Book Review: Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
by Oliver W. Sacks 


Usually when I read a book, I dog-ear pages that have meaningful quotes or interesting paragraphs or new ideas. Then I go back when I'm done and re-read. This book had many, many dog-ears but they were mostly words I didn't know or books I wanted to read. No really deep insights but, wow, Conan Doyle wrote a character named Professor Challenger? And I must track down these Mr. Tompkins books because maybe, just maybe, they will be able to make chemistry make sense.

I think this would have been a much more enjoyable book if my brain had any ability to process the finer points of chemistry. As it stands, it is a fine memoir of a boy grasping for order in a war-torn world.