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Gilded Age #1
The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Light the World
In the mid-to-late-nineteenth century, a burgeoning science called electricity promised to shine new light on a rousing nation. Inventive and ambitious minds were hard at work. Soon that spark was fanned and given life, and a fiery war was under way to be the first to light—and run—the world with electricity. Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of direct current (DC), engaged in a brutal battle with Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, the inventors of alternating current (AC). There would be no ties in this bout—only a winner and a loser. The prize: a nationwide monopoly in electric current. Brimming with action, suspense, and rich historical and biographical information about these inventors, here is the rousing account of one of the world's defining scientific competitions.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 22, 2019
65 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
About the author
Mike Winchell
4 books16 followersMike Winchell is a veteran educator with a master's degree in educational leadership. He is the creator & editor of the BEEN THERE, DONE THAT anthology series, and the award-winning author of the young adult narrative nonfiction book, THE ELECTRIC WAR: EDISON, TESLA, WESTINGHOUSE, AND THE RACE TO LIGHT THE WORLD. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two children. mikewinchellbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
December 25, 2018
i found this to be a really intriguing account of how electricity came to be in our world. this book definitely satisfied my inner history buff and it was a nice and easy read (that i surprisingly finished while waiting for my world history final to be over).
**an arc of this book was sent to me by macmillan (fierce reads).
**an arc of this book was sent to me by macmillan (fierce reads).
October 14, 2019
The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse and the Race to Light the World by Mike Winchell, 260 pages. Christy Ottaviano Books (Henry Holt), 2019. $20.
Content: Language: PG (1 swear); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13.
BUYING ADVISORY: MS – OPTIONAL; HS – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
This book looks at how electricity came to be a major source of power. Three men-Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse, all contributed to the invention and establishment of electricity in the United States. The book starts out with the first capital punishment that used the electric chair and then flashes back ten years to show how the three inventors and businessmen surrounding light and power played manipulative games to get the corner on the electricity market.
I couldn’t put this book down and was interested to find out that Edison didn’t play nice when bringing electricity to the world. I enjoyed the simplified explanations about electricity and the back stories on each of the three men. The violence is very upsetting because it describes the torturous killing of the man by electric chair and an experiment that involved dogs getting electrocuted to death-not quickly. So although the book was informative and interesting I think the content puts it in the high school and makes it advisable instead of essential.
Reviewer, C. Peterson
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
Content: Language: PG (1 swear); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13.
BUYING ADVISORY: MS – OPTIONAL; HS – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
This book looks at how electricity came to be a major source of power. Three men-Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse, all contributed to the invention and establishment of electricity in the United States. The book starts out with the first capital punishment that used the electric chair and then flashes back ten years to show how the three inventors and businessmen surrounding light and power played manipulative games to get the corner on the electricity market.
I couldn’t put this book down and was interested to find out that Edison didn’t play nice when bringing electricity to the world. I enjoyed the simplified explanations about electricity and the back stories on each of the three men. The violence is very upsetting because it describes the torturous killing of the man by electric chair and an experiment that involved dogs getting electrocuted to death-not quickly. So although the book was informative and interesting I think the content puts it in the high school and makes it advisable instead of essential.
Reviewer, C. Peterson
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
February 3, 2023
This book is incredibly informative about the lesser known side of Thomas Edison and the Gilded Age as a whole. I for one love learning about unsung heroes and this novel gives the reader the information to give inventors such as George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla credit where credit is due. What prevents it from being a five star reading experience is that towards the end the historical drama lulls. Although this isn’t the author’s fault, the ending drags on a tad. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in or unfamiliar with the War of Currents or the Gilded Age.
March 10, 2025
good summary
May 7, 2019
This is a book that actually makes the invention of alternating and direct current exciting. I learned more from this book about electricity than I ever learned in science class.
June 11, 2019
Ok, this all makes sense to me now, as I just read on the author's profile that this series is intended for middle grades. I'm a full grown adult, but I'm fascinated by the war of the currents!
It all started when a few years ago I read a historical fiction book called The Last Days of Night. I was intrigued. How much of this was fiction and how much actually happened? Did Thomas Edison really stoop so low as to call being electrocuted by alternating current as being Westinghoused? Enter Mike Winchell's The Electric War.
Since this book is intended for middle graders, it is a very simple and easy to understand book about the war of the currents. But it confirmed a lot of what I read in historical fiction. Both Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse were incredible businessmen. And Nikola Tesla a visionary ahead of his time. This book captures how badly each of these men wanted to win this war, and also who really deserves the credit as inventor of electricity.
