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Traversal
In Traversal, Maria Popova traverses the border between life and death, chance and choice, chemistry and what makes a body a person? What makes a planet a world? How do we safeguard our love of truth from our lust for power? What slakes our longings and what redeems our losses?
Popova illuminates our various instruments of reckoning with these questions - our telescopes and our treatises, our postulates and our poems - through the intertwined lives, loves and legacies of visionaries both celebrated and sidelined by history, people born into the margins of their time and place who lived to write the Mary Shelley, Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass, Fanny Wright. Woven throughout their stories are other threads - the decoding of the insulin molecule, the invention of the bicycle, how nature creates blue - which come together to create a rich tapestry of life's meaning; exploring what it is that makes life alive and worth living.
By turns epic and intimate, Traversal explores the universe between cells and souls to reveal the world, and our lives, in a dazzling new light.
Popova illuminates our various instruments of reckoning with these questions - our telescopes and our treatises, our postulates and our poems - through the intertwined lives, loves and legacies of visionaries both celebrated and sidelined by history, people born into the margins of their time and place who lived to write the Mary Shelley, Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass, Fanny Wright. Woven throughout their stories are other threads - the decoding of the insulin molecule, the invention of the bicycle, how nature creates blue - which come together to create a rich tapestry of life's meaning; exploring what it is that makes life alive and worth living.
By turns epic and intimate, Traversal explores the universe between cells and souls to reveal the world, and our lives, in a dazzling new light.
Audible Audio
Published March 12, 2026
90 people are currently reading
2630 people want to read
About the author
Maria Popova
36 books1,795 followersMaria Popova is a reader and a writer, and writes about what she reads on Brain Pickings (brainpickings.org), which is included in the Library of Congress permanent digital archive of culturally valuable materials. She hosts The Universe in Verse—an annual charitable celebration of science through poetry—at the interdisciplinary cultural center Pioneer Works in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 5, 2026
TRAVERSAL
@mariapopova
@fsgbooks
“We feel first and think second, then spend our lives contorting to invert the order, sublimating emotion to reason, only to find ourselves made smaller and less alive by the flight from feeling.”
Traversal is a true work of humanism, a beautifully rendered literary Fantasia that strips away the false barriers our education systems have illusioned in place among chemistry and philosophy and physics and literature.
Illuminating the successes and blunders of sung and unsung figures who have brought art to science and science to art, Popova traverses back and forth through the centuries tracing lines of thought carried through literature, poetry, scientific method and idea, and shows us how we should have been thinking of, in the same vein, Mary Shelley and Frederick Douglass and those who have illustrated insulin with xray and painted blue the mountain valleys at the bottom of the ocean, all along.
As Popova follows the line from Shelley’s Frankenstein, a man creating a monster he has no way of taming, to Dorothy Hodgkin illuminating molecular structure by pioneering the field of xray crystallography, to Rosalind Franklin who did the major lifting in delineating the structure of DNA,RNA, & viruses—all the structures that allow for the possibility of life—we see that, by far, it has been women taking risk and taming science for illumination and good, through fierce work outlined with ethic and ethics, while it is me who tend to headline the atomic bombs, the stolen Nobels, the Frankensteins.
As Popova painstakingly but remarkably renders biography of looming historical figures and tastemakers, Wollstonecraft, all the Shelleys and those they loved and interacted with, she dutifully and effectively relays emotion that draws in the reader who, not having a clue what is coming next in this mammoth of a masterwork, invests every single moment nearly equally and with interest because of Poppva’s masterful evocation of emotion and summoning of life from studied journals and diaries.
If everyone thought even an ounce closer to the way Popova thinks of the world, or even took a single page of this book’s questioning to heart, or understood at a deep level even a tenth of everything she discusses here, I think perhaps the world would logarithmically improve, instantly. I don’t mean this as some elevated intelligence quotient elitism—just that if education were accessible and ACCESSED by everyone, the ability to see past propagandas and pseudosciences would be so much simpler for those of us who fall for them or have fallen for them.
