientist
Strongly recommended for biography readers and science enthusiasts who want to take a look at what events have shaped the lives of influential scientists, and how their scientific discoveries have changed the way they see the world.
Universe Today
[A] comprehensive book of ideas, distilled in language that even a layperson can understand.
Thuy On, Sunday Age
Klein has chosen an eclectic group to tackle everything from expected questions about their areas of study to issues concerning religion, morality, pain, and parenthood … He is exceedingly well read in the work of his interviewees, and they exchange ideas with ease, moving readily from deeply technical concepts to pop culture, making for an exceedingly welcome volume that will expose readers to all manner of topics that are likely new to them in a manner that focuses first on the lively personalities of the scientists, while slowly diving into their work … Truly enjoyable.
Booklist
If you want to get a glimpse of the workings of some great minds — and find out how a trip in a sports car led to a Novel Prize and what Lord Rees nearly ended up doing for a living — this is the book for you.
BBC Focus
This work will enthral popular science lovers and STEM enthusiasts.
Library Journal
The dazzling clutch of scientific minds caught in mid-thought here makes for a read that provokes thought in its turn … This collection sees science writer Stefan Klein interview the likes of anthropologist Sarah Hrdy and astronomer Martin Rees. Delights abound.
Barbara Kiser, Nature
thesupermassive's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Medical content, and Abortion
princess_squeak's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
I went into this book not knowing it was going to be transcripts of interviews, and at first, it was very shocking and hard to read. Once I got past that and started to look past the formatting I wasn't used to, I was really able to enjoy this book for its absolutely amazing content. The people he interviews are all very interesting and from a diverse spectrum of professions. The conversations are mostly formatted about their lives work and passion projects, and once you get to read about what these people have devoted their lives to, you get drawn in as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a break from the norm and wants to learn more about different professions. This book really helped me gain interest in starting my own passion project and pushed me to want to do more with my life than just the average 9 to 5.
I went into this book not knowing it was going to be transcripts of interviews, and at first, it was very shocking and hard to read. Once I got past that and started to look past the formatting I wasn't used to, I was really able to enjoy this book for its absolutely amazing content. The people he interviews are all very interesting and from a diverse spectrum of professions. The conversations are mostly formatted about their lives work and passion projects, and once you get to read about what these people have devoted their lives to, you get drawn in as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a break from the norm and wants to learn more about different professions. This book really helped me gain interest in starting my own passion project and pushed me to want to do more with my life than just the average 9 to 5.