The Blue Machine is a comprehensive description of the ocean’s composition, its living and nonliving elements, and an explanation of its importance.
The Blue Machine by Helen Czerski
Genre/Categories/Setting: Nonfiction, Essays, Science, Oceanography
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My Summary:
In The Blue Machine, oceanographer and physicist Helen Czerski explains the interconnectivity of the world’s oceans, the composition and structure of ocean water, the living and nonliving elements and inhabitants, the delicate balance of the systems, and the oceans’ importance for our survival. The author also includes her opinions.
My Thoughts:
An Advocate
There’s no doubt that the author is passionate about the health of the oceans and about providing all the citizens of the world with good information. She engages readers as she earnestly provides in-depth information about the oceans from her expertise, experience, and scientific perspective. Parts of the book interested me and other parts were a bit too technical for me to grasp. I’m an appreciator of the ocean and not a scientist. Anyone with a science background will find a great deal of information to enhance your understanding and knowledge of the ocean. The author will inspire girls who are considering a career in STEM.
Who is the Target Audience?
It occurred to me from time to time that I might not be the target audience. Is the author writing for the general public or scientists? The Blue Machine is carefully structured, and the author has a great deal of information to share and a passion for the environment and the ocean’s health. She shares it all, which may be too much for a nonscientific person. I found myself losing interest at times as the information became too technical or the author shared tangential information. Perhaps The Blue Machine could have benefited from more editing for readers like me. Oceanographers and scientists will find a great deal to appreciate in this comprehensive deep dive (pun intended!). I know I will never look at the ocean the same again.
Author Opinions
The author has definite views and informed opinions about climate change and the environment. These views/opinions are generally limited to the concluding essays.
Audio Format
I listened to the audio format of The Blue Machine performed by the author. She did a great job and it was an enjoyable listening experience. There were parts that I might have skimmed if I had been reading it in the print format.
Recommending The Blue Machine:
Overall, The Blue Machine is an interesting read, and I appreciated many aspects of it. Fans of hard science, oceanography, and the environment will benefit most. I’m giving it 3.5 stars because I wasn’t engaged by the entire book. The parts I enjoyed are worthy of five stars.
Related: Perhaps an interesting fiction companion read would be The Island of Sea Women by Lisa Lee.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Meet the Author of The Blue Machine, Helen Czerski
Helen Czerski was born in Manchester. She is a lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department at University College London. As a physicist she studies the bubbles underneath breaking waves in the open ocean to understand their effects on weather and climate.
Helen regularly presents BBC programmes on physics, the ocean and the atmosphere – recent series include Colour: The Spectrum of Science, Orbit, Operation Iceberg, Super Senses, Dara O’Briain’s Science Club, as well as programmes on bubbles, the sun and our weather. She is also a columnist for Focus magazine, shortlisted for PPA columnist of the year in 2014, and has written numerous articles for national newspapers.
QOTD:
Do you love the oceans?
How knowledgeable are you about the oceans?
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That’s a shame as it sounds like it is written for too much of a niche audience.
There were some enjoyable parts and still an informative and worthwhile read!
Sounds very interesting but, like you, I imagine a lot of the information would be over my head. As you said, I hope it will encourage some girls to go into the field.
The parts I could grasp were enjoyable and overall it was informative.
It does sound like the author provides more information than the average reader might want/need. As my husband and I have taken a few cruises, I have become more and more fascinated with the ocean. It is amazing to be out in the middle of it and not see another ship. It causes you to grasp a little bit of the vastness of it.
I’ll never look at the ocean the same again!
Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts about the book.
Have you read it?
No, this wouldn’t be for me either as I don’t have the scientific background to appreciate it.
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