This is a remarkable historical work for every reader.
Book of the year. 🥇
@mariapopova
@fsgbooks
“We feel first and think second, then spend our lives contorting to invert the order, sublimating emotion to reason, only to find ourselves made smaller and less alive by the flight from feeling.”
Traversal is a true work of humanism, a beautifully rendered literary Fantasia that strips away the false barriers our education systems have illusioned in place among chemistry and philosophy and physics and literature.
Illuminating the successes and blunders of sung and unsung figures who have brought art to science and science to art, Popova traverses back and forth through the centuries tracing lines of thought carried through literature, poetry, scientific method and idea, and shows us how we should have been thinking of, in the same vein, Mary Shelley and Frederick Douglass and those who have illustrated insulin with xray and painted blue the mountain valleys at the bottom of the ocean, all along.
As Popova follows the line from Shelley’s Frankenstein, a man creating a monster he has no way of taming, to Dorothy Hodgkin illuminating molecular structure by pioneering the field of xray crystallography, to Rosalind Franklin who did the major lifting in delineating the structure of DNA,RNA, & viruses—all the structures that allow for the possibility of life—we see that, by far, it has been women taking risk and taming science for illumination and good, through fierce work outlined with ethic and ethics, while it is me who tend to headline the atomic bombs, the stolen Nobels, the Frankensteins.
As Popova painstakingly but remarkably renders biography of looming historical figures and tastemakers, Wollstonecraft, all the Shelleys and those they loved and interacted with, she dutifully and effectively relays emotion that draws in the reader who, not having a clue what is coming next in this mammoth of a masterwork, invests every single moment nearly equally and with interest because of Poppva’s masterful evocation of emotion and summoning of life from studied journals and diaries.
If everyone thought even an ounce closer to the way Popova thinks of the world, or even took a single page of this book’s questioning to heart, or understood at a deep level even a tenth of everything she discusses here, I think perhaps the world would logarithmically improve, instantly. I don’t mean this as some elevated intelligence quotient elitism—just that if education were accessible and ACCESSED by everyone, the ability to see past propagandas and pseudosciences would be so much simpler for those of us who fall for them or have fallen for them.
This is a remarkable historical work for every reader.
Book of the year. 🥇
February 28, 2026
Popova's writing style takes you into other people without a warning. She opens a window to let you look through, and you suddenly find yourself sipping hot chocolate under a blanket, inside this person's life, watching. She then moves to someone else, the door closing gently behind you, only to land back onto their balcony later on, watching them leave the house from a new perspective.
I liked this book slightly less than Figuring, simply because I was more taken with the lives of those people than with the lives of the people in this book, but the research, the insight and the beautiful prose, barely resisting becoming poetry, are more than worth the price of admission.
I liked this book slightly less than Figuring, simply because I was more taken with the lives of those people than with the lives of the people in this book, but the research, the insight and the beautiful prose, barely resisting becoming poetry, are more than worth the price of admission.
March 10, 2026
Have you ever read a book which feels like it was written just for you? That is what Traversal is for me. The subject-matter. The narrative meanderings. The observations. All of it feels like it was created for a very specific reader - me! That makes it hard for me to guess how other people will approach the book or react to it. It is tailored to my tastes so specifically, I am not sure how it translates to the general reading public. I hope everyone loves it and talks about it endlessly on the socials and it becomes a cultural touchstone because I think it is that deep, that interesting, worthy of not just reading but study. I would love to teach a semester class on it, where we also read adjacent books because it is a book to be discussed with others and in conversation with other works. While it is brilliant on its own, it shines even brighter in context. Prior familiarity with the topics isn't necessary but it does heighten the enjoyment.