With that being said, I'm sure there are other books meant for adults that may go into more detail about this war. Sometimes I was hoping for a little more detail about things. I would've liked more explanation about why alternating current is ultimately safer and the difference between AC and DC. How do we use it today? How does it all work? But this is nitpicky stuff. I give the book 4 stars. Fun, fast read!
It all started when a few years ago I read a historical fiction book called The Last Days of Night. I was intrigued. How much of this was fiction and how much actually happened? Did Thomas Edison really stoop so low as to call being electrocuted by alternating current as being Westinghoused? Enter Mike Winchell's The Electric War.
Since this book is intended for middle graders, it is a very simple and easy to understand book about the war of the currents. But it confirmed a lot of what I read in historical fiction. Both Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse were incredible businessmen. And Nikola Tesla a visionary ahead of his time. This book captures how badly each of these men wanted to win this war, and also who really deserves the credit as inventor of electricity.
With that being said, I'm sure there are other books meant for adults that may go into more detail about this war. Sometimes I was hoping for a little more detail about things. I would've liked more explanation about why alternating current is ultimately safer and the difference between AC and DC. How do we use it today? How does it all work? But this is nitpicky stuff. I give the book 4 stars. Fun, fast read!
May 9, 2025
Some gruesome (but historically accurate) descriptions of the deaths-by-electrocution of one man, many dogs, several cows/calves, a horse and an elephant. Otherwise super interesting. Probably 12+, my high schooler is going to read next school year.
April 11, 2020
I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about Edison, Tesla, & Westinghouse! This is a nice mini-biography of the 3 explaining how their competition created the world we have today.
June 24, 2024
Great for teens on up to learn about this amazing age in industry!
August 19, 2019
I found a new hero in George Westinghouse. :) I loved the book. I thought it was very informative. I liked the pictures. I'm a youth librarian. I wasn't sure starting the book off with a murder and the electric chair was quite the right tactic but maybe I'm wrong. I recommend this .
June 10, 2019
This one is a 3.5 for me. I was thoroughly engaged by this account of the war over alternating current and direct current, mostly because of how the author made the time period and the personalities involved come to life. By beginning the book with a planned execution in the electric chair of William Kemmler, a convicted murderer, and then taking readers on the journey that various inventors took to reach that point in their understanding of electricity captures their attention immediately. The author returns to Kemmler and the horrors of that first use of the electric chair later, describing just how gruesome and clearly, not humane, it was. Along the way, he introduces readers to Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla as they battled for supremacy with how electricity would be delivered. Readers get glimpses into the background and personalities of these three men, all fascinating in their own right, and into some of the treachery and gamesmanship played by Edison. If the execution of Kemmler is hard to read, perhaps even harder was the description of experiments with dogs. All three men were clever inventors able to see into the future, but sadly, Tesla seems to have failed to profit financially from his contributions. I finished the book wanting to know even more about these men and amazed at how much difference light bulbs and electricity have made in our lives. The black and white archival photographs that have been included help readers picture clearly the times--mostly the latter part of the nineteenth century--and understand what the world might be like if all those power lines weren't buried underground. One photograph of New York City with above-ground power lines amid a blizzard is especially telling. It's clear that this author loves his material and enjoyed telling this story to his audience. I'll look for more from him.
June 18, 2024
Too short. Not enough Tesla. Could have been way better. Other books on the topic do much better with the material
March 4, 2019
The story of THE ELECTRIC WAR is reminiscent of a movie called THE CURRENT WAR which tells the historical account of the battle between inventors to control the new industry in electricity that would eventually take over the world.
THE ELECTRIC WAR begins with the harrowing story of a drunk man who has gruesomely killed his wife with a hatchet. Little does this poor immigrant man know, he will be the first person to be executed by means of the electric chair.
After this gripping introduction, author Mike Winchell seemingly abandons this topic completely and describes the development of Thomas Edison's great inventions and progress in the light, electricity, and inventing industries. The source of power for his inventions was transmitted with newly developed Direct Current (DC).
About halfway through the book, the second main character is introduced: Nikola Tesla, who developed the Alternating Current (AC) in order to power light and other electrical devices more efficiently. Edison, a close ally to DC electricity, strongly opposed alternating current in order to maintain credibility with the public, and with others in the industry. He used vicious tactics to make people afraid and claimed that alternating current caused many deaths and fires, for one simple reason: if AC succeeded, he stood no chance of surviving in the industry. Winchell continues to describe how Tesla won over the general public and scientists with his many accomplishments, including powering the World’s Fair exclusively by AC.
