Book Review: Critical Mass

Phillip Ball's Critical Mass did more to stoke my interest in science than anything I can remember. Undoubtedly this stems from the fact that I never engaged in any sort of science labs growing up, my exposure to that world reserved to textbooks. Ball attempts to formulate a physics for society, and does so quite robustly. The entire first portion of the book delves deeply into "scientific" matters (excuse my ignorance). He talks of phase transitions, breakthroughs in physics, geometry and more. He gives few hints on where all this groundwork is leading, though I imagine the perceptive reader can put the pieces together. His basic tenet is that people can be likened to particles, and the same physical rules that apply to particles also apply to humans. Properties and characteristics observed in particles can be expected in humans. He never claims this to be complete, as he shouldn't. What I liked about the book: Ball doesn't skimp on details and doesn't glaze over technical issues just so the reader has an easier time. Ball draws very interesting conclusions when it comes to traffic patterns, voting habits, group dynamics, stock markets and even sports. What I didn't like about this book: Perhaps somewhat paradoxic to the first thing I liked, the book was hard to get through. It was long and technical, requiring ample time. I also didn't see a clear organizational pattern. The book moved from topic to topic, not quite jumping, but definitely not flowing. I would cautiously recommend this book. Know that it will take a time commitment and read a few reviews or summaries to make sure the subject matter is what you're after