It's Elemental

May 1, 2021
As Biberdorf forthrightly declares in this informative title's opening lines, she is an absolute "nerd about chemistry." With unabashed enthusiasm, she pursues her goal of breaking down her area of expertise to its most basic parts and then slowly, with just enough detail to not be terrifying to the chemistry-averse, build it back up in a way that is neither intimidating nor dull. To accomplish this, she talks to the reader much as she might to her students at the University of Texas at Austin, with no condescension but plenty of patience. Biberdorf layers lots of history into her text, explaining how our understanding of chemistry has changed over the centuries and who was at the center of discoveries and controversies. Just when it might all seem to be too much, she artfully tosses in real-world comparisons and a few doses of humor to keep readers engaged. With a wittiness that most science-explainers lack, It's Elemental should be a welcome respite for those seeking knowledge. Get ready for homeschoolers to be especially interested.

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July 1, 2021

Biberdorf (chemistry, Univ. of Texas) follows her middle-grade "Kate the Chemist" fiction series with this pop science book that brings her enthusiasm for chemistry to an adult audience, with age-appropriate topics and language. The first chapters provide an overview of basics (atoms, molecules, phases of matter, chemical reactions) and can serve as a refresher of high school and college chemistry courses. Later chapters are loosely organized around the chemistry of everyday life, much like Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim's Chemistry for Breakfast, and demystify everything from cosmetics to cooking to cleansers. Biberdorf's tone is appropriately casual, and her approach aims to inspire excitement for understanding the chemistry that powers our bodies and modern society, rather than overly simplifying concepts to avoid intimidating the reader. The author's enthusiasm and efforts to make chemistry more accessible to popular science readers shine throughout. There is a short glossary to use as a reference when reading the later chapters, but the link between the fundamentals in the introductory chapters and the later chapters' specific examples is not always obvious or direct, especially when biochemistry is involved. VERDICT A clear and interesting chemistry book for the non-scientist seeking to understand their world just a little bit more.--Wade Lee-Smith, Univ. of Toledo Lib.

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