Rust: The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman

Dec 18, 2014 Heidi The Hippie Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads-giveaway, non-fiction

Jonathan Waldman makes corrosion education into much more of an adventure than I ever thought it could be.

From the restoration of the Statue of Liberty to rust inspired art and Can School, Waldman explores all sides of the issues of preservation and corruption.

His narrative style is very engaging and amusing. The pioneers of stainless steel development and government rust educators, not the most charismatic people, come alive in the text in all of their flawed, quirky, yet strangely inventive gr Jonathan Waldman makes corrosion education into much more of an adventure than I ever thought it could be.

From the restoration of the Statue of Liberty to rust inspired art and Can School, Waldman explores all sides of the issues of preservation and corruption.

His narrative style is very engaging and amusing. The pioneers of stainless steel development and government rust educators, not the most charismatic people, come alive in the text in all of their flawed, quirky, yet strangely inventive grandeur.

Waldman mentions in Rust that engineering students are receiving little to no education about an issue which underlies every project that they will ever undertake.

My own degree in political science from a small, liberal arts university, that is smack-dab in the middle of the rust belt, included absolutely nothing about the U.S.'s struggle with a crumbling infrastructure. I think that the students who are interested in the function and operation of government should certainly learn about this.

Perhaps, a nationwide effort should be instituted to address this problem. But, from the first chapter about the Statue of Liberty's restoration in the '90s, Waldman illustrates that no one is truly in the driver's seat when it comes to rust response, prevention or otherwise.

He devotes a chapter to Dan Dunmire, the director of the Department of Defense's Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight, but makes it clear that Dunmire lacks the budget to truly make a lasting difference.

Rust: The Longest War is educational, entertaining, and ultimately very troubling. Readers who enjoy documentary style writing and anyone who is interested in the future of the world's buildings, roads, bridges, sewers and everything else metal will enjoy this book.

Waldman isn't able to provide all of the answers to our rust-covered problems, but he raises all of the right questions. He gives us a good place to start.

I received a free advanced reader's copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check! ...more

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Aug 14, 2015 Mike rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, science, reviewed

Rust can be gorgeous:

description

(Photos from noted rust photographer Alyssha Csuk)

And rust can be deadly:

description

No matter how you look at this, rust is going to affect you, whether you like it or not. It is the persistent and pernicious peril that threatens nearly every aspect of modern society: bridges, pipes, cars, missiles, giant beacons of freedom. Basically if you draw a Venn diagram of things people like and things rust hates you end up with a single circle.

Waldman takes the reader through the fascinating a Rust can be gorgeous:

description

(Photos from noted rust photographer Alyssha Csuk)

And rust can be deadly:

description

No matter how you look at this, rust is going to affect you, whether you like it or not. It is the persistent and pernicious peril that threatens nearly every aspect of modern society: bridges, pipes, cars, missiles, giant beacons of freedom. Basically if you draw a Venn diagram of things people like and things rust hates you end up with a single circle.

Waldman takes the reader through the fascinating and under appreciated world of rust. From its near destruction of the Statue of Liberty, to the development of stainless steel to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline the world of rust encompasses so many aspects of our lives. I found the section on cans very interesting. The science of not only creating the perfect can (aluminum now, and extremely thin) that not only preserves the product, but also doesn't affect the taste. Considering some of the stuff that gets shipped in cans, it is impressive that they can be successfully shipped and preserved for as long as they are, while still preserving freshness and not turning into time bombs just waiting to explode in someone's hands. The story of stainless steel is also quite fascinating (as are most things we take for granted in our modern times).

Waldman broke up the book into discrete chapters covering various parts of the world of rust. They are a mixture of science, history, and current happenings. They are also quite varied, covering subjects from the Department of Defense's Rust ambassador to a photographer who is fascinated with a rusting Bethlehem steel foundry (pictured above), to galvanized steel. I think my favorite chapter was either the one on cans or the one about the rehabilitation/saving of the Statue of Liberty.

One of the over riding themes of the book was how poorly we approach rust. Most large institutions' incentives are not aligned to prevent rust. The U.S. military has a rather meager office devoted to fighting rust, even though its projects have paid enormous dividends in terms of return on investments. Many bridges were built without a long term rust mitigation policy in mind. Typically the local DOT would just slap on more paint, which works up to a point.Other techniques, such as galvanizing the steel is roughly equivalent in cost but offers a much stronger proof against rust. Weapons system acquisitions are judged on their delivered costs, not long term live cycle costs. Until the mind set about procurement and construction changes, rust will continue to be a big problem.

While not a terribly exciting topic for most people, rust is an expensive problem we should be spending more time and attention fighting. Waldman does a great job showing just how pervasive rust is in our lives, what we are doing to fight it (little though it may be in many areas), and how much more we could accomplish if we set out to affect change. While the chapters were a bit uneven (some very short, others quite long), I enjoyed the balance of subject matter he covered. This is a great, quick read for folks who like science, history, or the TV show Modern Marvels (because our many struggles against rust is itself a modern marvel!). ...more

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May 31, 2015 Clif Hostetler rated it liked it

Shelves: current-events

This book explores a problem that has cursed civilization since the end of the stone age, corrosion. All common metals are vulnerable to corrosion unless protected in some way from oxygen atoms and other want-to-be anions. That's the reason one doesn't find pure iron in nature (except in some meteors). It is always necessary to extract it from a rock ore. Rust, the common product of the corrosion of iron, is apparently a catchier title than the word "corrosion" thus the C word wasn't used for th This book explores a problem that has cursed civilization since the end of the stone age, corrosion. All common metals are vulnerable to corrosion unless protected in some way from oxygen atoms and other want-to-be anions. That's the reason one doesn't find pure iron in nature (except in some meteors). It is always necessary to extract it from a rock ore. Rust, the common product of the corrosion of iron, is apparently a catchier title than the word "corrosion" thus the C word wasn't used for the title of this book.

Though the subject of this book is technical in nature actually most of the book tells the stories of various personalities behind different projects and products that involve fighting corrosion. The book begins with the story of repair of the Statue of Liberty which came close to structural collapse because of corrosion.

The book tells the story of canned food and beverages. Did you know that if carbonated beverage is placed in a bare aluminum can that it will corrode and begin to leak within nine days? The only reason that doesn't happen with cans purchased today is because there is a thin clear plastic liner on the inside of the can to protect it from the stored beverage. Similar liners are used on the inside of almost all cans for both food and beverage. Almost all existing liners contain BPA (bisphenol-A). If you are concerned about BPA, reading this book will give you the heebeegeebees.

Then the story of stainless steel and galvanizing are explored as well as the Federal Government's efforts at coordinating strategies for fighting corrosion. The story of an artist who specializes in the photographing rust is then told.

The book then moves on the story of the Alaska pipeline. I didn't realize how difficult it is to keep the pipeline in operation. They have a problem caused by the fact that oil production is falling off, and it is necessary to keep oil moving or it will turn into a useless 800 mile long popsicle. Here's a link to a graph showing how oil production has dropped off.

Many people not directly involved with maintenance of equipment, structures and facilities probably don't give the issue much thought. But any person who doesn't understand the reality of the electro/chemical process the leads to the corrosion of metals does not have a complete understanding of the material universe we live in.

The pernicious tendencies toward corrosion combined with the all too human preference to construct the new over maintenance of the existing has led to our current infrastructure crisis in the USA. We have built up over the years a tremendous inventory of roads, bridges, sewers, water mains, and other utilities which are growing old, and we can't afford to replace them because most of our resources are directed toward building more new things. Thus over three percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) (per this 1998 study) is spent dealing with the consequences of corrosion.

The following is an interesting story excerpted from this book:

In 1997 a corrosion engineer named Rusty Strong had a rust problem. He was on his way back to Houston from a corrosion conference near Chicago and after deplaning he took a shuttle to the airport parking lot where his black Nissan truck was parked. Before de-shuttling he could tell that something was wrong. His truck was crushed, the cab banged in, the windshield shattered. Incredulous he asked the shuttle bus driver what had happened. The driver refused to make eye contact.

“I think a pole fell on it,” she mumbled nervously, “It was an act of God.”

Rusty was steaming particularly since nobody had bothered to cover the hole in the cab, and after a few days of rain the floors were soaked. He took the shuttle back to the parking lot toll gate and called a tow truck. Late the next morning in his wife’s car he swung by his office, grabbed a camera and micrometer and returned to the lot. He began investigating.

The twenty foot light pole that had fallen on his truck had been removed. But the base of the pole, four inches in diameter, was easily visible on a concrete pedestal one foot off the ground. The base of the pole was heavily rusted on the inside because the weep hole that was suppose to let water out had been grouted over. Rusty took photos and measurements. Then he began inspecting other poles in the parking lot taking more photos and more measurements.

That’s when the shuttle bus pulled up, out came the parking lot manager telling Rusty that he wasn’t authorized to take photos. They argued while Rusty finished his study. The Rusty asked to speak to the owner of the lot. The Owner in Florida told him by phone that the pole had been knocked over by a tornado in a rainstorm. Rusty informing him that he was a corrosion engineer who studied rust professionally told the man otherwise.

“This was not an act of God,” he said. “It was a failure of man.”

He went on informing the owner that were the matter to end up in court that it was precisely someone like Rusty that the owner would want on his side. Rusty figured that the owner didn’t buy it.

“A rust professional? Who’d ever heard of such a thing?”

After that phone call Rusty drove home and made another call to his insurance company. He told his agent that the damage to his truck was the result of a maintenance failure. To that agent he faxed an article from the journal Corrosion on the same phenomenon in Galveston, Texas along with his photos. Fifteen minutes later an insurance adjuster called Rusty. He was laughing.

“This will be so easy,” he said.

Now Rusty’s insurance record says, “Do Not Cancel.”

...more

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Sep 08, 2014 Ellen Gail rated it it was ok

Shelves: first-reads, non-fiction, blah, arc

"Only entropy comes easy" - Anton Chekhov

With that quote, so begins Rust: The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman, a thoroughly researched, but unfortunately not so captivating work of nonfiction.

I love nonfiction, from heart-rendering memoirs like Lying A Metaphorical Memoir, Because I Remember Terror Father I Remember You, and Unbearable Lightness A Story of Loss and Gain, to those intended to amuse, such as Hyperbole and a Half Unfortunate Situations Flawed Coping Mechanisms Mayhem and Other Thin ...more

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Apr 05, 2015 Bob rated it it was amazing

Shelves: math-engineering

Rust = interesting???? Answer: Yes!

Who would ever think rust, of all things, could be worth looking at? Well, it is. Regarded in detail, it has a long and complicated relationship with mankind and, like plenty of other things, we tend to never pay it any attention. Except for spraying the swing set with Rustoleum once in a while. Or not.

Elevated from "rust" to "corrosion" and considering the exact chemical process involved (there are several, depending on the materials in the structure), this ...more

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Aug 15, 2015 Taylor Knight rated it liked it

I seen this book randomly in Barnes and Noble, picked it up just to read the synopsis, and I ended up reading the whole book. I stood in the aisle, reading this book. This is not a book I would ever normally read and I don't really have an opinion on it but I did read the whole thing in one sitting, in a bookstore isle.

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Mar 25, 2015 Jayendran Srinivasan rated it it was ok

This is not a book about rust. It's a human interest story about the people who combat it, control it, and one who even revels in it. Waldman's discussion of the science of the phenomenon is marginal and superficial, but the book does a half-decent job of putting a perspective on how the problem of rust has a larger impact on public life than generally considered. There are multiple digressions which are irritating, but the author's point about taking greater notice of rust is eventually, if ine ...more

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Apr 28, 2015 Philip rated it liked it

Shelves: jordabecker-book-club, non-fiction, jordabecker-beach

From the jacket: "Rust costs America more than $400 billion per year - more than all other natural disasters combined."

Everett Dirksen Billions Quote

My dad told me about the Everett Dirksen quote. "Actually," dad said, "Dirksen said he was misquoted, but didn't say anything at the time because he liked it so much."

I'm pretty sure that $400 billion counts as real money.

Rust: The Longest War is exactly what it purports to be: a book about rust. The jacket goes on to say, "...In a thrilling drama of man versus nature..." While ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Jeff Fabrizio rated it liked it

Shelves: read-on-kindle

At first, I was unsure of how interesting a book about rust would be. I was very pleasantly surprised to be quite interested in reading about corrosion after all. I enjoyed several of the sections in this book, to include the information about the Statue of Liberty and the aluminum cans. Having spent three years stationed in Alaska in the Air Force, I was very excited to read about the corrosion protection used on the Alaskan Pipeline. However, this section of the book, along with several other ...more

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Apr 11, 2015 John Mcchesney-young rated it really liked it

Everyone I excitedly told about this book was extremely skeptical until I began to give examples, at which point they'd open their eyes wide and say, "That sounds really interesting!" Far, far more interesting than you'd probably expect, I promise.

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Jan 28, 2018 Charlene rated it liked it

Shelves: general-science

I found reading this book painful in the same way that characters on sitcoms are pained when they have to sit next to the person who wants to talk about all aspects of how trains were built. It's not that I didn't want to hear details about rust. I did. I love rust. I find it completely thrilling when I hear about the war between oxygen and metals. Even more thrilling, and covered brilliantly in Paul Falkowski's book Life's Engines, is how rust taught researchers a lot about when life emerged an I found reading this book painful in the same way that characters on sitcoms are pained when they have to sit next to the person who wants to talk about all aspects of how trains were built. It's not that I didn't want to hear details about rust. I did. I love rust. I find it completely thrilling when I hear about the war between oxygen and metals. Even more thrilling, and covered brilliantly in Paul Falkowski's book Life's Engines, is how rust taught researchers a lot about when life emerged and how animals were able to get larger. In order to get enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support oxygen greedy animals, the bonds oxygen had formed with other elements had to be broken so that free oxygen could circulate and bond with other things. We know this happened because that free oxygen caused rust. There needed to be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to detect rust. This, to me, is a great detective story! It's what I thought I was in for when I bought this book, but it is not what it turned out to be.