That is when the story comes back to the poor immigrant who murdered his wife. Edison needed a big way to wow the public since AC had become more popular. Initially, he strongly opposed using electricity as a way of execution, but when he was approached by developers a second time, he agreed to work with them --- he needed the business. The story ends with the dramatic execution of the immigrant man, and the effect that it had on Edison and his company. At last, Winchell crowns AC as the king of the currents.
I really liked Mike Winchell’s THE ELECTRIC WAR --- a lot. I enjoyed learning about the development of AC and DC. At the same time, the book had an adventurous and suspenseful tone which made it even better! Winchell perfectly combined these elements --- just the right amount of facts, and just the right amount of “adventure.” I learned a lot about the current war while reading this book and still enjoyed reading it as I would any other fiction novel.
I would recommend this book to high school students --- or anyone looking for a good read who also wants to learn something interesting at the same time.
THE ELECTRIC WAR begins with the harrowing story of a drunk man who has gruesomely killed his wife with a hatchet. Little does this poor immigrant man know, he will be the first person to be executed by means of the electric chair.
After this gripping introduction, author Mike Winchell seemingly abandons this topic completely and describes the development of Thomas Edison's great inventions and progress in the light, electricity, and inventing industries. The source of power for his inventions was transmitted with newly developed Direct Current (DC).
About halfway through the book, the second main character is introduced: Nikola Tesla, who developed the Alternating Current (AC) in order to power light and other electrical devices more efficiently. Edison, a close ally to DC electricity, strongly opposed alternating current in order to maintain credibility with the public, and with others in the industry. He used vicious tactics to make people afraid and claimed that alternating current caused many deaths and fires, for one simple reason: if AC succeeded, he stood no chance of surviving in the industry. Winchell continues to describe how Tesla won over the general public and scientists with his many accomplishments, including powering the World’s Fair exclusively by AC.
That is when the story comes back to the poor immigrant who murdered his wife. Edison needed a big way to wow the public since AC had become more popular. Initially, he strongly opposed using electricity as a way of execution, but when he was approached by developers a second time, he agreed to work with them --- he needed the business. The story ends with the dramatic execution of the immigrant man, and the effect that it had on Edison and his company. At last, Winchell crowns AC as the king of the currents.
I really liked Mike Winchell’s THE ELECTRIC WAR --- a lot. I enjoyed learning about the development of AC and DC. At the same time, the book had an adventurous and suspenseful tone which made it even better! Winchell perfectly combined these elements --- just the right amount of facts, and just the right amount of “adventure.” I learned a lot about the current war while reading this book and still enjoyed reading it as I would any other fiction novel.
I would recommend this book to high school students --- or anyone looking for a good read who also wants to learn something interesting at the same time.
November 17, 2019
Excellent book about the three inventors and their battle to achieve control of the electricity market in the early days of the new form of power. Biographies of Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla are interwoven with the story of the rise of electricity and the difference between AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current), which of the two types each man was a proponent of, and how they battled to push their method to the fore. The book begins with the graphic depiction of the very first use of the electric chair to execute a criminal, which is certain to grab the attention of reluctant teen readers! (There are also descriptions of experiments to electrocute animals, which could be disturbing for some readers. The writing style is kind of dramatic in some spots.) The book shows how Edison had started spreading rumors that AC was deadly and was perfect for killing people--because he wanted to sell more cities on using his system, DC, so he wanted AC to gain a horrible reputation. This was a fascinating look at the three men and the inventions they came up with--I learned a lot about Westinghouse that I hadn't known (air brakes for trains!) and Tesla (he was a brilliant man but lousy at business) as well as the culture of the times, including the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where there was intense competition to be the company that would light up the World's Fair with electricity for the first time. Whoever did that would prove once and for all that his system was here to stay. The book has a lengthy bibliography, but no sources for the direct quotations, and is illustrated with contemporary illustrations and photographs from the 1890's. I read this book shortly before going to see the movie "The Current War" in theaters, which is about the same rivalry, so it was quite fun to feel like an expert while watching, and I knew right away the couple of spots where the filmmakers took liberties with the facts in pursuit of a more dramatic retelling. (Usually when I see a biopic or other movie based on a real event, either I know nothing about the topic or only have a vague idea. This was almost like having this book come to life in front of me!)
November 5, 2019
There is excellent information here, of the ‘what happened when’ kind and the background information about what was at stake and how the various parties strategized and schemed in order to prevail.