In my review of an earlier book by Maria Popova I wrote, "My only complaint about this book is I wish it was 1,000 pages long." In Traversal, I almost got that wish! This is a long and twisty exploration of astronomy and art and the complicated people who do both. It is endlessly fascinating. Never boring. Always making connections I would like to think I would make myself but know I probably wouldn't without someone pointing them out to me. This is the type of book I love. It reminds me of Rebecca Solnit in the way it weaves different threads together to make a cohesive tapestry. Traversal is about history, about the journey we have taken to get from there to here. It is about science and the narratives we create out of our understanding. It is the story of our world told by focusing on particular people. Part history book, part science explanation, part biography, Traversal is more than the sum of its parts. Thank you to Maria Popova for the time and effort which obviously went into writing the book, Natascha McElhone for the competent narration, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the audioARC.
In my review of an earlier book by Maria Popova I wrote, "My only complaint about this book is I wish it was 1,000 pages long." In Traversal, I almost got that wish! This is a long and twisty exploration of astronomy and art and the complicated people who do both. It is endlessly fascinating. Never boring. Always making connections I would like to think I would make myself but know I probably wouldn't without someone pointing them out to me. This is the type of book I love. It reminds me of Rebecca Solnit in the way it weaves different threads together to make a cohesive tapestry. Traversal is about history, about the journey we have taken to get from there to here. It is about science and the narratives we create out of our understanding. It is the story of our world told by focusing on particular people. Part history book, part science explanation, part biography, Traversal is more than the sum of its parts. Thank you to Maria Popova for the time and effort which obviously went into writing the book, Natascha McElhone for the competent narration, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the audioARC.
October 11, 2025
Rather than a collection of short stories, this book reads like a journey. Embark and follow the stream of thoughts, stories, scientific discoveries and relationships of historical figures from the XIXth and early XXth centuries.
Traversal should be read cover-to-cover. The titles of its 49 short chapters form an eerie "romantic" poem - a careful nod to Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley, whose lives are featured extensively in the book. Yes, you are signing up for more than 500 pages, but they are very easy to read. Short chapters follow each other with elegance. Each one focuses on a specific invention, a specific historical figure, or a specific event. It would be perfect for commuters: in 15 minutes, you can read a chapter and learn something interesting to talk about at the coffee machine.
I really liked that Maria Popova does not judge the people of the XIXth century with the logic and morality of our times. She captures the zeitgeist of the XIXth century and tries to convey the perspectives of each person, especially when their interests are not aligned. I really enjoyed reading through the extraordinary lives of Mary Shelley and her husband Percy Shelley. Despite trying to rebel against their families and their times, they were also a product of the period. What does it mean to be an innovator? How can one be a female intellectual in a time when women were considered as perpetual children, and when being beaten and raped by your husband was considered normal?
The powerful forces of scientifict innovation and art are often at odds with the sluggish evolution of morals. Traversal invites you to reflect on extraordinary times and influential people, but also on the daily lives of everyone who was just trying to survive through revolutions and famines.
Maria Propova provided me with a novel perspective on many big names of science (Lavoisier, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Humphry Davy...). It felt a lot like summer nights at my grandparent's summer house when I was a child. My grandfather was a physics researcher with an immense culture. My grandmother held a master's degree in geography and was also a voracious reader. They would tell a lot of stories, especially about the history of science. Reading this book is the closest I can get to spending a night with them - they are long dead.
Summary:
I truly liked Traversal. Probably not enough to give it 5 stars, but more like 4.5 rounded down. I learned a lot and definitely feel more grateful for being born at the end of the XXth century. As a woman and an engineer, my life would have been much more difficult just 100 years earlier. The odds are that I would not have had access to higher education at all.
Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this book. I will read anything that FSG is kind enough to send me. They are such a fantastic editor.
Thank you Maria Popova for all those stories, told with the generosity, critical thinking and passion that only true scholars possess. I love how you connect all those historical figures between each other and with modern times.
