Joseph A. Schwarcz

Trivia galore. Now if I could just figure out how to retain it. Spring 2009

I have had to set this aside for now. I got about 1/3 of the way into it but it became overdue at the library and I was unable to renew. Nonfiction is a slog for me these days, although this is very interesting and I even read some aloud to my boyfriend. I do plan to pick it back up sometime, but for now, it remains Partially Read.

While this was entertaining at times, and I did (potentially ) learn new things, this book did not add at all to my, or any reader's, ability to discern the truthfulness of any claim. In fact, the author made claims in the same manner and tone as many of the sources that he debunks.
So while I may trust him as a source over others, I still feel the need to verify his claims independently, as I cannot do that based on his quoted research.

This is a wonderful coffee table book. Someone can pick this up, flip through it, and find something interesting to read and then put it down. It's got history, basic science, chemistry, and the author's style is humorous (a bit sarcastic but I like that).

I used to assign it over 10 years ago to my General Chemistry I students as required reading and they enjoyed it. There were a few grumblings about the chemical terminology but I don't believe it onerous. It's educational!