Black Bodies and Quantum Cats

November 28, 2005
An English major turned science writer, Ouellette describes physics, that most mathematically demanding science, using books, TV shows, movies and other pop culture mainstays, and the result is remarkably fresh and immensely readable. Starting with Da Vinci, Ouellette uses-what else?-The Da Vinci Code to explain the divine proportion before taking the reader on an anecdotal tour of the blacksmiths, shopkeepers' sons and royalty who tinkered with their curiosities, cumulatively advancing a science from Copernicus' looking at the sky, through Einstein's theory of special relativity (explained in terms of Back to the Future and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen), until today's subatomic string theory. All major theories and breakthroughs, along with the personalities that brought them to life (including a particularly ruthless Thomas Edison and a resourceful patent clerk named Chester Carlson, who built the first photocopier in his Astoria, New York, kitchen), are presented clearly by the reader's pop-culture escort. It is a credit to Ouellette that, as the reader progresses into more complex theories, the TV and movie references aren't nearly as interesting as the science.

November 1, 2005
In 38 brief chapters, journalist Ouellette, whose -This Month in Physics History - column runs in" APS "(American Physical Society)" News", presents an engaging overview of key advances in physics from the early 1500s to today. Although she admits in her preface that something is bound to be lost in translation whenever one tries to describe physical phenomena without actually using physics, she does a commendable job of making the underlying science accessible to the average reader without changing its essence. Ouellette's method of drawing interesting and sometimes vaguely weird parallels between snippets of pop culture and physics -e.g., likening one science fiction character's ability to bypass his companion's social defenses against him to the quantum mechanical effect of -tunneling - -keeps the reader captivated. The topics, which range from Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein to Velcro and Deep Blue, and the human factor that Ouellette has injected into the telling of each story add up to an enjoyable read for science fans. Recommended for all libraries." -Marcia Franklin, Academy Coll. Lib., Bloomington, MN"

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2005
Although she is a self-described "physics phobe," literature major Ouellette writes a monthly column for the American Physical Society's magazine. And she's good at it. Readers of these 50 pieces will feel her companionship as a fellow layperson sharing her interest in physics history. Hooking the audience with some movie or sf novel, Ouellette delves into the real physics behind a literary device. For example, her article about special relativity plays off Marty McFly's time trip in " Back to the Future" ; Jules Verne's " From the Earth to the Moon " prefaces the tale of Robert Goddard's rocket. Several pages in length, each article stands alone, and the funny slang titles compete for attention: what will one read first, "That Darn Cat" (about Schrodinger's famous cat) or "Copy That" (about Chester Carlson, inventor of the photocopier)? Arranged chronologically from Leonardo da Vinci (tied to " The Da Vinci Code" ) to the top quark (introduced via " My Big Fat Greek Wedding" ), Ouellette's entertaining explications of physics encourage generalists to give physics a try. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)