Three primary personalities are covered: Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla. For me it was the personal and business behaviors of these three that was most fascinating. While the transformative effect of electricity on lifestyle and the economy was focused on I felt it could have been more underlined. I would have found that framing device more compelling than the chosen one of death by electrocution. Absolutely it is important to know Edison’s scheme to discredit alternating current and Westinghouse by pushing it as the lethal means of judicial execution. But starting with that ghastly opening and ending with Topsy the elephant in smoking demise is a peculiar and off-putting choice. The sentences about Topsy’s relevance were hardly convincing. After admitting there was no real connection of Topsy’s electrocution to the battle of the currents we read “The horrific Topsy execution, though, does symbolize the lingering effects of the hard-fought war in the years that followed.” Any teacher worth their salt would demand ‘how’? I found this worth reading and can imagine a rare kid, fascinated by Tesla, fighting their way through this, so will purchase. What it really makes me wish for is a more tightly edited version and a picture book biography of Westinghouse.
Three primary personalities are covered: Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla. For me it was the personal and business behaviors of these three that was most fascinating. While the transformative effect of electricity on lifestyle and the economy was focused on I felt it could have been more underlined. I would have found that framing device more compelling than the chosen one of death by electrocution. Absolutely it is important to know Edison’s scheme to discredit alternating current and Westinghouse by pushing it as the lethal means of judicial execution. But starting with that ghastly opening and ending with Topsy the elephant in smoking demise is a peculiar and off-putting choice. The sentences about Topsy’s relevance were hardly convincing. After admitting there was no real connection of Topsy’s electrocution to the battle of the currents we read “The horrific Topsy execution, though, does symbolize the lingering effects of the hard-fought war in the years that followed.” Any teacher worth their salt would demand ‘how’? I found this worth reading and can imagine a rare kid, fascinated by Tesla, fighting their way through this, so will purchase. What it really makes me wish for is a more tightly edited version and a picture book biography of Westinghouse.
March 23, 2021
DNF at 53%
Yes, I know that's a little bit further than most people tend to go before they put a book down, and I'm sorry to do it twice in a row, but... it just had to be done.
It's not a bad book by any means. It's certainly interesting from a history standpoint and makes me want to read more about the individual men discussed. But given some sudden changes in my personal life tonight, reading about a man killing so many dogs by electrocution by way of presentation does not sit right with me. I know there were other instances of animal abuse previously detailed in this book, but yeah, life has made it so that I now don't feel super comfortable reading about death, especially in the instance of animals. And skimming ahead a little to see if I could just jump past this part, I was reminded of how the book opened, and that we'd be returning to the idea of death by electrocution but in the instance of humans. And covered over the course of multiple chapters. Yeah, I'm out.
I'll give three stars because it was interesting up to this point. But I'll admit, I sat on it so long (that is, started it and then went long periods of hardly touching it) that I started to lose interest, so it was probably inevitable that I'd put it down. Sadly, reading about the inhumane killing of dogs was my tipping point.
Also, at times, the book went a little too science-y for me when detailing how different types of currents worked. I was really hoping this book would be more history-based.
Yes, I know that's a little bit further than most people tend to go before they put a book down, and I'm sorry to do it twice in a row, but... it just had to be done.
It's not a bad book by any means. It's certainly interesting from a history standpoint and makes me want to read more about the individual men discussed. But given some sudden changes in my personal life tonight, reading about a man killing so many dogs by electrocution by way of presentation does not sit right with me. I know there were other instances of animal abuse previously detailed in this book, but yeah, life has made it so that I now don't feel super comfortable reading about death, especially in the instance of animals. And skimming ahead a little to see if I could just jump past this part, I was reminded of how the book opened, and that we'd be returning to the idea of death by electrocution but in the instance of humans. And covered over the course of multiple chapters. Yeah, I'm out.
I'll give three stars because it was interesting up to this point. But I'll admit, I sat on it so long (that is, started it and then went long periods of hardly touching it) that I started to lose interest, so it was probably inevitable that I'd put it down. Sadly, reading about the inhumane killing of dogs was my tipping point.
Also, at times, the book went a little too science-y for me when detailing how different types of currents worked. I was really hoping this book would be more history-based.
January 15, 2019
The book could be used from anything from a biography of Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse as much as the innovation in science and technology where light, conductivity, and radio are concerned. But, it also showcases the wars that help innovation move forward both in this context but also a larger conversation about how "enemies" always push each other to continually think about the next step.