Traversal should be read cover-to-cover. The titles of its 49 short chapters form an eerie "romantic" poem - a careful nod to Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley, whose lives are featured extensively in the book. Yes, you are signing up for more than 500 pages, but they are very easy to read. Short chapters follow each other with elegance. Each one focuses on a specific invention, a specific historical figure, or a specific event. It would be perfect for commuters: in 15 minutes, you can read a chapter and learn something interesting to talk about at the coffee machine.
I really liked that Maria Popova does not judge the people of the XIXth century with the logic and morality of our times. She captures the zeitgeist of the XIXth century and tries to convey the perspectives of each person, especially when their interests are not aligned. I really enjoyed reading through the extraordinary lives of Mary Shelley and her husband Percy Shelley. Despite trying to rebel against their families and their times, they were also a product of the period. What does it mean to be an innovator? How can one be a female intellectual in a time when women were considered as perpetual children, and when being beaten and raped by your husband was considered normal?
The powerful forces of scientifict innovation and art are often at odds with the sluggish evolution of morals. Traversal invites you to reflect on extraordinary times and influential people, but also on the daily lives of everyone who was just trying to survive through revolutions and famines.
Maria Propova provided me with a novel perspective on many big names of science (Lavoisier, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Humphry Davy...). It felt a lot like summer nights at my grandparent's summer house when I was a child. My grandfather was a physics researcher with an immense culture. My grandmother held a master's degree in geography and was also a voracious reader. They would tell a lot of stories, especially about the history of science. Reading this book is the closest I can get to spending a night with them - they are long dead.
Summary:
I truly liked Traversal. Probably not enough to give it 5 stars, but more like 4.5 rounded down. I learned a lot and definitely feel more grateful for being born at the end of the XXth century. As a woman and an engineer, my life would have been much more difficult just 100 years earlier. The odds are that I would not have had access to higher education at all.
Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this book. I will read anything that FSG is kind enough to send me. They are such a fantastic editor.
Thank you Maria Popova for all those stories, told with the generosity, critical thinking and passion that only true scholars possess. I love how you connect all those historical figures between each other and with modern times.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
5 stars
I just really appreciate that Maria Popova exists. Her work always feels thoughtful, comprehensive, and novel, and this most recent mega effort is one of the best examples of what she can REALLY do.
About a decade ago, I had one of the most incredible experiences of my life so far: seeing Marina Abramovic speak at City Arts & Lectures in San Francisco. My small group of fellow travelers - a sibling included - and I treated this like we were coming home to the coven because, let's be real, Marina is the Grand High Witch. Guess who was hosting this incredible coversation? The ever inquisitive and in this case nearly sprightly Maria Popova. Watching Popova navigate Abramovic, along with the absolutely bonkers questions we fiends in the audience lobbed during the show and maniacally in the lobby after, gave me an appreciation for Popova that I hadn't fully realized just from what was at the time still Brain Pickings. Yes, I thought she was smart. I hadn't yet really realized the level on which she operates.
This book is an excellent reminder that Popova is operating in a lush, creative, parallel space where synthesis and meaning and emotional depth - along with a great appreciation for rationality - collide. The final effort is not a small investment for anyone. Popova mentions this book took seven years to complete. It's delivered to readers in 600 pages or 22 hours of fantastic audio (if we're getting a 22-hour audiobook, I'd like to acknowledge the gift of making the narrator Natasha McElhone, whose choices made me feel like I was immersed in a spirited conversation over tea. The time flew).
The content is exceptional and riveting for a very specific audience, and I very much enjoyed the experience of being fully engaged with these individuals, times and places, and impactful motifs. Most of all, I loved getting back in Popova's scope. It's a truly magical place. This book is special and memorable. I can't wait to see what Popova comes up with next, and I'll patiently wait another seven years or however long it takes.
*Special thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for this alc and arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I just really appreciate that Maria Popova exists. Her work always feels thoughtful, comprehensive, and novel, and this most recent mega effort is one of the best examples of what she can REALLY do.
