The Genie in the Bottle: 64 All New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life

by Joe Schwarcz

Think of the word "chemistry." What comes to mind? "Difficult?" "Boring?" "Pollution?" The adjectives "Interesting," "Exciting," "Amazing" almost never roll of the tongue. Until, that is, one picks up The Genie in the Bottle . In 67 delightful essays, popular science writer Joe Schwarcz reminds us that with every breath and feeling we are experiencing chemistry. A sequel to Schwarcz’s best-selling Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs , this collection of essays blends quirky anecdotes about everyday chemistry with engaging tales from the history of science. Inside, readers will . . .

Get a different twist on licorice and travel to the dark side of the sun. Control stinky feet and bend spoons and minds. Learn about the latest on chocolate research, flax, ginkgo biloba, magnesium, and blueberries. Read about the ups of helium and the downs of drain cleaners. Find out why bug juice is used to color ice cream, how spies used secret inks and how acetone changed the course of history. "Dr. Joe" also solves the mystery of the exploding shrimp and, finally, he lets us in on the secret of the genie in the bottle.

Infused with the author’s humor, show-biz savvy, and magic, The Genie in the Bottle celebrates some of the least visited corners of the science universe.

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Nonfiction, Stem, History, Teaching

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Dr. Joe Schwarcz holds a PhD in chemistry and is host of the radio program The Dr. Joe Show, directo of McGill University's Office for Science & Society and the author of fourteen bestselling books. Well known for his informative and entertaining lectures, Dr. Schwarcz has received numerous awards for teaching and deciphering science for the public.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double bind: before chlorinated water was introduced as standard many diseases from contaminated water sickened and killed people; it has saved countless lives. However, "Ten out of every thousand men who do not drink chlorinated water will develop bladder cancer if they live to be seventy, while thirteen will do so if they drink chlorinated water for 35 years." This is taking into account all other causes of bladder cancer which is the fourth leading US cancer, affecting three times as many men as women. This assumes that some people are drinking only unchlorinated water in the US that is treated in another way. Hmmm, what water, where?

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun little book that is exactly what the sub-heading on the book says it is: 67 commentaries on the fascinating chemistry of everyday life. I work as a chemist and I did enjoy reading this book.

The book is broken up into 5 main sections. There is a section on Health Matters, Food Matters, Chemistry Everywhere, learning from the past, and Silly stories. The Health Matters and Food Matters are the most organized sections of the book. The mini-stories in the these two sections deal exclusively with health or food. Each section had a collection of short anecdotes. The anecdotes average at 3-4 pages per length with some being shorter and a few being significantly longer.

This book is definitely geared more toward the average joe than to a chemist. That being said, there is enough chemistry addressed to interest your everyday chemist too. I was a bit disappointed that I had heard a lot of these stories before; they are things I've read about in headlines or just have general knowledge of. But for everything I had heard of there were two things I hadn't heard about.

There is a lot of fun miscellaneous information in this book. Depending on how much of that you want to retain this book could be a quick or a slow read. I personally had trouble reading large portions of it at once because it was just so much information to assimilate. Especially in the later sections the anecdotes tend to jump around willy, nilly. You may be reading about how Hydrogen was discovered then, in the next anecdote, you are reading about Silly Putty. I found that I enjoyed the book (and remembered all the fun facts) the best when I read a few anecdotes a day.

The writing style is done very well. There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor and there are a lot of cleverly worded passages. This is a chemistry book that will amuse and interest everyone. I personally applaud it for bringing chemistry to the masses. Chemistry is awesome and interesting; and it is wonderful that Schwarcz can make it interesting for everyone. I plan on checking out his additional collections of chemistry anecdotes in the future.

[Jori Kandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Joe Schwarcz has put together an interesting collection of chemistry anecdotes which are oftentimes relevant to current debates on healthy and beauty issues. However, Dr. Schwarcz often condescends the reader, indicating that he is a chemist and holds more knowledge than any of his readers. Furthermore, Dr. Schwarcz approaches a lot of these debates on health and beauty from a purely scientific viewpoint that often overlooks social or culturally reasons for them. For example, his chapter on SLS and SLES completely overlook the damage these chemicals do to the environment, which is a major concern for many people eliminating them from their beauty routine. In short, Dr. Schwarcz is incredibly narrow-minded and condescending, seemingly as a person as well as an author.
While this book can be insightful, as well as a good review of basic chemistry concepts, the book drags on, leading me to read three books while trying to finish this book.
All-in-all it was useful for some aspects of my life, but I am incredibly glad I am done with it.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertainingly wry, Dr. Joe Schwarcz uncovers stories of chemistry we all take for granted, from red dye (why the British wore red uniforms and we wore blue, among other things), to secret inks, to modern and ancient cure alls, to chemical poisons and weapons. The accounts are not only fascinating, but entertaining and easy to read, with the chemistry explained so anyone with a bit of background (even someone who has no more chemistry than a high school course 50 years ago) can understand them.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some entertaining stories, some not. Most light-hearted, but a couple include the death of a child, which is jolting and given the tone of the book feels inappropriate.