Winchell covers all of the bases and I was particularly interested in the chapters regarding Kimmel's being the first to be electrocuted and the reactions of the crowd of invited people. Likewise, it was nice to humanize people like Westinghouse in his wanting to take care of employees, but how greed plays a part, patents sometimes don't recognize the true inventor, the uniqueness of genius brains and the list goes on.
But so much was included in just a small book! Niagara Falls, the Chicago World's Fair among other historical highlights. Well done and well paced the chapters flowed well and didn't get too bogged down in scientific details but highlighted the elements that were important and included diagrams where necessary.
Winchell covers all of the bases and I was particularly interested in the chapters regarding Kimmel's being the first to be electrocuted and the reactions of the crowd of invited people. Likewise, it was nice to humanize people like Westinghouse in his wanting to take care of employees, but how greed plays a part, patents sometimes don't recognize the true inventor, the uniqueness of genius brains and the list goes on.
But so much was included in just a small book! Niagara Falls, the Chicago World's Fair among other historical highlights. Well done and well paced the chapters flowed well and didn't get too bogged down in scientific details but highlighted the elements that were important and included diagrams where necessary.
August 26, 2025
This is an interesting story but not very well told. It works as an interesting biography of three prominent men: Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse. The rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse, or DC and AC, is plagued with dirty tactics mainly by Mr. Edison, who called the AC current the "death current", as it was used in the first execution with the electric chair. There were other incidents and accidents that resulted in deaths and Edision did everything in his power to promote his direct current, but eventually the physical problem of DC and its loss of power when distances grew was not sustainable. It is not very well explained how Mr. Edison, a great inventor and a sensible man, was so obtuse and sutbborn regarding these technologies.
I found it quite annoying that, in the introduction, the author warns the reader that the experiments and demonstrations with animals (dogs and elephants) might be "disturbing to many readers". How terrible was the gilded age with animals, he says. However, many pages are dedicated to the execution of a man accused of murder with the electric chair, no details are spared, and here the warning is absent.
I found it quite annoying that, in the introduction, the author warns the reader that the experiments and demonstrations with animals (dogs and elephants) might be "disturbing to many readers". How terrible was the gilded age with animals, he says. However, many pages are dedicated to the execution of a man accused of murder with the electric chair, no details are spared, and here the warning is absent.
November 2, 2025
A good overview of Tesla, Edison, JP Morgan and Westinghouse and the companies wars over DC and AC power.
Its incredible how much patent and financial crap got in the way and distracted these great inventors while they could have been shielded and be free to work hard on the inventions and have enough free funds to experiment.
In the story, I cannot see JP Morgan nothing but a selfish, arrogant and manipulative man whos ego caused the depression, and he actively suppressed Teslas free electricity goals because he couldn't make money off it.
Edison is also a pretty horrible man, but a cut throat business man.
I am currently in parallel Wizard the life and times of Nikola Tesla (22 hours long).
This was a good quick background to the deeper analysis of the world that Tesla was in.
Listened at 2-3x via Libby, 6 hours.
Its incredible how much patent and financial crap got in the way and distracted these great inventors while they could have been shielded and be free to work hard on the inventions and have enough free funds to experiment.
In the story, I cannot see JP Morgan nothing but a selfish, arrogant and manipulative man whos ego caused the depression, and he actively suppressed Teslas free electricity goals because he couldn't make money off it.
Edison is also a pretty horrible man, but a cut throat business man.
I am currently in parallel Wizard the life and times of Nikola Tesla (22 hours long).
This was a good quick background to the deeper analysis of the world that Tesla was in.
Listened at 2-3x via Libby, 6 hours.
January 6, 2020
I wanted to read this book because of one person, Nikola Tesla. I am such a fan of his work and I don't think he gets as much credit as he deserves. It was fine reading about the others, Edison and Westinghouse. There was not really a great deal about Tesla in this book, or at least not as much as there was about the other two. It is a shame that he lost out financially, because he wanted to be loyal to Westinghouse and see his vision come to fruition. I think Westinghouse should have still made sure that Tesla and was taken care of for the rest of his life.
It took me a while to finish this book, because I had an ARC and didn't like the way the story was formatted. I had to wait to check out the finished product from the library.
It took me a while to finish this book, because I had an ARC and didn't like the way the story was formatted. I had to wait to check out the finished product from the library.
August 22, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've been interested in the history of electricity and found this audiobook through my library.
I'm sure there are more detailed books available about this history of the Electric War, but this is a concise summary of events that focuses on the lives of Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse.
