book review what if

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

The Big Story
Newsletters
Steven Levy's Plaintext Column
WIRED Classics from the Archive
WIRED Insider
WIRED Consulting

Book Review: What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

When the publisher (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) sent me Randall Munroe's (of xkcd comic ) book to review, I was excited. I pointed out to my 12 year old son that he might like this book too. The next day, I was looking for the book and it was missing. Yup, my son had it. I think he read through the whole thing in just one long car trip and a couple of other sessions.

Well, if he read it before me I might as well get a mini-book review from him.

A 12 Year Old's Review

Me: So, what did you learn from reading this book? 12 yo: I learned that if you put some of the elements in the periodic table next to each other, they will explode. Me: What was your favorite part? 12 yo: I liked the periodic table one. I liked the "could everyone jump" part. Did you know that the book mentions your blog in that one? I also liked the other questions that he didn't answer. Those were funny.

So overall, he liked the book. I think that really says something about the writing and content in the book. It's interesting, but simple enough that a 12 year old could understand it. Oh sure, he didn't understand everything, but he still liked it.

What If? vs. Dot Physics

Actually, What If? is a lot like my blog. We both try to find answers to sometimes silly questions. Also we both use physics concepts and even try to explain some of the physics. However, there are a couple of big differences.

Randall tends to actually research some topics before getting answer. I, on the other hand, usually avoid looking for similar problems that have been done. I like to start from scratch and build my own model.
I tend to show more of the steps when solving a problem. Maybe this isn't the best way to write a blog post, but it's what I do. I like to include all the details so that readers can see the thought process that goes into solving these types of problems. In the end, I think Randall's style of condensing the solution down to the most basic parts makes for a more readable solution.

A few comments on the book.

I like to point out errors. In one part of the book Randall answers the question: could you ride your bike so fast in the winter that the compression of the air would warm you up? Randall says the following: the fastest bike is 40 m/s. If you went 200 m/s, this could work. Since air resistance is proportional to velocity squared, this would require an increase in power by a factor of 25. This is wrong. Here is a picture.

In this case, you could say that the work done to ride the bike is from the frictional force. Suppose the bike moves a distance s . Since this frictional force must be equal to the air resistance (for constant velocity), the work done in this case would be:

But what about the power? Power would be the work divided by the time it takes to move. So, I can write:

So, the power is proportional to the velocity cubed, not squared. Increasing the speed by a factor of 5 would increase the power by a factor of 125.

Of course Randall's point is still valid. You can't ride a bike at 200 m/s.

Ok, how about another comment. In one chapter, Randall looks at the power Yoda would need to lift an x-wing fighter. This answer was awesome, but it makes me just a little sad when I read it. I guess a better word would be "jealous". I'm jealous that Randall thought of this interesting problem before I did. It's a great question with an awesome answer.

Like I said, there are many interesting questions with entertaining answers. I enjoyed the book.

Review copy of What If? provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

September 1, 2014

Book Review: What If?

Books and recommendations from Scientific American

By Clara Moskowitz

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

Former nasa roboticist Munroe has gained a cult following for his witty science-themed Web comic xkcd . Here, with drawings, math and logical reasoning, he answers strange and intriguing questions submitted by online readers, such as “If someone's DNA suddenly vanished, how long would that person last?” and “How many Lego bricks would it take to build a bridge capable of carrying traffic from London to New York?” The answers are often surprising—for example, you could buy all the property in London and ship it, piece by piece, to New York for less than the cost of such a bridge, Munroe calculates. Some questions deemed too “weird” to answer still get amusing comic responses, such as “Could you survive a tidal wave by submerging yourself in an in-ground pool?” and “What if I swallow a tick that has Lyme disease?”

The Scholarly Kitchen

What’s Hot and Cooking In Scholarly Publishing

Book Review: "What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions" by Randall Munroe

Experimentation
Social Role

You may recognize Munroe from the excellent and popular online cartoon, xkcd , which employs stick figures, witty framing, and science jokes in service of a minimalist yet consistently sophisticated comic. The book captures the most popular questions coming from the What If? blog developed as an offshoot of xkcd .

What If? takes ridiculous scientific questions Munroe has received or encountered over the years and answers many of them — questions like:

If every person on Earth aimed a laser pointer at the moon at the same time, would it change color?
What would happen if you made a periodic table out of cube-shaped bricks, where each brick was made of the corresponding element?
What if a glass of water was, all of a sudden, literally half empty?
When — if ever — will the bandwidth of the Internet surpass that of FedEx?
If you had a printed version of the whole of (say, the English) Wikipedia, how many printers would you need in order to keep up with the changes made to the live version?

There isn’t a dud question in the lot, and all are within the bounds promised on the book’s cover. Each response is clearly written and embroidered with witty and appropriate cartoons, many of which do the “a picture is worth a thousand words” heavy lifting you’d expect. His caption credit on the drawing of the person jumping off Mount Thor made me laugh out loud, as did the quadrant graph categorizing the quality of ideas.

Munroe’s drawing style is like his intellectual style — spare, efficient, and winning.

The journey from the absurd question to the relatively solid answer is always interesting. The answers embody how to break down a problem, use assumptions and data, model out an answer, and contemplate consequences. The explanations elucidate interesting natural, mathematical, and scientific phenomena — from how lightning works to why temperature in space is a fraught concept to how to calculate momentum for rockets turned inward on a submarine (for a superficially good reason, given the absurd circumstances created by one particular question).

Munroe also footnotes interestingly, such as in the response to “What if you had a mole of moles?” In pondering the problems one Avogadro of furry critters would generate, he neatly discovers something he’s “never noticed before — a cubic mile happens to be almost exactly 4/3π cubic kilometers, so a sphere with a radius of X kilometers has the same volume as a cube that’s X miles on each side.” He also nicely cartoons what nearly everyone thinks of a star-nosed mole upon seeing one.