[Alyssa Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book I have ever read by Schwarcz. Well, this is the first real book I've ever read about biology, and I must give credit to Schwarcz for making a scientific book interesting and fun to read. His writing was very sophisticated at times, but throughout the book I found very fun and informal sections that were very relatable, which is what I think makes this book so great.
This book is about several different topics regarding science. For example, on one page you will learn about the importance of sunscreen, while on the next page you'll be informed about how chocolate consumption can affect your lifespan. This book can be an amazing way to get some basic education on chemistry, as well as many different branches of science.
I will admit, I was a bit bored and confused at some parts. I jumped into this book with only the basic knowledge of scientific branches, so it was hard to comprehend. The more relatable sections, however, were interesting to read and held great information to keep in mind while experiencing my everyday life. Overall, I think Schwarcz did a great job.

[Alan Earhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

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

[Mariangela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il genio della bottiglia.

Da cosa prende questo nome il libro?

A cosa serviva in origine l'acetone?

Risposte ad alcune domande di chimica

Il libro è una serie di capitoli

( con dei nomi molto carini)

dove all'interno c'è una spiegazione chimica in modo da essere compresa a chiunque legga questo libro

Do 4 stelle solo perché l'ho letto troppo lentamente e quindi per me è mancato poco per dargli 5 stelle

[Richard Kravitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. Short stories about Chemistry in real life, 4-pages average. I used to read a couple every year, all 5 periods, when I introduced the Bunsen Burner (Robert Bunsen) and the Periodic Table (Dmitri Mendeleev). I read all the stories this time, a bit opinionated at times and some of the entries are dated by now. But great for a teacher (like myself) to spice up the class and bring chemistry into the student's home and daily life. He has a number of books like this.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not new. Dated as well. Some of the information was interesting but almost confusing as well. The more chemistry you know, the less you may like this discourse.

The author is arrogant in a condescending approach. Panders too with some opinions over data testing of dependable factions which hold exact definition. IMHO- much, much more evidence is needed. Reminds me of Mr. Science Guy but far more pompous.

[Doppia D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il rischio di questi libri scientifici o che si dichiarano tali è di ridurre a aneddoti divertenti grandi scoperte o invenzioni che hanno cambiato il mondo. Non è questo il caso. Ho trovato che il libro è accessibile sia a chi di chimica non ne sa nulla, ma in caso ce ne si intenda lo si può apprezzare anche di più. Affascinanti i ritratti dei grandi chimici del passato come Bunsen o Mendeleev.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about several aspects of Chemistry in everyday life.

[Francesca Bresciani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se ti interessa sapere di cosa possono fare tutte le spezie/erbe/sostanze che abbiamo attorno a noi è perfetto! Molto interessante!

[Mario Privitera · Rating 5 out of 5]

La Divulgazione con la D maiuscola. Pillole di chimica, brevi, intense e divertenti, utili a diventare più consapevoli di sé, del mondo e della storia del mondo... Sapevate che l'acetone è strettamente legato al primo presidente dello Stato di Isreale?
Un must read per tutti i curiosi, gli appassionati di scienza, i comunicatori scientifici e fonte di ispirazione per gli "addetti ai lavori" nella fucina dalla chimica! Chapeau

[palegreenhorse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I suspected it would be a good book to assign for extra credit. It is a good book for that. It is also an excellent book of its own right. Many of the topics are things I want non-chemists to know about how chemistry works in daily life. The author also has a delightful sense of humor, in my opinion. One important thing for people who don't have a lot of time to read, this is a great book because there is no plot and nothing to follow between segments since each is only a few pages long and is self containing.

[Alison Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who invented Vasoline - and WHY? What made the Hindenburg such a magnificent disaster? Who thought up boob jobs??? Do any of these questions pique your interest in the scientific world around you? No? Well, read the book, surely something in there is something you didn't know before and will TRULY amaze.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sounds boring, right? Absolutely not. I loved this book, I picked it up on the clearance rack at Barnes and Noble on a whim. I loved it. Even the non-scientifically minded will be interested in the cool factoids he's written about. He's really a fabulous writer, and very funny. I wish he had been my chemistry prof.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Schwarcz's style in this book - light-hearted and conversational. At the same time, this is a science book... but for the masses. Schwarcz does a good job at making chemistry accessible and in providing a "why should I care" relevance.

[Diana]

Easy to read even for the laywomen and layment.

[Bartek Krupa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well written funny and informative