The Canon

A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science

By: Natalie Angier

Narrated by: Nike Doukas

Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Buckle up for a joy ride through physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy. Drawing on conversations with hundreds of the world's top scientists and her own work as an award-winning science writer, Natalie Angier does the impossible: she makes science fascinating and seriously fun, even for those of us who, in Angier's words, "still can't tell the difference between a proton, a photon, and a moron".

Most of the profound questions we will explore in our lives (such as those involving evolution, global warming, or stem cells) have to do with science. So do a lot of everyday things, like our ice-cream melting, our coffee getting cold, and our vacuum cleaner running (or not). What does our liver do when we eat a caramel? How does the horse demonstrate evolution at work? Are we really made of stardust? (Yes we are.)

In The Canon, Lewis Thomas meets Lewis Carroll in a book destined to become a modern classic, because it quenches our curiosity, sparks our interest in the world around us, reignites our childhood delight in discovering how things work, and instantly makes us smarter.

This is a playful, passionate, ebullient guide to the science all around us by a Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author.

©2007 Natalie Angier (P)2007 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"A pleasurable and nonthreatening guide for anyone baffled by science." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Every sentence sparkles with wit and charm...it all adds up to an intoxicating cocktail of fine science writing." (Richard Dawkins)

Entertaining Science

I think the author did an excellent job of making science a fun subject. The writing style is lively with many puns. I've read Bryson's book and deem it excellent too. I'm quite familiar with most of science and this book was a great review for me.
If you enjoy science you'll enjoy this tome.

Very Enjoyable!

The Canon is a wonderful listen. The science was fascinating, the tone lighthearted, and the narrator was pleasant to listen to.

Reading other reviews here and elsewhere, though, it seems clear that there are many aspects that you'll either love or hate, depending on your preferences. There doesn't seem to be any in-between. Many of the aspects of this book that other people complain about are things that I found very enjoyable.

Some people, for example, are put off by the author's use of puns. I personally felt that the puns were a delightful addition. Few of them were laugh-out-loud funny, but most of them at least made me smile. I felt that they were included tastefully and didn't get the impression that they were excessive in any way.

I personally would not say that the use of puns detracted from the contents.

Some people were put off by the narrator's voice. I personally found her voice to be very pleasant. I don't think there's any way to really quantify this disagreement, so I'll refrain from listing the qualities they found distasteful and my response of qualities I found pleasant.

I guess you either like her voice or you don't. I recommend listening to the sample provided above and deciding for yourself.

Most of the things other people complained about in this book are aspects that I thoroughly enjoyed. Many people seem to agree with me, judging by the reviews. If you find yourself nodding along to the complaints, then this may not be the right book for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend checking the book out for yourself.

To move on to other, less divided, aspects of the book - I really enjoyed how she put in a section on probability theory and understanding randomness. It's an important subject that often gets ignored.

Some areas, such as quantum physics, get a little detailed. But it's not a subject that can be easily simplified.

Overall, though, I finished the book with a smile on my face. I highly recommend it.

Factual with a Good Dose of Humor

As a science teacher I loved listening to this book. Written so as to explain some complex scientific principles in simplistic lay terms; with a touch of humor added. I have found myself repeating some of the material in my freshmen biology classes, and the kids love it! Rates 5 stars from me, and my classes as well!

A good intro to science...

Yes, Natalie Angier sometimes tries too hard to be funny, and her smart-aleckiness is only heightened by the narrator's chirpy read. But The Canon provides a readable overview to the many branches of science, and by the end of the book I felt more science-literate.

Ann Coulter-like

The book is an excellent exposition of science. I have a PhD and found her treatment of "research" to be excellent. But, like Ann Coulter in her audio books she will make an point well and then jar the reader (me) with a moronic flippancy. They are not mean but they still take away from the message. Thus, instead of really looking forward to my morning drive with the book. i sort of look forward.

Educational on a range of scientific topics

I found this book to be quite good. The author does have a distinctive style of writing that uses a number of cliches and idiom, but I found it amusing.
Her coverage of the subjects is a good introduction for someone who isn't already familiar with all the concepts. An enjoyable book for those who like basic science.

Science Booster Shot

The Canon, excellent piece of work. It is both a torch and booster shot for sophomore and juniors mired in the science memorization/regurgitation quagmire of high school. Filling the reader with both science fact and enthusiasm. The book and it’s author seem like a stimulus for encouraging school boards to vest more funds in high school science. A must read for science teachers rich with ideas geared towards making science interesting and meaningful.

A Breath of Fresh Ear

The sensuous combination of the narrator, the narrative and the authors shamelessly sunny sWordplay serves up science like Dear Abbey serving a slice of warm apple pie. Gratifying, edifying and yes, absurdly entertaining. The authors Asimovian hand sweeps across the panorama of science, and lingers just long enough to elicit the oohs of fireworks and the ah ha of understanding.

A decent introduction with too much frosting.

The content of this book is really quite sound. It is frosted with too much cuteness for my taste, but I did listen to it from beginning to end, and I was wiser for it.

it's ok

if you're looking for something to listen to during your morning jog then okay go ahead. It has some interesting factoids. However there is nothing profound or original here. I think the author aptly called this book a whirligig. Narration was ok.