What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes (1987)

This book by historian Richard Rhodes reads like a novel describing the history of creating the world’s most powerful military weapon. Atom bombs feature prominently in What If?, often as comparisons for the amount of energy released in events imagined by the author to illustrate his explanations of physics principles.

• The Making of the Atomic Bomb on SuperSummary

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman (2007)

Chapter 12, about electric light sources persisting after humans disappear, mentions The World Without Us, in which author Alan Weisman thoroughly explores “what would happen to Earth’s houses, roads, skyscrapers, farms, and animals if humans suddenly vanished.”

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table by Sam Kean (2010)

This book describes the history of nearly every atomic element’s discovery, its uses, and interesting and unusual facts about each.

• The Disappearing Spoon on SuperSummary

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson (2019)

This best-selling book by author and educator Bill Bryson is a compendium of odd and interesting facts about the human body.

• The Body on SuperSummary