STUFF: The Fortunes, Foibles, and Fiascos of Those Who Sought to Understand Matter

by George Graybill

FINALIST FOR AN I.A.N. BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD RECEIVED AN INDIE B.R.A.G. MEDALLION RECEIVED A WISHING SHELF RED RIBBON From Archimedes’ bathtub to Schrödinger’s cat, the reader follows the dramatic and humorous events in the history of the ongoing struggle to understand the basic nature of matter and, in the process, painlessly absorbs all the major concepts of middle school physical science. The structure of the book takes advantage of the fact that basic concepts about the nature of matter were discovered in roughly the same sequence they are taught. The book begins with the ancient Greeks, who first talked about atoms from a viewpoint that was more philosophical than scientific. The story of the next 2,000 years highlights the events and characters in the history of the study of matter. The book ends on the note that all the knowledge we have gained has led us back to asking philosophical questions such as, “Why does matter exist?” The tone is one of whimsy, weirdness, and irreverence. Although historical events are embellished or even completely fabricated for comic effect, it is always clear that the science is accurate. Adult readers will find this book thoroughly entertaining, but it can also serve as a supplement to a middle school physical science class. It should appeal to students who can’t get enough of science and to those looking for something less boring than their textbook.

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2017

Reviews

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: STUFF, The Fortunes, Foibles, and Fiascos of Those Who Sought to Understand Matter
Author: George Graybill

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 3/10
Of the 16 readers:
13 would read another book by this author.
3 thought the cover was good or excellent.
11 felt it was easy to follow.
13 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
13 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘This is a really fun book. I loved finding out a little about the great characters of science, particularly Aristotle running down the street naked after his bath. Not true, of course, but the author is cleverly introducing an element of comedy to an often uninspiring subject – for children anyway. I would recommend the author develop the illustrations a little, and also re-design the cover. It’s too bland.’ Teacher, aged 48
‘I loved this book. It was very accessible. I would recommend it to teenagers who are not big on science and want to understand the basic stuff. It is like a dumbed down history of scientific discovery of matter. I wish I had had this when I was doing my GCSE physics.’ Boy, aged 17
‘Looks at the history of matter in a fun and interesting way. Two things: the illustrations in the book are badly placed and sort of look as if they were swiped off the internet. Secondly, although the writing is light and fun, the cover is dreary and boring. It’s green. GREEN! It needs to be light, fun colours with a fun image to represent the light nature of the book.’ Boy, aged 15
‘Fantastic idea. Reminded me of Horrible History where the author is representing a traditionally dry subject in a comic way. I would recommend this to my students, particularly students struggling with science as a school subject.’ High School Teacher (chemistry), aged 52

To Sum It Up:
‘A wonderfully fun way of encouraging teenagers to understand matter. And why it, well, matters! A Red Ribbon WINNER and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Steph Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Stuff is a quirky and fun look at the history of science, covering physics, chemistry, philosophy and alchemy on the way.

The book is written in an easily-accessible and humorous style and the weightier explanations are broken up nicely with human-interest anecdotes and wittily-captioned pictures.

I personally have very little knowledge of, or interest in, scientific precepts and methods, and yet I devoured this book eagerly and felt more knowledgeable at the end than I did at the start.

As a parent, I will definitely be ordering a copy of this book once my children are old enough to be studying the physical sciences and I can recommend it for adult learners and those with a passing casual interest in science too.

This book does for science what the Horrible Histories books do for history!



Some parts of this book are pure horse pucky. Many of the descriptions of the events surrounding the great discoveries about the nature of matter have been invented for your entertainment. On the other hand, all the facts about matter are true. If you read this book, you will learn a large chunk of chemistry and physics, which are the sciences that try to understand stuff. Please don’t study this book or try to learn any of this science. You have too much homework already. Hopefully, the stories will be interesting enough to keep you reading, and the science part will just soak in. It will be like eating ice cream that someone has secretly injected with vitamins.