About a decade ago, I had one of the most incredible experiences of my life so far: seeing Marina Abramovic speak at City Arts & Lectures in San Francisco. My small group of fellow travelers - a sibling included - and I treated this like we were coming home to the coven because, let's be real, Marina is the Grand High Witch. Guess who was hosting this incredible coversation? The ever inquisitive and in this case nearly sprightly Maria Popova. Watching Popova navigate Abramovic, along with the absolutely bonkers questions we fiends in the audience lobbed during the show and maniacally in the lobby after, gave me an appreciation for Popova that I hadn't fully realized just from what was at the time still Brain Pickings. Yes, I thought she was smart. I hadn't yet really realized the level on which she operates.
This book is an excellent reminder that Popova is operating in a lush, creative, parallel space where synthesis and meaning and emotional depth - along with a great appreciation for rationality - collide. The final effort is not a small investment for anyone. Popova mentions this book took seven years to complete. It's delivered to readers in 600 pages or 22 hours of fantastic audio (if we're getting a 22-hour audiobook, I'd like to acknowledge the gift of making the narrator Natasha McElhone, whose choices made me feel like I was immersed in a spirited conversation over tea. The time flew).
The content is exceptional and riveting for a very specific audience, and I very much enjoyed the experience of being fully engaged with these individuals, times and places, and impactful motifs. Most of all, I loved getting back in Popova's scope. It's a truly magical place. This book is special and memorable. I can't wait to see what Popova comes up with next, and I'll patiently wait another seven years or however long it takes.
*Special thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for this alc and arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A huge thank you to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for my audiobook!
Publishes 2.17. 2026
This is a massive massive non-fiction book filled with vignettes of different historical characters who are all intersected by the idea of what it means to be in the world and to live. We begin with Captain Cook (yes THE) and follow him, Marie Curie, the Shelleys', Byron, Whitman, Frederick Douglas, etc. It is really good- and I suggest this as easy listening. Low low stakes- there is so much information packed into this book so do not expect to remember every little fact or detail. I really loved how each person's lived experience creates the foundation for the next and how humanity altogether is rather really a miracle and more interconnected than we suppose.
The audiobook was lovely- the narrator was really easy to listen to and I enjoyed it!
This audiobook is definitely over 20 hours as the physical book is over 600 pages- expect to take time with this.
Publishes 2.17. 2026
This is a massive massive non-fiction book filled with vignettes of different historical characters who are all intersected by the idea of what it means to be in the world and to live. We begin with Captain Cook (yes THE) and follow him, Marie Curie, the Shelleys', Byron, Whitman, Frederick Douglas, etc. It is really good- and I suggest this as easy listening. Low low stakes- there is so much information packed into this book so do not expect to remember every little fact or detail. I really loved how each person's lived experience creates the foundation for the next and how humanity altogether is rather really a miracle and more interconnected than we suppose.
The audiobook was lovely- the narrator was really easy to listen to and I enjoyed it!
This audiobook is definitely over 20 hours as the physical book is over 600 pages- expect to take time with this.
February 24, 2026
Dacă nu ar exista, Maria Popova ar trebui să fie inventată! Aș ruga-o să repovestească tot ce s-a povestit vreodată pe lumea asta. ♥️
Scriitura ei este poetică, atentă, cuprinzătoare și inovatoare, iar această ultimă impresionantă realizare este cea mai bună expresie a capacităților ei reale. „Figuring” m-a încântat și mi s-a lipit de suflet, iar „Traversal” nu s-a lăsat cu nimic mai prejos.
M I N U N A T Ă carte, minunată Maria Popova!
Scriitura ei este poetică, atentă, cuprinzătoare și inovatoare, iar această ultimă impresionantă realizare este cea mai bună expresie a capacităților ei reale. „Figuring” m-a încântat și mi s-a lipit de suflet, iar „Traversal” nu s-a lăsat cu nimic mai prejos.
M I N U N A T Ă carte, minunată Maria Popova!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews