The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another
A book about world-changing inventions, crammed with fascinating stories you’ve probably never heard of
The Alchemy of Us is a study of eight different inventions: clocks, steel rails, copper communication cables, photographic film, light bulbs, hard disks, scientific glassware and silicon chips. Each chapter explores how nuanced circumstances of under-the-radar characters gave rise to one of those inventions. Ramirez is rewriting the narrative of the lone inventor, and by doing so she’s helping a more diverse audience see reflections of themselves in the history of science.