– George Graybill, Stuff

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Stretchycat · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE BOOK IS HUMOROUS EVEN IN PLACES THAT THE AUTHOR DOES NOT SEEM TO INTEND. A MAJOR ERROR ( LOWER ED MY RATING BY ONE STAR) IN THE EARLY CHAPTERS INDICATES THAT SOCRATES FOUND THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE WATER DISPLACED IS EQUAL TO THE WEIGHT OF THE IMMERSED OBJECT! HE MEANS VOLUME NOT WEIGHT.THUS TWO OBJECTS OF EQUAL WEIGHT (MASS) AND DIFFERENT DENSITIES MUST HAVE DIFFERENT VOLUMES, SINCE DENSITY IS THE RATIO OF WEIGHT (MASS) TO VOLUME. THIS DIFFERENCE EXPLAINS WHY A SUGAR CUBE AND A GOLD CUBE OF EQUAL SIZE DISPLACE THE SAME VOLUME OF WATER, AT LEAST UNTIL THE SUGAR STARTS TO DISSOLVE IN THE WATER. IF YOU WEIGH BOTH CUBES FIRST, THE WATER DISPLACEMENT IS THE SAME EVEN WHEN THE SUGAR FULLY DISSOLVES. NO LOSS IN VOLUME OCCURS WHEN THE SUGAR DISSOLVES, SO THE TWO DENSITIES CAN BE CALCULATED AND ARE FOUND TO BE VERY FAR APART. FOR BEST RESULTS THE SUGAR CUBE MUST BE MADE OF A SINGLE PERFECT CRYSTAL TO AVOID POROSITY EFFECTS. A FEW OTHER MORE SUBTLE ERRORS ARE ALSO PRESENT THOUGH LESS SIGNIFICANT TO THE PRINCIPLES BEING DESCRIBED. THIS BOOK IS A HOOT AND A FUN READ. RECOMMENDED FOR STUDENTS OF SCIENCE AND ITS HISTORY FROM AGES 16-60 OR MINDS THAT NEED EXPANDING OR EXPLODING.

1STAR LESS DUE TO MAJOR ERROR IN STORY ABOUT WATER DISPLACEMENT WHERE VOLUME NOT MASS IS THE THE PROPERLY MEASURED PROPERTY. WEIGHT CAN BE USED TO CALCULATE VOLUME WITH WATER WEIGHING 1 GM/CC. THE BOOK IS A HOOT AND IS RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 12-80 OR ANYONE WHO WISHES TO HAVE HIS MIND BLOWN OR EXPLODED.

[S. Jeyran Main · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuff is a non-fiction book written about historical events that came to introduce us to the basic nature of matter, its discovery, and the people that made it happen. From Kinetic-Molecular Theory to atomic models and the first guinea pig, the reader gets to understand and educate themselves with these discoveries and have a chance to also laugh as they read the content.

The author has found a very humorous yet instructive way to inform the reader with some general knowledge on these matters and still make it enjoyable to read. The literature was standard and easy to comprehend. The chapters were all clear, and from the title, you knew which matter is to be taught next.

I believe young adults would thoroughly enjoy this book since it has just the right amount of humor, images, and means to carry their attention to the point of comprehension. Science lovers would also enjoy this particular work.

The only thing I would say in improving the book would be its cover image. Otherwise, I appreciated the thought and love put into the work. I recommend this book to science lovers and people who wish to increase their general knowledge without getting bored.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author lays out his goal for this book at the very beginning. He wants to mix interesting stories, jokes, and actual scientific facts in such a way that it is both educational and entertaining. As he put it, “It will be like eating ice cream that someone has secretly injected with vitamins.”

For the most part, I think he succeeds. I’m sure there are those who will never get this stuff, but for those who are interested it can refresh your memory about the stuff that you’ve forgotten. (I especially liked the discussion of the scientific method and the discussion of the definition of terms like theory and scientific law.) It will teach you things you might not have learned. (I’ve had a vague understanding of Schrödinger’s cat, but don’t think I’d ever understood the complete story of this famous feline before now.)

I’m not sure reading this is as good as ice cream, but it is pretty darn entertaining. And yeah, I learned stuff without really trying. Give it a try.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Eclectic Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is stuff made of?

Mr. Graybill gives a humorous, easy-to-follow, history lesson in the study of matter. He includes an extensive vocabulary of science terms from various theories, elements, and compounds to the explanation of wave-particle duality, quantum mechanics, and the Bohr model.

There are also profiles of various philosophers and scientists including Hermes Trismegistus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Dmitri Mendeleev and their noted scientific discoveries.

See my complete review at The Eclectic Review

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that STUFF: The Fortunes, Foibles, and Fiascos of Those Who Sought to Understand Matter by George Graybill is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!