The World in a Grain

The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization

By: Vince Beiser

Narrated by: Will Damron

A finalist for the PEN / E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

The gripping story of the most important overlooked commodity in the world - sand - and the crucial role it plays in our lives.

After water and air, sand is the natural resource that we consume more than any other - even more than oil. Every concrete building and paved road on Earth, every computer screen and silicon chip, is made from sand. From Egypt's pyramids to the Hubble telescope, from the world's tallest skyscraper to the sidewalk below it, from Chartres' stained-glass windows to your iPhone, sand shelters us, empowers us, engages us, and inspires us. It's the ingredient that makes possible our cities, our science, our lives - and our future.

And, incredibly, we're running out of it.

The World in a Grain is the compelling true story of the hugely important and diminishing natural resource that grows more essential every day, and of the people who mine it, sell it, build with it - and sometimes, even kill for it. It's also a provocative examination of the serious human and environmental costs incurred by our dependence on sand, which has received little public attention. Not all sand is created equal: Some of the easiest sand to get to is the least useful.

Award-winning journalist Vince Beiser delves deep into this world, taking listeners on a journey across the globe, from the United States to remote corners of India, China, and Dubai to explain why sand is so crucial to modern life. Along the way, listeners encounter world-changing innovators, island-building entrepreneurs, desert fighters, and murderous sand pirates. The result is an entertaining and eye-opening work, one that is both unexpected and involving, rippling with fascinating detail and filled with surprising characters.

©2018 Vince Beiser (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[An] impassioned and alarming report on sand.... In Beiser's artful telling, the planet is caught up in a vicious, sand-fueled cycle.” (Washington Post)

“Beiser peppers research with first-person interviews in an engaging and nuanced introduction to the ways sand has shaped the world.... stunning.” (NPR)

“Beiser’s eye-opening study clarifies the science and the huge role of sand in heavy and high-tech industry. Perhaps most compelling is his exposé of sand mining, which obliterates islands, destroys coral reefs and marine biodiversity, and threatens livelihoods. A powerful lens on an under-reported environmental crisis.” (Nature)

​Sand Pirates

I have to agree with other reviewers that this is one of the best informational books that I've read. I'm read my fair share on water, dirt, dust and now sand. "The World in a Grain" is an awesome book on how we are depleting natural resources. Never knew that sand is so important to the construction industry and there are sand pirates out there as criminals.

easy voice to listen to

The book covered a lot of ground and it did it in very simplistic ways. I appreciate it when authors don't flower up the language and I think this one was done very well.

great info

I enjoyed the book. Eye opener. I like that the author was realistic. The sand industry is problematic, but we need sand. it is quite the dilemma, but one we can solve with innovation.

A broad overview of sand and civilization

The book is more a compilation of stories and excerpts of the influence of sand, rather than a logical progresstion of the effects of sand on human civilization. However, it serves as a great overview of the utilization of sand in our society and the environmental harm that the many sand based industries inflict.

Wonderful Story and Narrator

Listened to this at the suggestion of a materials science professional. Very compelling while remaining informative.

The narrator has the best diction of any I have heard.

Terrifying

Such an informative book to listen to. Compelling, multi-faceted relations to our individual lives and the world we live in.

interesting and important

I really liked this audio book. Learned a lot about a subject I never really thought about before. I think we should add sand to the elementary school curriculum lesson on natural resources along with water, air, soil, and trees. The narrator was very good too.

Much more fascinating that I expected

I enjoyed Kurlansky's books Salt, and Cod, and The Big Oyster. Knowing that I thought that a book about sand had potential to engage me. It exceeded my expectations.

Who knew that sand - really useful sand - is actually a finite, even scarce, resource? Who knew that sand has created criminal enterprises and violence? Who knew that sand could be a question of national security?

My only criticism is that the book, in places, tended to drag. And I thought there were questions of strategy and security raised that I would have liked explored more deeply - especially around international ownership of important sand mines in the United States. If there is a case for nationalism, I would think it would start there.

Vince Beiser is no Mark Kurlansky, but this is a worthy read nonetheless.

Well written, well read

Well researched and well written. Definitely worth the time. Not for a long drive. The intricate nature of the problem requires acres of detail, which is well researched and well presented. Some cant is inevitable from someone who cares enough to put in that much work, but it is a little grating- like sandpaper. The Narrater made the minute details more palatable. Not quite fun, but almost. I just wonder what to do now. Tear down my garage?

Best book of 2018

The book covers the science, engineering, history and economics of sand. It is amazing how important sand is to the modern world.