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The World in a Grain
Book

The World in a Grain

The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization

Riverhead, 2018
First Edition: 2018 mais...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Comprehensive
  • Analytical
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Sand is the groundwork for virtually everything in modern life. The buildings you live and work in and the roads you drive on are made of sand. Sand enables modern life, but it’s starting to run out, and its mining and use destroy the environment. Award-winning journalist Vince Beiser illuminates what sand makes possible, why sand grips the human imagination, and offers insights into the political and environmental issues surrounding sand.

Take-Aways

  • Sand is the most significant material in the world.
  • The invention of concrete – which sand and gravel comprise – transformed the way people live.
  • Asphalt and concrete changed the way Americans move from place to place.

About the Author

Vince Beiser is an award-winning journalist.


Comment on this summary or Iniciar a Discussão

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    A. H. 10 months ago
    Great abstract, but the AI generated voice ruined it ��
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      10 months ago
      Hello Angelica,
      Thank you for your comment. We apologize for any inconvenience.
      We use professional voice artists to provide our audio content for all new titles. We have also updated some of our popular and older titles to professional audio recordings.
      However, to provide audio versions for some of our older titles, we have used machines to generate the audio.
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    G. P. 1 year ago
    A nice abstract. But what is the alternative? What's the solution? What do we want our future to look like?
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    J. S. 3 years ago
    The abstract did an excellent job of presenting a potentially life changing problem, but offered no solution, or even a suggestion about where one might begin to look for a solution. I rate the abstract 7.5 out of 10 stars.