If you like easy, breezy nonfiction, this cultural history of ice is for you.

I’m not certain there was really enough here to justify an entire book, but it’s entertaining and it moves well and might be a good pick for those who typically struggle to get into nonfiction.

I thought the early parts of the book focusing on refrigeration and the heyday of the iceman were well executed and intriguing. The latter (more modern) topics covered felt less necessary to the book. It’s sort of interesting to hear about the maintenance of an ice rink, for example, but I didn’t really need an account of the author’s attempts to try curling.

For me, this probably would have been better kept to a long form article, but I’m glad stuff like this exists for those who want nonfiction but prefer a less demanding version of what Science and History nonfiction tends to be.

✨ Review ✨ Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks—A Cool History of a Hot Commodity by Amy Brady

Brady unwinds a popular history of ice across this book from the harvesting of ice and entrepreneurial attempts to sell it in the South and the Caribbean to the rise of refrigerators and fancy cocktails to the popularization of ice sports, she covers centuries of ice history. Those who've traveled abroad know that the American obsession with ice is truly that, but this helps us dig into that past a bit. She also shows us a bit of the future of ice and asks us to consider about the impact of our reliance on ice and cold in this world of climate change.

(Did you know that choosing an energy efficient fridge and properly disposing of old fridges is one of the most important household choices you can make around climate impact?)

The book is full of fun facts and the audio narration is engaging. This is a perfect read for these heat wave summer days!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: nonfiction
Pub Date: out now

Read this if you like:
⭕️ ice & icy things
⭕️ popular histories of common items
⭕️ learning fun facts

Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons, PRH Audio and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

A fascinating look at how ice became so ubiquitous in our lives. Despite seeming commonplace today, ice has gone on a long journey from being only naturally occurring to man-made and everywhere. Starting with the ice harvesting in the 1800s, to the need to advertise and create a market for it down south for those unfamiliar with it, all the way to its different uses ranging from sports to medicine to energy. Brady uses lots of cultural touchpoints to help explain how the perception of ice has changed and to demonstrate how integrated its use has become. Overall, a very interesting read that covers America's history with ice but also looks to how ice may be used in the future.

What do PT Barnum, sweet tea, Teddy Roosevelt, and Madison Square Garden have in common? ICE!
 
Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks—A Cool History of a Hot Commodity
by Amy Brady
 
Genre: nonfiction history
Rating: 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pages: 336
 
Amy Brady’s ICE follows the history of ice in America—everything from shipping giant blocks of ice to cities building ice castles to show off.
 
Ok, I’ll be honest—I really thought that I was going to love the parts about ice rinks (as a former competitive figure skater and someone who now works part time for hockey team), and pretty much just skim the rest. Boy, was I wrong! This book was phenomenal! I know what you’re thinking—a book about ice, really? But this book was so much more than what I imagined it to be.
 
Amy Brady is a gifted storyteller—this book had me turning pages and staying up late just to finish it—it’s that compelling! The pacing is wonderful; each topic is covered with enough depth, but never lingers too long on one story. This book is so enlightening into how much ice is so deeply woven into our culture and history. I constantly found myself thinking, “how did I not know that?! That’s important!” It is also incredibly evident how much investigative journalism the author did to research this book—and that effort truly shines in the detail she provides on this topic.
 
This book is jam-packed with trivia knowledge, like why we call movies “blockbusters.” *hint: it has to do with ice* It also has a fair share of ice related puns for my fellow nerds to enjoy. I’ll be honest; I’m usually a science nonfiction kinda gal, but this book truly won me over. I might be a history person now, who knows. Either way, I’m on my way to say thanks to my ice machine and A/C for making my life significantly better.
 
ICE releases 📆 Tuesday, June 6 📆, so grab yourself a copy to cool down this summer! Hoping to snag a physical copy when it comes out because I will be turning back to this one to tickle my ice loving brain!
 
Read if you like:
🧊 niche nonfiction
🧊 excellent storytelling
🧊 iced drinks, A/C, skating, glaciers, and more!
 
Thank you so much to Putnam Books, author Amy Brady, and NetGalley for my digital ARC of this book!

Ice by Amy Brady is one of the funniest and most in depth researched book I have read in a long time. Brady allows people to see the historic impact of ice from economic and political and how many take for granted the source of cooling.

I love how Brady shows the evolution of Ice in America all the way to modern day and hypothetically in the future.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Putnam for an advance copy of this look at America's fascination with ice, and the many changes cold cubes of water made in society, culture, and in bettering lives.

Some like it hot, but Americans like things cold. Cold beer, frozen cocktails and other bar drinks. Storing meat, and other food stuffs. To create frozen water to be skated on, maybe in August. Watching a Zamboni do its job. And keeping a house in the desert at a constant 60 degrees environment costs be darned. All these things ice has given us. Americans have become very used to ice, especially in the home to keep the milk fresh and the ice cream frozen, the wine chilled. No matter what is happening to the environment, or what it costs us monetarily. The story of ice is the story of technology, culture growth, and cute ice men. Journalist, historian and writer Amy Brady in Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks--a Cool History of a Hot Commodity describes the rise of ice as a commodity, the battles fought over it, how it helps people, hinders the planet and makes very tasty drinks and desserts.

The book begins with a young man, angry at losing his brother, but determined to make his way in the world. Growing up in New England, the man knew about the ice trade, cutting huge blocks from frozen rivers, placing the ice in ice houses, which made them available year round, though slightly dirty. Frederic Tudor had the idea to sell ice, something that was impossible to have because of heat, in the Caribbean. After a few missteps, and a misunderstanding with people about the lifespan of ice, Tudor was successful. Soon he moved his ideas to the South of the United States, selling ice in New Orleans, which gave birth to a new idea. Cocktails. And a new industry was born. Fortunes were being made, ice cream was beginning to make its mark, and people began to grow sick from local ice blocks being made in newly polluted rivers from industrial growth. So ice machines began to be developed, and again a new industry which begat much more, convenience stores, with gas stations, ice boxes in homes with ice brought by ice men who heated up a whole new conversation. But as the technology increased so did the environmental costs, costs that the world is still dealing with.

This book is very much like an ice berg. The surface is a history of ice and what ice has done for us. Below the surface is so much more. Science, medicine, race relations, women selling ice boxes to other women highlighting that hot guys would be coming into the kitchen to help the housewives cool off. Each page has something new. The book never slows down, never loses the narrative, and never ceases to be either interesting or fun. Brady is very good at keeping everything together, and sharing much about what ice has done. How to make the perfect ice cube, ice and illness, minority ownership of ice cream stores. Castro's love of Howard Johnson Ice Cream. Brady is both funny, and can explain everything well. How ice cream is made, yes I like ice cream. Shaving ice for sculptures. A wonderful book that is so much more than the title.

Recommended for readers of Mary Roche, John McPhee and people who love books about one subject matter that are about much more. Readers of Cod, or Paper. This was really enjoyable and very informative. Numerous people were told more about ice after I read a chapter than I think they wanted to. My first experience reading Amy Brady, but I really am excited to read more.

A history of ice production, the ways it's been used in food, and more!

I really enjoyed this history. I tend to be picky about history books since I studied history and really want them to be approachable for a wider audience. I think this did that! The chapters weren't too long, and they really captured my attention. I especially liked the history of ice production and then the history of foods that use ice. I learned so much. I wish there had been a Bibliography, but that is more just something I enjoy as a history person. Overall, a really interesting read about an important commodity!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My goal for 2023 is to read more non-fiction and to learn more stuff, so this book was a no brainer once I saw it available to request. I loved that it's separated into stand alone sections so you can flip around freely and its accompanied with real photographs that really set the scene. There were so many things I'd heard about but not actually seen that made this a cool experience. The author is obviously very well educated and a great writer, but at times this seemed to drone on. I don't see the average person being able to pick this book up and read through a good chunk of it and actually taking the info in. I wish the narrative had a bit of a looser touch to it that broke up the monotony.

If any or even a few of the topics they mentions are of interest, i think this book is a very cool resource.

This was a cool book. I learned a lot about all things ice and ice related. I like to read microhistories and this fit the bill. It was historic with out being boring. It was informative and funny and had some timely information. All around a fun and great read.

You will never look at ice the same way again. I received an ARC of Ms. Brady’s book and could not have been happier. A rousing historical narrative of a crucial but under-examined product. I was amazed to learn how old the ice industry is in the United States and how it has changed the way in which we all live. While it could be a bit long in parts (I’m not much of a sports fan) and I was interested in the environmental impacts but not fully as engaged as i was the historical parts of the industry itself, it was a great read overall and I highly recommend it.

I downloaded this on a whim, and I'm so glad I did! This covers a lot of territory, but doesn't drag or overextend itself. Not only does it cover social history like the creation of ice cream, iced tea, and chipped ice, but it also delves into how ice can treat injured/ill patients, why ice is slippery, and much more. It's a fun blend of science, food history, sports, medicine, and more serious subjects like melting glaciers.


Many thanks to Putnam/Penguin and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.