To break up the book, Munroe dispenses with some questions quickly between major sections, using humor alone, such as:

Question: Is it possible to cry so much you dehydrate yourself? — Karl Wildermuth Answer: . . . Karl, is everything OK?

Question: Would it be possible to get your teeth to such a cold temperature that they would shatter upon drinking a hot cup of coffee? — Shelby Hebert Answer: Thank you, Shelby, for my new recurring nightmare.

To give you more of a flavor of what you’ll find in What If? , here is the first paragraph of his answer to the question, “What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light?”:

The answer turns out to be “a lot of things,” and they all happen very quickly, and it doesn’t end well for the batter (or the pitcher). I sat down with some physics books, a Nolan Ryan action figure, and a bunch of videotapes of nuclear tests and tried to sort it all out. What follows is my best guess at a nanosecond-by-nanosecond portrait.

If you’d like to know what happens in the 70 nanoseconds covered, and why baseball rules actually have relevance even in this extreme situation, you’ll need to read the book.

What If? is a great book for science geeks and general readers with an interest in scientific concepts. It’s funny, interesting, and unique, and it shows just how weird the inbox at xkcd must get at times.

Kent Anderson

Kent Anderson is the CEO of RedLink and RedLink Network, a past-President of SSP, and the founder of the Scholarly Kitchen. He has worked as Publisher at AAAS/Science, CEO/Publisher of JBJS, Inc., a publishing executive at the Massachusetts Medical Society, Publishing Director of the New England Journal of Medicine, and Director of Medical Journals at the American Academy of Pediatrics. Opinions on social media or blogs are his own.

3 Thoughts on "Book Review: "What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions" by Randall Munroe"

Note that the book is based on the “What If?” web-site , so anyone not sure if it’s their kind of thing can dip in to get a feel for it. For example, here is the answer to the mole of moles question .

By Mike Taylor
Oct 2, 2014, 6:06 AM

Funny. I woke up this morning realizing I’d neglected to mention that, and just added it — then noticed this comment. Thanks.

By Kent Anderson
Oct 2, 2014, 6:38 AM

Reblogged this on Paper Pills and commented: Was this book written for me? (I wonder if it says anything about mermaids.)

By clareeileen
Oct 4, 2014, 1:47 PM

Comments are closed.

Daan van den Broek

Articles and blog posts about the weather, meteorology & climatology, Finland, study, travel and books

Book reviews

What If by Randall Munroe – Book Review

This book is a must have for all scientists and other curious minds. What If? – Serious Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe is exactly as the title and subtitle describes. Engineer Randall Munroe answers the absurd questions that he receives on his blog xkcd.com in an extensive, scientific way – and he does so in a comical way. In this article you can read my book review about What If? .

If there is one person that is fit for the job of writing a book such as this one, it is Randall Munroe. He is an engineer with a degree in physics and he has worked for NASA. Besides all this, he is a cartoonist and the creater of webcomic xkcd. Thanks to his skills and experience, he is able to:

Have enough physical understanding of the world (and universe) to answer the questions asked and know who to contact/where to look if he doesn’t know the answer himself
Write the answers down and explain the answers and physics behind it in such a way that it is comprehensible for other people (that do not have the same level of knowledge)
Make you laugh while you are learning interesting (but mostly unneccesary) facts.

Probably at least one the questions that appear in this book crossed your mind at some point in your life. Questions that Randall Munroe answers are for example: “What would happen if everyone on Earth stood as close to each other as they could and jumped”, “What if someone’s DNA vanished” and, relevant for the times we live in now: “If everyone on the planet stayed away from each other for a couple of weeks, wouldn’t the common cold be wiped out?”

Please note that the link provided above is an affiliate link. If you choose to purchase a product thro

My opinion about What If?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading What If? . In the very first chapter Munroe, by chance, mentioned two cities that have been very important in my life, Longyearbyen (Svalbard) and Helsinki , which immediately gave me more of a connection to the book. Also, the topic discussed in the first chapter (“What would happen if the earth would stop spinning”) was interesting. One immediately gets a feeling for what the rest of the book will be like and for the kind of humor that Randall Munroe uses. All the explanations and discussions in the book are accompanied by some witty comics.

What If book review - An example of "weird and worrying questions from the what if inbox".

The book is full of interesting facts and you might learn a lot from it, although the things you learn are not so practical that they immediately benefit you in real life. Of course, some topics and discussions in the book are more fun or interesting than others, but this is also a matter of taste. My main criticism is that often in the book, US units are used. More use of SI-units would in my opinion definitely improve the book, but Americans might argue otherwise. 😉

I found the book easy to read, although it might be slightly harder – but most likely not undoable – for someone with less of a scientific background. One last thing I particularly liked about this book is that it gives an insight in the fantasy and imagination of people and the weird questions that can occupy people’s minds.

Book summary of What If?

It is quite hard to give a summary about What If , since the book does not consist out of one big story. The book has a chapter for every question that Manroe deals with and the chapters are rather short, consisting out of a few pages. Besides the questions above, some other examples of questions treated in the book are: “What would happen to the earth if the sun suddenly switched off”, “What if a Richter magnitude 15 earthquake were to hit New York City”, “What is the farthest one human being has ever been from every other living person” and “Is it possible to build a jetpack using downward-facing machine guns”.

Monroe has a similar approach for every of the questions he attempts to answer. He generally starts by stating why the topic or situation described is weird or implausible and sometimes he directly gives the answer. After that he starts introducing the topic more extensively, he says what assumptions are done – a lot of assumptions are done for most topics, but that is the only way one can answer such hypothetical questions – and explains the basic physics behind the topic.

After finishing one explanation, Monroe often elaborates his answer to the questions by adjusting the assumptions, so in this way he covers the topics more extensively and he discusses plenty of different scenarios for the questions asked.

Besides the chapters that are completely dedicated to one question, he also has a Short-Answer Section. Lastly, the weirdest questions (that Munroe did not bother to answer) are called “weird and worrying questions from the what if inbox”. Those questions – that sometimes makes you doubt the sender’s well-being – are accompanied by funny comics and are a great addition to the book.

What If? came out on 2 September 2014 and I was very excited to hear that after 8 years, on 13 September this year (2022), the 2nd part ( What If? 2 ) comes out! There is no doubt I will read What If? 2 .

I hope this book review of What If was of use to you. You can find more book reviews here .

My World is Melting – Book Review

The 5 AM Club – Book Review

'What If? - A Review of Randall Munroe's New Book

Guest Writer

For some reason, his publisher thought I was worthy enough to receive an advanced copy. 3 I've just finished reading it, cover to cover, and it has solved my annual birthday-present and holiday-gift dilemmas for a large group of people.

I say the questions Munroe tackles are bizarre, but actually most of them are pretty cool:

If everyone on the planet stayed away from each other for a couple of weeks, wouldn't the common cold be wiped out?
What would happen if everyone on Earth stood as close to each other as they could and jumped, everyone landing on the ground at the same instant?
How much physical space does the Internet take up?
What if everyone who took the SAT guessed on every multiple-choice question? How many perfect scores would there be? 4
What would happen if you were to gather a mole (unit of measurement) of moles (the small furry critter) in one place?
What is the farthest one human being has ever been from every other living person? Were they lonely?
What if a glass of water was, all of sudden, literally half empty?
Assuming a zero-gravity environment with an atmosphere identical to Earth's, how long would it take the friction of air to stop an arrow fired from a bow? Would it eventually come to a standstill and hover in midair?

Munroe must get thousands of questions submitted by readers. He answers a modest subset of those that not only pique his interest but are amusing and offer the potential to use real science to explore concepts, the world around us, and day-to-day mysteries of life and the universe.

What makes Munroe's work so fantastic is a combination of two elements: his commitment to trying to answer even the weirdest question with solid science, and his undeniable sense of humor. [citation needed ]

I love back-of-the-envelope calculations; they were a major (and most important) part of my undergraduate and graduate science education. Anyone can pull an equation out of a textbook to solve a basic physics or engineering question, but most of the world's (and literally out-of-this-world) interesting questions can't be answered just with textbook equations. They require guesstimates, simplifying assumptions, and cross-disciplinary science skills (from physics to biology to chemistry to engineering). Munroe combines all of these with the ability to explore different paths to answers that enlighten, amuse, and inform, all together.

He also obviously gets piles of questions that he can't or won't answer. These fall into his category of "Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Inbox" -- a selection of which he includes in the book along with hysterically funny comments in the form of his stick figures. 5

So, here's a "What If?" from me: If everyone on the planet simultaneously bought a copy of this book, stopped what they were doing and read it cover to cover, would modern civilization and our global economy collapse? It's worth trying the experiment. 6

Peter Gleick 7

Footnotes 1. It was also an early introduction into the fact that my children had somehow become wiser and more internet savvy than I would ever be. "Digital natives" my (also wiser) wife calls them, as opposed to "digital immigrants." 2. Just to admit how old I am, that cartoon is taped on my door next to The New Yorker cartoon by Robert Mankoff "No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?" And I cut that one out of the magazine myself. 3. Making me feel pretty special, though perhaps they published 7 billion of them and sent one to everyone on the planet. If so, I don't want to know. 4. Admit it, you wondered about this right around the time the proctor said "Begin now." 5. Interestingly, all of the creepiest were all submitted by the same person: someone named Anonymous. 6. No disclaimer from me. But read the disclaimer in the book right before his Introduction. 7. And yes, read every one of his footnotes, too.

From Our Partner

From the Once Upon a World series

by Chloe Perkins ; illustrated by Sandra Equihua ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016

A nice but not requisite purchase.

A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.

Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado . Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White , set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017

THE NIGHT IS YOURS

by Abdul-Razak Zachariah ; illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019

Vital messages of self-love for darker-skinned children.

On hot summer nights, Amani’s parents permit her to go outside and play in the apartment courtyard, where the breeze is cool and her friends are waiting.

The children jump rope to the sounds of music as it floats through a neighbor’s window, gaze at stars in the night sky, and play hide-and-seek in the moonlight. It is in the moonlight that Amani and her friends are themselves found by the moon, and it illumines the many shades of their skin, which vary from light tan to deep brown. In a world where darkness often evokes ideas of evil or fear, this book is a celebration of things that are dark and beautiful—like a child’s dark skin and the night in which she plays. The lines “Show everyone else how to embrace the night like you. Teach them how to be a night-owning girl like you” are as much an appeal for her to love and appreciate her dark skin as they are the exhortation for Amani to enjoy the night. There is a sense of security that flows throughout this book. The courtyard is safe and homelike. The moon, like an additional parent, seems to be watching the children from the sky. The charming full-bleed illustrations, done in washes of mostly deep blues and greens, make this a wonderful bedtime story.

Pub Date: July 2, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-525-55271-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

How to Share Screen Time Rules with Relatives, Babysitters, and Other Caregivers

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

Common sense media reviewers.

Joyous celebration of a kid’s boundless creativity.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

The art suggests and models various materials that

Creativity can come from many sources, and be insp

The main character/narrator's resourceful and

Educational Value

The art suggests and models various materials that can be used to make art: paper for origami, sand and snow sculpture, use of leaves to create art, and use of found objects such as marbles, string, wood shavings, shells, flowers, sugar cubes, etc.

