BC Reads!
  • Home
  • Book Reviews
    • Student Reviews
    • Faculty/Staff Contributions
    • Illustrations
    • Sort Reviews... >
      • All
      • Alphabetically by Title
      • Alphabetically by Author
      • Alphabetically by Genre
      • Alphabetically by Reviewer
      • Faculty/Staff Contributions
  • Events
    • Boston Book Events
    • News and Events
  • Get Involved!
    • Become a Member
    • Submit a Review
    • Volunteer >
      • Saint Columbkille Partnership School
    • Donate Used Books
    • Become an Illustrator >
      • Work with a Reviewer
      • Design a Bookmark
      • Work on the Publicity Team
  • Resources
    • Where Can I Find Books For Free?
    • Local Bookstores
    • Useful Websites
    • Other
  • About
    • Executive Board
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff Members
    • Special Contributions
  • Contact
  • Untitled

"Napoleon's Buttons" by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson

1/31/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Title: Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History
Author: Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson
Genre: General Non-Fiction
# of Pages: 384

Date Published: May 24, 2004
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars



Napoleon’s Buttons is a compilation of 17 short chapters about groups of molecules that changed the course of human history. The book is actually a really quick read despite the length, because the chapters are broken up with chemical diagrams and pictures that vividly illustrate the points the authors make. The authors’ connections between chemistry and history are actually really interesting; they come from the premise that instead of looking at things economically or socially, if you look at the chemistry and molecules that drove the African slave trade or the feminist movement, i.e., you will find an underlying chemical explanation. The book’s title comes from the anecdote that Napoleon’s Army wore buttons made from a tin compound, which is known to become brittle at low temperatures such as those found in frigid Russian winters. The authors cite the degradation of the Army’s buttons as one of the main contributing factors to the hypothermia that wiped out Napoleon’s Grand Army and stopped the expansion of the Napoleonic Empire. At points, the relatedness of science and happenstance appear to be a bit far-fetched, but nonetheless, each assertion is supported with sound historical evidence.

I think that this book is a must read for chemistry and biochemistry majors; it puts what you learn in General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry into an understandable and worldly context. The authors are constantly name-dropping some of the greatest chemists, showing that many of their discoveries were just accidents or byproducts of reactions and molecules they did not understand at the time. By putting chemistry in the context of history, not only does it become one hundred times more interesting, but it also seems more relevant to the future and to our lives.

Another aspect of the book that I think would interest a lot of people is the numerous ‘party facts’ that are listed throughout the book. For example, the residue and film that develops when you swirl a glass of wine is due to the presence of glycerol molecules in the wine itself. In the chapter on oleic acid and olive oil, the authors explain the differences between both saturated and un-, and mono- and poly-saturated fats. By explaining the health consequences of these chemical structures the authors show us the daily relevance of what we learn in chemistry classes. Because the book is so scientifically based, I think that people who have taken chemistry classes would get the most out of it. This does not mean, however, that less scientifically inclined pupils would deny the book’s entertainment value. In fact, they might find this is finally the right book to help them survive that dreaded science core requirement.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. The science behind history has always been an interesting subject, and there really aren’t many books that break it up and organize it as well as Napoleon’s Buttons does.



Review by Special Contributor, Chris McLaughlin, A&S '13

0 Comments

    Who are the authors?

    These book reviews have been submitted by BC Reads! Staff Writers and other Boston College students.

    Archives

    December 2014
    November 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Categories

    All
    Andrew Ireland
    Anne Donnelly
    Autobiography
    Biography
    Brittany Duncan
    Caitlin Mason
    Caroline Grindrod
    Chris Mclaughlin
    Christie Wentworth
    Christine Degenaars
    Colleen Brady
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    General Fiction
    General Non Fiction
    General Non-fiction
    Hallie Sullivan
    Historical Fiction
    Historical Non Fiction
    Historical Non-Fiction
    Horror
    Humor
    Immigration
    Jennifer Heine
    Julia Walker
    Kayla D'Ambrosio
    Kristie Dickinson
    Laura Baumgartner
    Lauren Bly
    Lauren Schlacks
    Liz Handler
    Maria Peroni
    Memoir
    Michael Solah
    Molly Saint
    Morgan Healy
    Movie Franchise
    Mystery
    Non Fiction
    Non-fiction
    Patrick Hughes
    Pulitzer Prize
    Quick Read
    Romantice Fiction
    Satire
    Science Fiction
    Serena Gibbons
    Short Stories
    Steven Nicholas
    Suspense
    Tashrika Sharma
    Thriller
    William Hwang
    Yande Lombe

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.