Very well-written and lucid exploration of the electromagnetic spectrum suitable for non-scientists.

Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light is a wonderfully smooth and lucid tour of the electromagnetic spectrum by Bob Berman, whose engagingly accessible prose makes this an excellent introduction to the topic for non-scientists.

Berman divides his exploration into two basic parts: how were the various types of light waves discovered and how do they impact our daily lives. Why light? Because as Berman says, “photons constitute 99.9999999 percent of everything. The universe is literally made of light.” Seems kind of important then, and it’s hard to imagine a better guide to its ins and outs than Berman here.

Zapped opens with a general overview of optics—how we perceive light—and light’s form (both wave and particle), explaining how wavelength and frequency interact. The optics section, as happens frequently throughout the book, offers up some interesting tidbits, such as why we see green more readily than other colors (the reason the highway system uses green signs) or why many animals see a violet rather than a red sky. Chapter three begins the deep dive into the spectrum, which moves steadily through infrared (originally known as “calorific rays”), ultraviolet, radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, and gamma rays. Berman makes stops along the way to explain the mundane (sun screen) and the cosmic (time dilation). Beyond explaining the what’s and how’s, Berman tries to deal with some myths and/or ameliorate some concerns non-scientists might have about light (or the more scary term—“radiation”), such as are microwave ovens dangerous or can cell phones cause cancer. One big surprise is an unexpectedly open-minded section on ESP, which I believe is a first for me in my physics readings.

Berman doesn’t dive too deeply into the physics and there’s next to no math here. The only time we get a somewhat dense section, he wisely tells the reader to stop and go back and re-read to make sure they have the foundation down since the next section would be building on that prior knowledge. I can’t say I learned a lot of new material in terms of the physics itself. And certainly some of the anecdotes regarding the scientists are familiar—Herschel’s accidental discovery of infrared waves, the fortuitous melting candy bar that led to the microwave oven, the fact that Marie Curie’s notebooks are still too radioactive to read without protection. But that doesn’t make them any less captivating, and for those who don’t regularly read popular science, those stories will be brand new. Despite not getting a lot of new physics information (not that I was expecting to get much new—it is established science after all), I found Berman’s details, such as that bit about the road signs or the animals’ vision of the daytime sky, to be wholly fascinating. And while his prose style doesn’t leap off the page, it’s never anything but fluid, clear, smooth, and engaging, with never a hint of either academese or condescension. Making him the perfect tour guide on this journey.

With all of the news regarding the upcoming eclipse, readers may want to spend some time with the newly released ZAPPED by Bob Berman. Its subtitle is "from Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light" and the author, currently a columnist for Astronomy magazine, discusses those topics in an informative and relatively accessible way. Although there are moments when there is too much scientific jargon and information, Berman balances that with stories of inventors and references to current applications like GPS, microwave ovens, x-rays and more. Student readers will likely be skimming ZAPPED and looking for a section to support a research project. Others, however, may turn to this book in order to simply learn interesting facts about ultraviolet light, gamma rays or cellphone radiation. Those curious about science will enjoy ZAPPED or a wider overview such as The Canon by Natalie Angier or A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson; here is another list of 100 Popular Science books with even more ideas!
Link to that list: http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/100-all-time-greatest-popular-science-books/

ZAPPED

Bob Berman's Zapped: From Infrared to X-Rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light strikes the right balance of informative and entertaining to be a science book worthy of attention.

The book certainly benefits from being hyper-focused. As the title suggests, Berman centers discussion around all kinds of invisible light: infrared, ultraviolet, radio waves, microwaves, and everything in between. In so doing, he doesn't only focus on their properties but also offers some erudition by way of science history, narrating landmark discoveries and describing key experiments that have led us to understand such invisible light better. In so doing, Zapped is a treasure trove for the science-minded, who will learn (or be reminded) of such facts like light being an electromagnetic phenomenon, green being the color most visible to the human eye, how microwaves work, and the absence of evidence that cell-phone radiation is harmful.

This can be a lot to take in were it not for Berman's easygoing and often witty (if occasionally ascerbic) manner of explaining things. Indeed, he has a way of turning the otherwise complex into readily comprehensible even if some sections of Zapped will require multiple read-throughs to grasp. Such often comes with the territory where science is concerned, and readers will be grateful that Berman is there to serve as their guide on such a wide-ranging discourse on invisible light.

"Myths will be busted and wild facts will abound," Berman proclaims in the introduction to his book. More than just a promise kept such is perhaps the best description for Zapped, which brings into sharp focus the history and properties of invisible light as well as other related things besides.

Fun read but not as good as a previous work

I enjoyed this book. Author Bob Berman explains electromagnetic radiation very clearly and in a fun way, displaying a sense of humor. I am not surprised because I had read The Sun's Heartbeat, an earlier effort by Berman. However I enjoyed that book more than I did Zapped, as the the latter had two issues which left me giving this book only four stars. In one chapter, Berman deviates from science and strays into woo. The other issue is the detour into a discussion of eclipses, which while interesting was not relevant to the story. Nonetheless I recommend this book for anyone interested in science.