Positive Messages

Creativity can come from many sources, and be inspired by and utilize whatever materials are available. When one avenue of creativity's removed, another presents itself. The main character proclaims, "As long as I live, I will always create."

Positive Role Models

The main character/narrator's resourceful and endlessly creative, determined to create art wherever and however she can, using whatever materials are at hand. In her urban neighborhood, all her neighbors are pictured in their apartment windows, also in the process of creating. In the back matter, the author and artist talk about using found materials to make art.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that What If… by Samantha Berger ( Crankenstein ), illustrated by Mike Curato ( Little Elliot, Big City ; All the Way to Havana ), has a simple rhyming text with a first-person narration by a girl wondering what she'd do if she didn't have her pencil to create art and stories. The question sends her on an exuberant creative adventure, in which she imagines creating art using whatever materials are available, and the mixed media illustration reflects this inventive spirit. The girl's African American, she lives in an urban apartment building with neighbors who also create, and the whole project feels gloriously life affirming.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

Parents say

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

In WHAT IF…, a brown-skinned girl with purple hair draws with a pencil, and wonders what she'd do "if that pencil one day disappeared?" On each succeeding page, she uses a new medium to create art and stories. She folds the paper to make origami birds and stars. And "if the paper was no longer there? I'd chisel the table and then carve the chair." She then says she'd peel paint from the wall, chisel the floor boards, sketch in the dirt, shape the leaves, and sculpt the snow and sand. "As long as I live, I will always create."

Is It Any Good?

This book celebrating creativity is itself wildly inventive and creative. Author Samantha Berger's rhyming text in What If… carries the reader through as if on a wave, and Mike Curato's colorful art, brimming with materials used in wildly inventive ways, serves to underscore the message that creativity is imaginative and resourceful. When the girl declares, "I could still shape the leaves," Curato creates a gorgeous sculptural collage of a fire-breathing dragon using leaves of various hues. By the time all the materials have been removed, a fold-out page says, "If I had nothing, but still had my mind…" then opens up to show the girl riding a winged, pink unicorn, concluding, "There’d always be stories to seek and to find." On the last page, the girl proclaims, "As long as I live, I will always create," and the illustration pulls back to show a shiver-inducing long shot of the girl drawing in her window, while neighbors in other lit windows are also creating -- playing violin, decorating a cake, dancing, and painting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about all the ways of making stories and art pictured in What If… How many can you count? What others can you think of?

Since the illustrator himself used all kinds of materials, how many different ones can you find? Why do you think he decided to do that for this particular book?

Why do you think creating things is important to this girl, and to people in general? Do you like to create things? How do you feel when you do? On the last pages, what various things are all the people in the windows creating?

Book Details

Author : Samantha Berger
Illustrator : Mike Curato
Genre : Picture Book
Topics : Arts and Dance , Great Girl Role Models
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date : April 10, 2018
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
Number of pages : 40
Available on : Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated : August 15, 2021

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

The Word Collector

Want personalized picks for your kids' age and interests?

A Child of Books

Art Books for Kids

Picture books, related topics.

Arts and Dance
Great Girl Role Models

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review

Join Discovery, the new community for book lovers

Trust book recommendations from real people, not robots 🤓

Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book.
A book review will offer an evaluation of the work.
A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience.

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

How much of a book nerd are you, really?

Find out here, once and for all. Takes 30 seconds!

Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim. To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you don’t have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery — where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer , go here .

And if you’d like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen — and start reviewing!

Continue reading

The 115 Best Books of All Time

Let’s take a trip through time and discover the world’s literary trends, from epic poems to dystopian novels, by looking at 115 of the best books of all time!

20 Insightful Books on the Environment and Climate Change Everyone Should Read

Reading books on the environment and climate change is never not apt. If you're in search of some recommendations then look no further: here are 20 environmental books that everyone should read.

Cosmic Horror: 15 of the Most CHILLING Titles to Start You Off

What is cosmic horror? This spine-tingling subgenre is all about the mind-bending terror of the unknown. It forces you to confront a terrifying suspicion: that you are nothing, in an unfathomable universe full of forces you can’t control.

Heard about Reedsy Discovery?

Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations.

Or sign up with an

Or sign up with your social account

Submit your book
Reviewer directory

Discovery | Reviewer | Version C | 2024-01

Want to be a book reviewer?

Review new books and start building your portfolio.

Book review: “What If? — The World’s Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been,” edited by Robert Cowley

.There is no point to the study of history if each event, each action, each decision is seen in some mechanistic manner — as if what happened had to happen.

The reality is that whatever happened might have been different.

That’s why we study history. We learn from history by looking at the results of an event, an action, a decision, and by considering how those results might have been different.

What if George Washington had been shot in the fall of 1777? What if Captain Patrick Ferguson of the British Army had chosen to pull the trigger when he had Washington in his sights? If Ferguson had fatally shot the commander of United States forces at that particular moment, he would have changed the Revolutionary War in a drastic way.

The lesson, here, is that an individual’s action (or, in this case, inaction) can have huge ramifications.

Obviously, powerful people, such as queens and generals, make decisions that change the direction of the arrow of history, but, as the story of Ferguson shows, an Average Joe who is at the right spot at the right moment can also shift things.

Dozens of historical moments

The Ferguson-Washington encounter is described by historian Thomas Fleming in a chapter in the 1999 book What If? — The World’s Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been, edited by Robert Cowley.

Fleming is one of 30 historians, military experts and writers of other sorts who take the title question — What if? — and apply it to dozens of historical moments when a variation of one sort or another might have resulted in great changes: a shot fired, an attack foregone, a plague avoided, a map lost (or not lost).

Those who ask the question include such luminaries as David McCullough, William H. McNeil, Alistair Horne, James M. McPherson, Steven W. Sears, John Keegan, Tom Wicker and Stephen E. Ambrose. Indeed, if you were to gather all the books written by the 30 writers, the works would constitute a sort of history of the world, from the earliest times to the present.

Taking up the “What if?” question for this book was nothing new for these writers.

Any time you write history, you look at the decisions that were made and the actions that were taken that shaped events — and you also have to consider the decisions and actions not taken.

“Greatest might-have-been”

Consider, for instance, the book’s opening chapter by McNeill, “Infectious Alternatives: The Plague That Saved Jerusalem, 701 B.C.”

The Assyrian king Sennacherib and his armies descended upon Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah seven centuries before the birth of Jesus, and the result, McNeill asserts, was “the greatest might-have-been of all military history.”

McNeill notes that, according to the Bible, Sennacherib failed because God intervened and spread a lethal pestilence among his soldiers. But you don’t have to believe in divine intervention, he says. “Entirely mundane factors…may have provoked epidemic among the besieging Assyrians.”

For instance, it would have been difficult for Sennacherib to find enough water for his army to conduct an extended siege, in part because the Jewish king Hezekiah had ordered water sources outside the city walls destroyed.

As a result, the Assyrians may have been compelled “to drink contaminated water and thus expose themselves to widespread infections.”

In addition, Jerusalem was not all that important to the Assyrians, McNeill writes.

From Sennacherib’s point of view, the decision not to press the siege of Jerusalem to a conclusion did not matter very much. The kingdom of Judah was only a marginal player in the Near Eastern balance of power, being poorer and weaker than Sennacherib’s other foes.

“Profoundly different”

If Sennacherib had continued with the siege until Jerusalem fell, the kingdom of Judah would have disappeared, McNeill asserts.

Two decades earlier, the kingdom of Israel had been invaded, and its inhabitants exiled. In captivity, they quickly lost their Jewish identity and became known as the Ten Lost Tribes. The same, McNeill argues, would have happened to the inhabitants of Judah.

And this is where the momentous “What if?” takes place — with the conquering of Jerusalem and the exiling of the people.

If so, Judaism would have disappeared from the face of the earth and the two daughter religions of Christianity and Islam could not possibly have come into existence. In short, our world would be profoundly different in ways we cannot really imagine.

This about it.

Think of how Judaism has influenced civilization over the past 2,700 years. Think of how Christianity has shaped civilization for two millenniums. Think of how Islam has fashioned the culture and way of life in great swaths of the world map.

Think of the vacuum without those three faiths.

“God’s punishment”

There’s a complicating factor here, as McNeill notes.

Just a century after Sennacherib cut his losses and turned away from Jerusalem, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered the city, razed the Temple and sent its people into exile.

However, instead of being subsumed into the conqueror’s culture, as the Kingdom of Israel had been in 722 B.C., the Jews who were sent into Babylonian captivity in 605 B.C. retained their faith. Indeed, the exile, which ended seven decades later, seemed to focus and strengthen that faith.

During the century between the attacks of Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar, the Jews had come to fully embrace their belief in a one God. In 701 B.C, McNeill writes, the fall of Jerusalem would have signaled the weakness of that one God. But, by 605 B.C., the catastrophe was seen as a penalty for failing to listen to the all-powerful deity.

Long-standing prophetic denunciations of the sins of the Jewish people made it obvious that the Babylonian exile was God’s punishment for the failure of Judah’s rulers and people to observe his commandments to the full. For no matter how strenuous their effort at religious reform had been, even the most pious still fell short of obeying all of God’s prescriptions.

All of this is food for thought for anyone interested in human history.

McNeill’s chapter is closely argued, but he writes with humility. He builds his case brick by brick. And his argument lays open a world vastly different from what we know today.

Yet, McNeill acknowledges that his is not a widely held position.

It may seem paradoxical to argue that…Sennacherib’s withdrawal was critical for the emergence of unambiguous monotheism in the little Kingdom of Judah, whereas Nebuchadnezzar’s success in carrying through what Sennacherib had merely threatened, instead of discrediting that faith, had the effect of confirming Jewish monotheism, and permitting the daughter religions of Christianity and Islam to arise in later centuries. But so it was, or so it seems to me, although most historians are so much shaped by the world’s subsequent religious history as to be unable or unwilling to recognize how fateful the Assyrian withdrawal in 701 B.C. turned out to be.

Conceivable

In a deep way, it doesn’t matter so much if McNeill is right (or, for that matter, whether the other writers in What If? are right in the scenarios they posit). What matters is that history can turn on a dime.

As McNeill writes, it may be inconceivable for many to think of history without Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but, in fact, it is conceivable.

OK, Judaism wasn’t snuffed out in 701 B.C., and one could argue that, even if it had been conquered, its people would still have retained their Jewishness.

But, really, the Judaism of that year was the result of the work and thought of many people — prophets, civic leaders, religious officials, artists, writers — who helped give the faith the form it had then, the form that was the basis of how it evolved.

At any point, any one of those people might have nudged it in a different direction or even given it a fatal blow.

(Similarly, in the Revolutionary War, Ferguson didn’t shoot Washington. But Washington had been a soldier in the earlier French and Indian War. A random shot during that conflict could have killed him, meaning that, when the rebellion began, someone else had to be put at the head of the armies.)

At each moment

History is contingent.

It is the result of not just one person’s decisions and actions, but of the decisions and actions of all of humanity.

That’s why What If? is such a refreshing, eye-opening delightful book.

Its writers take all those facts — the dates and names and events — that we were taught in school and that seemed to be history. And the writers present them in what might be called a cubist fashion — the facts seen from a multitude of perspectives, from a multitude of alternative universes, a multitude of possibilities.

Yes, when we look back, we see history as something that can’t be changed. It’s the past. It’s over. Yes.

But we stand at the present and should remember that, at each moment, we have a vast array of possible decisions we can make and actions we can take.

The past — our past and the past of humanity — will be shaped, in large or small part, but how we choose.

At each moment.

Patrick T. Reardon

NOTE: Back in 1999, I wrote a book review about What If? for the Chicago Tribune .

Written by : Patrick T. Reardon

For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.

One Comment

[…] As Patrick Reardon explained in a review: […]

Book review: From what is to what if, by Rob Hopkins

Imagination has had a hard time recently. Among other things, it is blunted by an economic system that prioritises profits over people, by technologies that distract us and monetise our attention, and by a political system that insists there is no alternative to inequality and austerity.

“We are living through a perfect storm of factors ruinous to the imagination” warns Hopkins. “As we face vast crises that demand imaginative and urgent responses and a reimagining of everything, we are simply not up to it.”

That sounds gloomy, but the book definitely isn’t. It begins with a story ‘of how things turned out okay’, outlines the problem, and then sets about imagining things differently. Each chapter poses a ‘what if’ question: What if we took play seriously? What if school nurtured young imaginations? What if our leaders prioritised the cultivation of imagination?

The book ranges broadly across education, civic planning, politics, healthcare, exploring the role of imagination and the difference it can make. Each chapter is brimming with real world examples of creative thinking, drawn from around the world and often described in the practitioners’ own words, thanks to almost a hundred interviews carried out in research. Some of these might be familiar to readers of the blog, such as Rolling Jubilee , Park(ing) Day, citizen’s assemblies, or London’s National Park City , all projects I’ve written about before. Others ideas are new to me, including a school in a circus tent in Brazil, or the Better Block movement.

All of these are described with a real sense of curiosity and discovery, as if Hopkins is delighted to have found all these examples of imagination and can’t wait to share them. There’s a playfulness too, as the author explores how art, or storytelling, or improv, or building imaginary streets out of cardboard boxes can help to crack open new possibilities. As with all exercises in ‘what if’ thinking, there may be times when it looks like a flight of fancy too far – what if we replaced all the traffic police with mime artists? for example – only for Hopkins to introduce a story of someone doing exactly that, and it working very well. By the end of the book, it really does feel like anything is possible.

In a world that so often seems to be on train tracks towards disaster, imagination is an essential skill. It allows us to “look at things as if they could be otherwise”, and Hopkins makes a compelling case for making more time for imagination in school, in work, in our personal lives and in politics.

From What is to What if is published by Chelsea Green and is available from Hive , or from Amazon UK or Amazon US if you must.
Also by Rob Hopkins, The Power of Just Doing Stuff
and The Transition Companion

A Novel of Romance, Secrets and Many Crises

With “Husbands & Lovers,” Beatriz Williams delivers a multigenerational yarn and a memorable ending.

Share full article

This book cover shows a woman in a tomato red bathing suit sitting on the end of a diving board with her legs stretched out in front of her.

By Michelle Ruiz

Michelle Ruiz is a contributing editor at Vogue and a contributor at Vanity Fair.

Apple Books
Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million

When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.

HUSBANDS & LOVERS , by Beatriz Williams

Soap operas may be nearly extinct, but their flair for the dramatic lives on. “Husbands & Lovers,” Beatriz Williams’s new work of historical fiction wrapped in a beach read, begins with a series of significant tragedies: a mushroom poisoning, a cobra bite, a slip-and-fall death from the terraces of Machu Picchu. Then there’s a “paternity incident,” a desperate hunt for a kidney and a pilgrimage to an Irish orphanage — across three generations and four timelines.

“Husbands & Lovers” is less about husbands and more about lovers. In 2022, a single mother named Mallory Dunne must stare down the most monumental of her paramours: Monk Adams, a best friend turned boyfriend from the summer of 2008. During this magical season, the two enjoyed a series of unprotected trysts on Winthrop Island (fictional, but inspired by real-life Fishers Island, we learn in an author’s note) before an abrupt and mysterious breakup. Monk is now a famous singer of indeterminate genre (picture a modern-day troubadour crooning from bar stools). He’s newly relevant to Mallory and her 13-year-old son, Sam, after the boy ingests the aforementioned “death cap mushroom,” suffers renal failure and suddenly requires a new kidney.

Williams then presses pause on all of the above to introduce a more engaging, artfully drawn pair of lovers. In Cairo in 1951, Hannah Ainsworth humors her fusty husband, Alistair — a Brit who “devoted himself to the service of empire” — while wandering the Pyramids with a Swiss-Egyptian hotel manager named Lucien Beck. Hannah catches Lucien “looking not at the Sphinx, but at her,” Williams writes with old Hollywood panache. A quietly fierce heroine, Hannah totes a pistol in her pocketbook; having survived the traumas of World War II in Hungary, she isn’t taking any risks. Now, as she observes the mounting political tension in Egypt, she asks Beck, “Don’t you want this country for yourself?”

Williams might have heightened the stakes between Hannah, her husband and her lover, but Hannah’s stolen moments still smolder. Descriptions of tense postwar Cairo are both commanding and detailed: “the smell of fruit and spice and sunshine and dirt and excrement,” “the rage you felt roiling beneath the skin of everything — buildings, streets, people.”

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

Want all of The Times? Subscribe .

Select your cookie preferences

We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie notice . We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements.

If you agree, we'll also use cookies to complement your shopping experience across the Amazon stores as described in our Cookie notice . Your choice applies to using first-party and third-party advertising cookies on this service. Cookies store or access standard device information such as a unique identifier. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Click "Decline" to reject, or "Customise" to make more detailed advertising choices, or learn more. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences , as described in the Cookie notice. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy notice .

