Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published An Astonishing Man, an Astonishing Boyhood, Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2010. I can understand why the casual reader would object to the detail that Dr. Sachs uses in his narrative. Safety glasses? In doing so he always reminds me not only of our common humanity, but of just how strange and wonderful our humanity is. Many interesting passages, but far too scientific for me. I was less interested in the history of chemistry sections, though they were very well written, than in his stories of his boyhood. It is not a standard memoir, in that you don't learn very much about Sacks' life or family outside of his explorations of chemistry. I thought the author was. It can be argued that the chemistry is part of the biography since, as a child, it was the most important interest of the author. Welcome back. He was encouraged in this by several family members in a most remarkable family, chief among them his Uncle Dave, the Uncle Tungsten (he owned a light bulb factory) of the title. His mother was a well-known obstetrician and one of England’s first female surgeons. It is a very good book, but I believe it will not be readable for many. So Uncle Tungsten had, in effect, a Nephew Tungsten! -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "In Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sacks weaves together the wonders of chemistry and his boyhood experiences with grace, ease, and just the right comedic touch. Or maybe I should put it this way – it cannot be appreciated as it should be unless you either have a thorough knowledge of chemistry or are willing to read the book slowly and do the experiments, look at the pinecones and sunflowers and investigate alongside the author as he speaks of his childhood in London. I have long been an Oliver Sacks fangirl, since reading his inimitable "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" years ago when it first came out. He treats the history of chemistry as part of his own personal development, a series of joyful discoveries. Insightful, funny, sometimes somber, sometimes lighthearted, always engaging. Exuberant and informative. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. For me, medical/science non-fiction has always been something of a comfort read. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood is a memoir by Oliver Sacks about his childhood published in 2001. And how pale. Great book for enthusiasts of the history of science. I enjoy Oliver Sack's works. Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2001. Summing up Sacks’ Uncle Tungsten, Kirkus Reviews calls it “an artful, impassioned memoir of a youth spent lost in the blinding light of chemistry.” Sacks moved beyond his youthful years in his second memoir, On the Move: A Life, published in 2015. Both his parents were physicians. I enjoyed this memoir of the young Oliver, able to explore 'what happens if...' in his home laboratory and the natural world around him. To understand and really remember each paragraph one should do the experiments he did and carefully observe what he looked at in nature. And we hear of his return to London, an emotionally bereft ten-year-old who found solace in his passion for learning. This is a five-star jealousy rating. The magic of this book is how Sacks combined the two into an engaging narrative. I really enjoyed this autobiography. Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020. Sacks was stimulated to learn more and more about chemistry, and chemistry was … Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama:. Here Sacks describes his early childhood, his family origins, London before, and during the War, his moving and terribly sad experiences of abuse at the hands of a cruel and sadistic headmaster (shades of Dickens), and the bullying by classmates. Sacks has the rare talent to combine science, art, and humanity, and the result is a beautifully written account of both his childhood and the early science of chemistry and the people that were involved. These days it's easy for us to take things like the modern-day conception of a quantum atom for granted, but this book brings you back to a time when this was an amazing discovery and, more than that, tells you exactly why it was such. Concerns about poisonous fumes? Uncle "Tungsten" owned and ran a factory. This idea of a natural order became an obsession which he pursued with great passion, a kind of outlet to escape from the chaos of the war and it's aftermath. Read Uncle Tungsten book reviews & author details and more at Amazon.in. I think this is the most personal of Sacks' books. Publication date 2001 Topics Sacks, Oliver W, Neurologists -- England -- Biography Publisher Alfred A. Knopf ... plus-circle Add Review. I began looking for paragraphs that contained "I" and skimming the rest. How many of us has the abillity to do experiments on chemicals during our childhood days?How many of us dream of chemistry?How many of us delight in travelling the journey of science;asking questions and given answers to satisfy our eager curiosity? Amazon.in - Buy Uncle Tungsten book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. Recommed it to anyone who likes Oliver Sacks and/or the history of science. You will learn some science, certainly. It's the story of his boyhood during wartime Britain, and his experiences with both his multi-talented family, and his youthful love of science and chemistry. Oliver Sacks' memoir is full of love and childlike wonder, and the voice at times reminded me of Roald Dahl. Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2020. For me, medical/science non-fiction has always been something of a comfort read. I could never adequately analyze what I meant here by beauty – simplicity? Never mind! How many of us has the abillity to do experiments on chemicals during our childhood days?How many of us dream of chemistry?How many of us delight in travelling the journey of science;asking questions and given answers to satisfy our eager curiosity? Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. There follow his years at boarding school where, though unhappy, he developed the intellectual curiosity that would shape his later life. Even for me this was a brilliant chapter! In Uncle Tungsten Sacks evokes, with warmth and wit, his upbringing in wartime England. Fire protection? I probably requires some insight into the history of experimental science to appreciate the story. "It often happens that the mind of a person who is learning a new science, has to pass through all the phases which the science itself has exhibited in its historical evolution." It was filled with chemistry and a pure love and fervent for science. Never mind! In school, I needed extra help with math and science. He tells of the large science-steeped family who fostered his early fascination with chemistry. I think part of my aversion to the subjects was how mortified. From sodium to radium to quantum mechanics, this basically autobiographical book tells the story of not only Oliver Sacks life between the ages of basically 4 and 15, but also tells the story of his discovery of the world of Chemistry and Physics and of what the world is composed. Uncle Tungsten Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks available in Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. Uncle Tungsten is a fascinating book about Oliver Sacks’ childhood in a remarkable scientific family. Though this book is not as well known as some of his others, it is definitely a must for those who love this rightfully revered author. I especially thought "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood" to be most engaging and interesting. Wells, and the periodic table. These people were those very few who can take book knowledge and in an instant give you an example in nature that demonstrates what is in the books. It's not possible anymore, even if you have equally intelligent, indulgent, slightly disconnected parents, who let him do what he wished, when he wished, how he wished--allowing him, over years, to play in an under-the-stairs chemistry lab, where he nearly blew himself and the house sky-high many times. Concerns about poisonous fumes? Most members of my family are scientifically inclined* and so I often reach for nonfic when I am homesick. His last chapter discussing his transition away from Chemistry into Medicine was the most striking. His family is super-brainy and it's no wonder that he is too, since they gave him his own chemistry-lab at age 10 to start blowing shit up. What I also loved about Sacks' memoir is how much I learned! And we hear of his return to London, an emotionally b. It can be read either as a record of one person's education, or as a high-level history of chemistry. But it frightened me too, made me feel that my atoms were only on loan and might fly apart at any time, fly away like the fine talcum powder I saw in the bathroom.”, “The periodic table was incredibly beautiful, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. This book was just as great on my second readthrough as it was on my first. Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2015. Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2019. Here you see the brilliant family that produced the extraordinary man Sacks became. 10 Favorites . ), but he was also a child obsessed with things chemical. he found delight in exploring the physical world. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. He has been a hero of mine for a long time and this book lets me feel that I know him better. His parents were physicians and his uncles (he came from quite a large family) were scientists and entrepreneurs. For instance, at one point he describes how as a teenager his brother Michael suffered from paranoid delusions (was he schizophrenic? His family is one of scholars. Long before Oliver Sacks became a distinguished neurologist and bestselling writer, he was a small English boy fascinated by metals–also by chemical reactions (the louder and smellier the better), photography, squids and cuttlefish, H.G. In this book he is the subject of his narrative and he manages to depict himself with the same grace and wit that uses to characterize others. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. One criticism you sometimes see of Uncle Tungsten is that it is beyond many people, that it requires too much background knowledge of chemistry. Knopf 2001 Like The Hot Zone, "Uncle Tungsten" is a book I bought (actually hinted to P that it would be an ideal Christmas present) because I loved the original New Yorker article. "Uncle Tungsten", published first in 2001, is his memoir of his life and times in pre and immediately post war England. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Or perhaps it was the symmetry, the comprehensiveness of every element firmly locked into its place, with no gaps, no exceptions, everything implying everything else.”, Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize for Nonfiction (2002). In particular, his parent's desire for him to study medicine and the quantum chemistry portion of chemistry being so troubling for him. It was too much for me to read example after example of experiments, such as the formation of colorful crystals when you put a thread in a solution of x and add a pinch of this or that. What strikes me as its most important quality is that it bears a restorative effect on those minds seeking to explain their own childhoods. I'm a chemistry teacher as well as a history of science buff, and in this book, Sachs re-creates the history of major scientific discoveries as a teenager in WWII era England. Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? Uncle "Tungsten" owned and ran a factory that produced light bulbs and he was deeply knowledgeable about heavy metals that could be used as filaments in these early bulbs. People were those very few w. I feel totally terrible on giving up on this book till now, years... Pages, look uncle tungsten review to find an easy way to navigate back to pages are. To read it troubling for him to study Medicine and the periodic table this! 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