Book Club Review: What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
By Kathleen McLaughlin, Ed.D. | October 4, 2023
| Kathleen McLaughlin, Ed.D. is one of BioBuzz’s incredible Ambassadors of Buzz. She’s also the Philly Socializing Scientists organizer and, as a self-proclaimed bibliophile, the Queen Bee of Virtually Socializing Scientists Book Club. Every month Kathleen shares her thoughts on the [science] book of the month. Have a book rec?! Get in touch with her via LinkedIn. |
The first time I saw this book was back when I was teaching high school. One of my students, from either physics, algebra, or chemistry (the main subjects I taught at that very small school) would take it out and read it. He was engrossed. He spoke about it, and I remember thinking, if it can hook him, it must be enjoyable.
This year, I’ve been attempting to pick books for Book Club, and have been jumping all over the sciences (if you haven’t noticed). I find it hard to select books because I’m not familiar with the non-fiction world. I’m much more comfortable with books that are fiction. (Side note: I still have to say non-fiction means “not fake” to remember them correctly. I’m fighting a youth of having it wrong, or not really caring. My avid reading didn’t develop until the end of high school/early college). So, while perusing Good Reads lists, seeing What If? made me think it would be perfect for the inner child in all of us. I picked up a copy, and then I downloaded the audiobook, knowing my time on the road would allow me to finish the book more easily than reading.
I pause here and note that I should have considered the following before downloading the book:
- Asking my brother about the book. Seriously, if anyone thinks I’m a bibliophile they won’t know what to think when they meet him. (I saw him reading War & Peace for fun once….I asked if he knew that they had made it into a movie. The conversation ended there). He is downright smarter than I am and knows way more.
- Looking at Randall Munroe’s website. There, I would have realized he does https://xkcd.com/. It’s web-comics. Seriously, why did I not realize this? So, let me be clear, if you are interested in this book, do not, under any circumstances, go the audiobook route.
Now, that being said, I listened to the audiobook. By doing this, I missed out on the charm of the comics, the pacing, and the enjoyment.
Usually, I am able to recommend a book and provide reasoning for who will and who might like the book chosen. I failed on this one. I didn’t finish the book (audio), because it was lacking part of its main criteria for Randall Munroe… the images. So, I cannot do this book justice one way or the other. I will give you my opinion based on the chapters that I listened to, and who I think might enjoy this book based on that.
Primarily, the concept of the book brought me in, but the length of the answers were too much for me. Some of the questions could have been answered simply, by ‘this is impossible.’ That didn’t bother me too much, but when it came to the literal Periodic Table, it was a little overwhelming for me.
The other challenge I had with this book, is that when some of the answers could have been finished, he would make another assumption, and extend the problem. I like the idea of what if; I love the notion of thinking of how seemingly impossible things could be done. I didn’t like taking that what if of a potential thing and making it even more far-fetched.
I’m talking about the hairdryer chapter here. Had we discussed a hair dryer, I’d have been like this good. I can relate. I’ve owned hair dryers. I have a blue ConAir that has been sitting in my bathroom closet for about 15 years. I just bought a hair dryer (shout out to CurlSmith) designed with my curly hair in mind! (Off topic, but seriously, it keeps my curls in existence… whereas the ConAir doesn’t, hence it sits in the closet on the top shelf I can barely reach). We all love and hate hair dryers, we also know that hair dryers are completely destructible. Randall made the hair dryer indestructible, and kept it going. I gave up a few chapters later.
Bottom Line: This might be good for someone that:
- Loves comics (again, don’t audiobook this one)
- Is interested in science and math, but not quite there yet
- Enjoys absurdity and hypothetical
I would put this on my list for teens/young adults (ages 13 – 24), but for most of us, I would say this might not be for you. And that’s ok.
p.s. I’m always looking for science books. If you’re interested in getting your book out there, know someone who is, or have a great recommendation, I’d love to hear from you! My goal is simple: learn more about the new (and old) books in the science field that more people should know about. Message me on LinkedIn for your best recs!
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