Computing & Internet
Web Development

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

What If?: Serious Scientific Answer to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

What If?: Serious Scientific Answer to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Paperback – 24 Sept. 2015

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask. Millions visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. Fans ask him a lot of strange questions: How fast can you hit a speed bump, driving, and live? When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British Empire? When will Facebook contain more profiles of dead people than living? How many humans would a T Rex rampaging through New York need to eat a day? In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations and consults nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.

Part of series What If?
Print length 336 pages
Language English
Publisher John Murray
Publication date 24 Sept. 2015
Dimensions 12.9 x 2.5 x 19.8 cm
ISBN-10 9781848549562
ISBN-13 978-1848549562
See all details

Special offers and product promotions

Customer reviews.

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the writing style engaging and easy to understand. They also say the book is a great present for young readers. Customers also find the humor amusing, well thought out, and delightful. They say the content contains interesting information and great new material.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the humor in the book amusing, witty, absurd in a logical way, and delightful. They also say the writing is engaging and easy to understand.

"...His witty remarks and clever illustrations complement the scientific content, making each scenario both informative and amusing...." Read more

"...scientific approach applied to the utterly ridiculous, which is very entertaining ." Read more

"...He liked the jokes throughout the book ." Read more

"...it does contain lots of interesting information and in parts it is genuinely funny , but it was a struggle to read at times." Read more

Customers find the book contains interesting information, complex ideas, and scientific principles. They say it invites them to ponder absurd questions and contemplate the underlying scientific principles, and is beautifully embedded in a larger narrative. Readers also mention that the book is enjoyable to read, and a conversation starter at tea time.

"...It invites you to ponder absurd questions and contemplate the underlying scientific principles.Broad Appeal: This book has broad appeal...." Read more

"This book is genuinely funny and very well researched ...." Read more

" Great little book for the curious mind " Read more

"Great book, very easy to read and full of fascinating facts ." Read more

Customers find the book very easy to read, with great little sketches. They also say the author explains everything clearly, making the book enjoyable. Customers also mention that it's a lovely coffee table book that answers many questions and is perfect for reading before bed.

"...His witty remarks and clever illustrations complement the scientific content , making each scenario both informative and amusing...." Read more

"Great book, very easy to read and full of fascinating facts." Read more

"...Eclectic: possibly the best description of the content. Amusing, well thought out , undoubtedly contentious in certain circles, informative and..." Read more

"...I was pleasantly surprised at the relatively simple wording used by Randall Munroe to enable the widest range of audience to read it - trust me, a..." Read more

Customers find the book a great present for an 8-year-old who doesn't really enjoy reading. They say the recipient seems happy with the gift and the good delivery.

"... Perfect present for my brother , but I snuck a read of it before giving it to him!" Read more

"...A perfect 'extra present '." Read more

"Fun facts and some silly ones too. Great present ." Read more

" Good present " Read more

Customers find the book great for any age, perfect for everyone, and accessible for all.

"...But it would also be an excellent way of introducing younger readers to the scientific process: starting with a question, working out a method to..." Read more

"...out there questions and answers them scientifically in an age friendly way . He got addicted to reading it straight away...." Read more

"Bought as a gift but he hasn't put it down. Perfect for a person who's not an avid reader but likes to pick on up now and then...." Read more

"Good book, very funny , Good for a nerdy friend ." Read more

Customers find the accompanying images too small to read. They also say the standard size is too small and the text doesn't fit. Some readers mention that the book is great but has disappointing image issues in the Kindle version.

"...The only Cons I can think of that the text itself is not long enough . This book is a brilliant weekend read...." Read more

"...The only fault I has was that I could not enlarge the pictures on my kindle, but that has nothing to do with the book.As the cartoons are brill." Read more

"...- I bought the Kindle version and around half the accompanying images are too small to read and I'm unable to magnify them - pressing and holding on..." Read more

"...The resolution and size of images are really poor so its hard to read the handwriting and even making out the stickman drawings can be difficult,..." Read more

Reviews with images

Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

UK Modern Slavery Statement
Amazon Science
Sell on Amazon
Sell on Amazon Business
Sell on Amazon Handmade
Associates Programme
Fulfilment by Amazon
Seller Fulfilled Prime
Advertise Your Products
Independently Publish with Us
Host an Amazon Hub
› See More Make Money with Us
Amazon Platinum Mastercard
Amazon Classic Mastercard
Amazon Money Store
Amazon Currency Converter
Payment Methods Help
Shop with Points
Top Up Your Account
Top Up Your Account in Store
COVID-19 and Amazon
Track Packages or View Orders
Delivery Rates & Policies
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Amazon Mobile App
Customer Service
Accessibility

Conditions of Use & Sale
Privacy Notice
Cookies Notice
Interest-Based Ads Notice

Humor & Entertainment

Print List Price:	$30.00
Kindle Price:	$20.99 Save $9.01 (30%)
HarperCollins Publishers Price set by seller.

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Buy for others

Buying and sending ebooks to others.

Select quantity
Buy and send eBooks
Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Kindle Edition

From the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd, hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.

Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following.

Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last?

In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.

The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? will be required reading for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.

Part of series What If?
Print length 321 pages
Language English
Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
Publisher Dey Street Books
Publication date September 2, 2014
File size 83972 KB
Page Flip Enabled
Word Wise Enabled
Enhanced typesetting Enabled
See all details

Customers Also Enjoyed
In This Series
Popular Science

How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems

Get to know this book

What's it about.

Popular highlight

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review.

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, September 2014: What if everyone on earth aimed a laser pointer at the moon at the same time? What if you could drain all the water from the oceans? What if all the lightning in the world struck the same place? What if there were a book that considered weird, sometimes ridiculous questions, and it was so compelling that you found yourself skimming its pages to find out what would happen if you threw a baseball at light speed? With What If , Randall Munroe has written such a book. As he does in his extraordinarily popular xkcd webcomic, Munroe applies reason and research to hypothetical conundrums ranging from the philosophical to the scientific (often absurd, but never pseudo) that probably seemed awesome in your elementary school days—but were never sufficiently answered. It’s the rare combination of edifying and fun. — Jon Foro.