Two things to note:
1) Winchell is transparent about his admiration for Tesla over Edison, so check out a different book if you're looking for something more objective in its recollection of events.
2) There are multiple sections of the book that are told in narrative/story form that are clearly extrapolated by the author (i.e. passages of historical fiction). I found these to be a helpful tool to keep the reader engaged, but some readers might want "just the facts."
I'm sure there are more detailed books available about this history of the Electric War, but this is a concise summary of events that focuses on the lives of Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse.
Two things to note:
1) Winchell is transparent about his admiration for Tesla over Edison, so check out a different book if you're looking for something more objective in its recollection of events.
2) There are multiple sections of the book that are told in narrative/story form that are clearly extrapolated by the author (i.e. passages of historical fiction). I found these to be a helpful tool to keep the reader engaged, but some readers might want "just the facts."
January 3, 2020
A nice and historically timelined retelling of the war of currents and the key persons involved during this era. Since it wasn't a too technically detailed book, it was a very interesting read of what happened when and why. The author didn't stress out his own opinions of either fighting side, rather than tried to show the highlights of that time, how the world has turned out the way it has by now and most importantly, aims to make us see what life was like during the peak time of the great inventions.
How Edison said "Let there be light!" and thus it came to be in our world :D
Just Tesla thought it should be alternating current that feeds it ;)
How Edison said "Let there be light!" and thus it came to be in our world :D
Just Tesla thought it should be alternating current that feeds it ;)
April 18, 2020
This was a great read for the middle school boy and his Mom! We watched several Crash Course videos on Edison and Westinghouse. We had a great time reading more about Tesla which then turned in to a rabbit hole of information about the Tesla car. We followed up the reading of the book by watching "The Current War" with Benedict Cumberbatch. It is always fun to compare/contrast a book to a movie. Easy and quick read, with an abundance of rich history! So thankful for Mike Winchell and his rich research. Thank you.
September 16, 2020
This not an in-depth analysis of the current war, nor a technical explanation. It is more a description of the personalities involved and the key events from a business perspective. As such, it is entertaining, if a bit digressive at times. I'm not sure I agree with some of his conclusions, and I wish he had mentioned something about the practicality of long-range DC transmission in the age of the semiconductor, but it is a pretty short read, and gives a decent overview of what was involved in the current war.
July 31, 2019
The book is recommended for audience 12-14 years old, but it is also a good reading for adults. (like me). Some chapters could be disturbing for young adult readers. For example describing in detail how Kemmler was electrocuted or how Brown experimented on animals using AC and DC currents is very graphical. Young readers could have difficulty with explanation of some technical aspects. I don't know why this book is recommended for this age group.
August 28, 2022
I read /The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Light the World/, by Mike Winchell:
https://foreveryoungadult.com/book-re...
I've read books on both Edison and Tesla recently, so I was surprised that most of this book was new material for me, including the book's weaving in the story of how Edison's work led to the electric chair being used for capital punishment!
https://foreveryoungadult.com/book-re...
I've read books on both Edison and Tesla recently, so I was surprised that most of this book was new material for me, including the book's weaving in the story of how Edison's work led to the electric chair being used for capital punishment!
September 17, 2022
I have heard the basics of the current war between Edison and Tesla but this book gave many more specifics not only about these two wizards early lives but also the “demons” they both held deep inside. The Gilded age has so many great stories but the battle against AC electricity vs. DC electricity is one of the best and involves lots of innovation, trash-talking, building of the power plant at Niagara Falls and even the first electric chair victim on death row.
March 14, 2019
I decided to listen to this on a whim when it came across my Hoopla. I found the topic interesting and well-researched. I think readers who enjoy the race for the grand prize or a fascination with technology and invention will relish in this book. I, however, would say it wasn't my exact cup of tea, and I ultimately decided to release it back to the wild.
May 14, 2021
I went through phases of liking this book and then struggling to continue. Once it moved into looking at Tesla and Westinghouse, I became more engaged. I don't mean to take away from what Edison achieved. He was brilliant for sure. He was also vicious as all get out. Tesla is shown as a fascinating genius with no head for business. Westinghouse comes across as the most decent one of the lot.
February 8, 2025
I knew some of the story behind Edison and Tesla but, nothing of Westinghouse. What an extraordinary man. It’s not often that someone in power does not lose sight of the plight of the common man and keeps his family first. We definitely owe a debt to all of the great geniuses but one will stand out forever in my heart.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews