Overall Analysis
I had no preconceptions prior to reading this book besides a little over half a year of Mrs. Rausch's Chemistry class under my belt. I enjoyed reading The Alchemy of Air because I have an interest in science and history. It was intriguing to see an overview of what was going on in this time period for a viewpoint that wasn't American for once. I think it has given me a better perspective and understanding of the early 1900s on a whole.
The title was the first thing that caught me. It sounded rather mystical somehow. I didn't expect it to be about chemistry (the the "alchemy" might have tipped me off) but I was not disappointed once I started reading. This book was informative and entertaining, that is, if you find history entertaining. It was presented in a story-like way beyond most history books and was a pleasure to read.
It was not very difficult to read but if I hadn't taken Chemistry I think I might have been a bit lost on some parts. It wasn't all jargon though and the author did his best to explain the chemistry in a reader-friendly way for those without knowledge of higher chemistry.
Still, I would only recommend this to someone who definitely has an interest in Chemistry. To others it might seem boring, even with the incentive of the interesting history. My impressions did not change much towards the book, only towards the characters. Haber became increasingly less likable while Bosch became more and more admirable. This is a nonfiction prose work.
Point of View is highly used in this book. It switches between different figures in history and occasionally jumps to other places in the world which gives a solid perspective of the situations. The setting of Germany in (most of ) this book is key as it shows it from the view of Germans when they go to war, which is somewhat rare. Characters are also used well by history as it is a nonfiction book.
At times Bosch and Haber seem to clearly be foils to each other and through this you can chose which you can relate to most in values. My mind was not swayed by outside things though as I stated previously, Chemistry gave me a better understanding of the contents of this book. In all this author did a wonderful job of showing a multi-perspective view of how nitrogen fixation was accomplished and the goings on of the times surrounding it. It showed the causes and effects and gave a solid background of each of the important historic figures so that we could better understand how they became who they were and how that affected everything else. It was very informative and has given me a better idea of history and the world in general.
The title was the first thing that caught me. It sounded rather mystical somehow. I didn't expect it to be about chemistry (the the "alchemy" might have tipped me off) but I was not disappointed once I started reading. This book was informative and entertaining, that is, if you find history entertaining. It was presented in a story-like way beyond most history books and was a pleasure to read.
It was not very difficult to read but if I hadn't taken Chemistry I think I might have been a bit lost on some parts. It wasn't all jargon though and the author did his best to explain the chemistry in a reader-friendly way for those without knowledge of higher chemistry.
Still, I would only recommend this to someone who definitely has an interest in Chemistry. To others it might seem boring, even with the incentive of the interesting history. My impressions did not change much towards the book, only towards the characters. Haber became increasingly less likable while Bosch became more and more admirable. This is a nonfiction prose work.
Point of View is highly used in this book. It switches between different figures in history and occasionally jumps to other places in the world which gives a solid perspective of the situations. The setting of Germany in (most of ) this book is key as it shows it from the view of Germans when they go to war, which is somewhat rare. Characters are also used well by history as it is a nonfiction book.
At times Bosch and Haber seem to clearly be foils to each other and through this you can chose which you can relate to most in values. My mind was not swayed by outside things though as I stated previously, Chemistry gave me a better understanding of the contents of this book. In all this author did a wonderful job of showing a multi-perspective view of how nitrogen fixation was accomplished and the goings on of the times surrounding it. It showed the causes and effects and gave a solid background of each of the important historic figures so that we could better understand how they became who they were and how that affected everything else. It was very informative and has given me a better idea of history and the world in general.