What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions By Randall Munroe
Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Assistant
Genre: Scientific Humor
Suggested Age: Teens, Adults
What is the book about? Randall Munroe, the author behind the webcomic “xkcd,” has compiled a wide array of wacky questions that have been submitted to his website…questions that need scientifically based answers. From trying to figure out if a Lego bridge across the Atlantic Ocean is feasible to envisioning the consequences of all of Earth’s water travelling through an interdimensional porthole to the surface of Mars, the situations posited are sometimes as outlandish as the answers. Have you ever had a kid ask you why or how something in the universe is the way it is? Did you stammer trying to come up with something plausible or just say, “I don’t know?” This book could help you be ready for next time…maybe.
My Review: I listened to the e-audiobook on Hoopla, but this is also available in print and CD audiobook form. I found it amusing and a whimsical way to pass the time while listening and driving. The print form has Munroe’s comic drawings to help the reader visualize the situations that are being described. The audiobook is read by Wil Wheaton, whom I enjoy listening to. I envisioned this book would be filled with questions and answers that would mirror some of my conversations with my middle-school aged son. Not quite. Most of these predicaments were a few grade levels higher than he’s ready for, but he still liked the Lego bridge scenario. The effort and research into the answers Munroe has compiled are an order of magnitude beyond anything I would have ever bothered to delve into. Can you say ultra-nerd? But, it’s all in fun. I’ve run across the “xkcd” webcomic a few times in the past but am not a regular reader. I’m sure a diehard fan would be thrilled with this book.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Cerebral, Quirky, Silly
Give This a Try if You Like…www.xkcd.com, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, A Short History of Nearly Everything
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