About the Author

Randall Munroe is the author of the webcomic xkcd and the New York Times bestsellers What If? , What If? 2 , Thing Explainer , and How To. A former NASA roboticist, he left the agency in 2006 to draw comics on the internet full time. The International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him; that asteroid, 4942 Munroe, is large enough that it could cause widespread devastation if it were to hit Earth. He lives in Massachusetts.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00IYUYF4A
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dey Street Books (September 2, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 2, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 83972 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
#16 in Science & Scientists Humor
#37 in Humorous American Literature
#37 in Physics (Kindle Store)

About the author

Randall munroe.

Randall Munroe is the creator of the webcomic xkcd and author of xkcd: Volume 0. Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside Richmond, Virginia. After studying physics at Christopher Newport University, he got a job building robots at NASA Langley Research Center. In 2006 he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full time, and has since been nominated for a Hugo Award three times. The International Astronomical Union recently named an asteroid after him: asteroid 4942 Munroe is big enough to cause mass extinction if it ever hits a planet like Earth.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

Customers say

Customers say the book is a clever mix of science and math that retains almost everything they learn. They find the humor entertaining and the answers simple for everyone to grasp. Readers also appreciate the illustrations and say the content is well organized and written with just the right balance of wit and charm. They say it's a great gift for anyone who wonders "What if?"

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book entertaining, funny, and informative. They also say the premise provides breezy, hilarious, scientifically-based information.

"...Plus, for people who appreciate Munroe's unique, twisted sense of humor , the book is drop dead funny...." Read more

"...It was moderately interesting . I think I sold it to the used bookstore a while back.What If?,..." Read more

"...It was actually quite entertaining, both in it's quippy nerd-centric humor and occassionaly ridiculous (in a good way) comic drawings, all centered..." Read more

" Hilarious and I have both in the series. Funt to just lay back and de-stress with some light comical reading. <3" Read more

Customers find the book's content clever, informative, surprising, and fun. They also say the questions are absurd but the answers are totally real. Readers are amused at the amount of work involved in coming up with the answers. They say the book is well-presented and retains almost everything it learns.

"...Since he's obviously very clever and resourceful , and seems willing to tackle enormous questions, his readers and fans often ask him questions...." Read more

"...The book itself is a work of art , on a scale I’ve rarely seen outside of special editions of books–and the Stormlight Archive...." Read more

"...It's a fairly simple, easy to read light trivia book with some memorable bits of information ... that said, however, there are some areas where this..." Read more

"...Instead, his methodologies are incredibly applicable to real life situations (even though his actual problems are unlikely in the extreme)...." Read more

Customers find the book easy to read. They say the answers are written in simple language that everyone can grasp, concise, and understated. Readers also appreciate the narrator, Wil Wheaton, who does a great job narrating the book.

"...His write-ups are thoughtful , cutting to the heart of the matter in most cases. He doesn't get too entrenched in hammering down every last detail...." Read more

"...It is narrated by Wil Wheaton and Wil does a great job narrating it ...." Read more

"This book is a fun, quick read recommended for those who are fans of Randall Monroe and his xkcd blog or for anyone who is interested in quirky..." Read more

Customers find the book a great gift for anyone who wonders What if.

"...It would make a great gift , too, for anyone who likes science, humor, or both of the above." Read more

"... Great gift for college students . Q:If a person starts rising from the ground at 1 meter an hour, how long would it take them to reach space...." Read more

"...Pros: Awesome gift for kids and teenagers . The paper is fresh, the format and color is uncanny, the whole visual experience is attractive...." Read more

"...This would make an AMAZING Gift for anyone with curiosity and/or a love for science. Remember, not all science is serious stuff...." Read more

Customers find the illustrations clever, detailed, and accurate. They also say the book is well organized and written with just the right balance of wit and charm.

"...His drawing style is at once simplistic and instantly recognizable. His people are stick figures, but that doesn't diminish their cleverness...." Read more

"...There are full inside cover illustrations , as well as an illustration on the physical cover of the book, *and* the dust jacket. Seriously...." Read more

"...The book comes with very helpful stick figure drawings that genuinely help to illustrate complicated physics principles...." Read more

"...The organization of the questions also helps , as sometimes there are follow up questions to certain ones..." Read more

Customers find the book appeals to young children and adults. They also say it's a great book to read and share with the whole family.

"...Very entertaining too. Very highly recommended for all ages ." Read more

"...I am overtly pleased with this book! It's truly one for the ages ." Read more

"...It gives so much detail about far fetched scenarios. Perfect for the teen who asked a million questions" Read more

"This book is amazing for 9-16 year-olds . The scenarios are confusing, as well as hilarious...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the reading level of the book. Some find it easy to read in short sessions, while others find the text difficult to read without zooming-in.

"... Makes for a good bathroom reader or good to read just a bit before bedtime...." Read more

"...This is a review of the Kindle version of the book. I am unable to read it on the Kindle ...." Read more

"...Would also make for a great bathroom reader ...." Read more

"... Works fine on Kindle Paperwhite device ." Read more

Customers are mixed about the length of the book. Some mention that the sections aren't too long and the answers are easy to follow, while others say that the answers tend to be a little too long.

"This is a relatively small book that asks and answers lots of big question...." Read more

"...To my view book is awfully short , and content NOT from the site (i.e. what I have already read) seems..." Read more

"...and "ballpark estimates", but it also demonstrates the immense power of numbers to go beyond bonkers and to hilarious places...." Read more

"...The print is large so this would be a great book for anyone in elementary school all the way to your Great-Grandma and there are lots of stick..." Read more