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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
With an appreciation of the technical ingenuity, human drama and cultural impact of the electrical grid, physicist and playwright Schewe illuminates how electricity has catalyzed both the best and worst of modernity since Thomas Edison devised the first electrical network in 1882. Even as the grid delivered light and mechanization, foremost minds like Westinghouse, Tesla and Insull continued to refine it, creating a society totally dependent on its invisible wonders. In the 1965 Northeast blackout, for example, New York shut down for lack of a product that barely existed half a century before. The grid's complexity demands predictability, Schewe shows, but even a minor short circuit can trigger a systemwide avalanche. Peppering his narrative with quotations from cultural critics Lewis Mumford and Henry David Thoreau, he argues that, economically, "we can't afford to throw away two-thirds" of energy as waste, and explains how nuclear and renewable resources can reduce pollution. Schewe also explores how Africa and Asia's dearth of electricity affects the participation of impoverished people in society. Though the final chapter on how astronauts took energy with them to the moon seems unnecessary, overall Schewe crafts an entertaining narrative with enlightening scientific and historical detail.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Phillip F. Schewe, in his eclectic survey of the past century, casts a perceptive eye on how that momentous transformation came about, and where it may heading." -- Natural History, April
"The Grid is the most complex machine ever built and it has had the greatest impact on our quality of life of any technological advancement. Yet, few people understand the Grid and recognize it as the power delivery system that brings electricity to our homes and businesses. Phillip Schewe does a masterful job of recounting the Grid's history and some of the many challenges it now faces." -- Clark Gellings, Vice President, Innovation Electric Power Research Institute
"This is the first book to describe the remarkable history of a hidden matrix that rules the industrialized world, is invisible when it is working, and is taken for granted by almost everyone who uses it. Anyone who has ever wondered what happens when you plug a toaster into an electrical outlet will find this book as illuminating as the billions of lights the grid powers every day. As energy demands continue to rise in political significance, general readers will find the perspective offered by this book particularly useful." -- Lawrence M. Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek, and, Hiding in the Mirror
"This wonderfully written story of the electricity industry's remarkable history is a prerequisite for understanding its challenges and opportunities today... a very fun read." -- Amory B. Lovins, CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute
"What Thoreau did for Walden Pond, Schewe has done for The Grid. At last, a subject too often chronicled by dry institutional histories has found its bard. It's fun to read and vividly told." -- Keay Davidson, author of Carl Sagan: A Life
"The Grid is the most complex machine ever built and it has had the greatest impact on our quality of life of any technological advancement. Yet, few people understand the Grid and recognize it as the power delivery system that brings electricity to our homes and businesses. Phillip Schewe does a masterful job of recounting the Grid's history and some of the many challenges it now faces." -- Clark Gellings, Vice President, Innovation Electric Power Research Institute
"This is the first book to describe the remarkable history of a hidden matrix that rules the industrialized world, is invisible when it is working, and is taken for granted by almost everyone who uses it. Anyone who has ever wondered what happens when you plug a toaster into an electrical outlet will find this book as illuminating as the billions of lights the grid powers every day. As energy demands continue to rise in political significance, general readers will find the perspective offered by this book particularly useful." -- Lawrence M. Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek, and, Hiding in the Mirror
"This wonderfully written story of the electricity industry's remarkable history is a prerequisite for understanding its challenges and opportunities today... a very fun read." -- Amory B. Lovins, CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute
"What Thoreau did for Walden Pond, Schewe has done for The Grid. At last, a subject too often chronicled by dry institutional histories has found its bard. It's fun to read and vividly told." -- Keay Davidson, author of Carl Sagan: A Life
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