Indeed, there are many things I didn't know about rust. It is just that I am not as interested in an over detailed account of the current problems caused by rust (unless it is written from the perspective of an evolutionary arms race). On a positive note, I did really like that Waldman made me think about the problems we face with rust. No matter how good we seem to get at making things; automobiles, bridges, buildings, food/soda cans, etc, rust is a foe on par with the AIDS virus. It is powerful and hard to cure. If there had been less detail about rust on various objects and more discussion about this war, I think I might have enjoyed this book quite a bit. As it was though, I found it hard to get through.

Waldman did highlight an artist who focuses on rust. I looked up images. Surprisingly beautiful!

I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this because if you have the interest in the problems we face because of rust, you should read this book. It's important and we need the best minds to figure out the best ways to help join the fight. ...more

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Oct 21, 2014 Biblio Files (takingadayoff) rated it it was ok

When you choose to read a book called Rust, which is, surprise! all about rust, you can't really complain when it's not the most exciting book you've ever read. Obviously I've been spoiled by recent books about salt, paper, longitude, light.

Rust: The Longest War is a series of chapters about different aspects of the fight against rust -- keeping the Statue of Liberty rust free, keeping beverage cans rust free while not contaminating the contents, keeping oil pipelines rust free, and so on. Journ ...more

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Nov 28, 2016 Sumit Singla rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016, 3-stars, magical-flying-birds, non-fiction

I picked up this book, intrigued by the subject. Wow, an entire book about rust?

It has some fascinating portions to it, of course. The stories about Lady Liberty and the Alaskan Pipeline in particular do stand out. But overall, the book could easily have been about 20% shorter and still managed to be interesting. Rust is a universal phenomenon and a terribly destructive one too. The impact of rust on a country's GDP is staggering beyond doubt.

Who knew oxygen could be so destructive!

It's still a ...more

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Jun 18, 2017 Ali M. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: popular-metallurgy

Storytelling is an art, and Waldman is a master at doing so. 'Rust' was the best written popular engineering book I have ever read. The author has taken one of the dullest subjects in the world, corrosion, and transformed it into something fascinating. As a Materials Engineer, this book strongly inspires me to continue my career further in corrosion.

The book itself is divided into 11 largely unrelated chapters that tell some corrosion related story.

Chapter 1, "A High-Maintenance Lady" is about a ...more

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Feb 06, 2016 Nolan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookshare

This is the most compelling and highly readable nonfiction I've read in forever. I couldn't put it down.
This is an engaging look at rust and how it affects all of us at one time or another. If you read this, you'll come away blown away by the pervasively desjroying power of rust. I was fascinated to read of techniques used to discover corrosion in the Alaska pipeline, for example. And while I vaguely remember the Statue of Liberty restoration in the mid '80s, I loved reading about that here. As This is the most compelling and highly readable nonfiction I've read in forever. I couldn't put it down.
This is an engaging look at rust and how it affects all of us at one time or another. If you read this, you'll come away blown away by the pervasively desjroying power of rust. I was fascinated to read of techniques used to discover corrosion in the Alaska pipeline, for example. And while I vaguely remember the Statue of Liberty restoration in the mid '80s, I loved reading about that here. As to how we combat rust in our lives, there's some sobering stuff here on cans and how cans are coated to prevent the contents inside from corroding them. I'm positive I'll never again take my ubiquitous soft drink cans for granted. I've never thought of the common can as an engineering marvel, but it truly is. The fact that they've made these such that I can open one and not wonder whether this is the random can that is going to blow up and disfigure my face is nothing short of amazing.

Of course, I've never thought of rust as the military's most unconquerable foe, but so it is. The amount of money spent to counteract it is staggering, and even that is not enough.

You'll be intrigued by the people the author describes who work in the corrosion engineering arena.

If you don't normally bother with nonfiction, do yourself a big favor and bother with this. I literally carried my iPad everywhere I went today so I could read this. And yes, just in case it matters, that does include the shower where a Bluetooth waterproof speaker pumped out the audio.

There are so many info bits in here that will fascinate you. There's an excellent albeit condensed history of the development of stainless steel. And until I read this, I wasn't aware that the same folks whose mason jars made them famous for decades, the Ball company, also creates the can from which flows my Coke Zero. I had never known all these years about that logo on those cans.

None of us are immune from the impact of corrosion at some level. But until you read this, you won't realize the power rust has over us all.

Even if you limit yourself to one nonfiction book a year, let this one be the book for this year. You won't regret it. ...more

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Apr 12, 2015 Converse rated it really liked it

Shelves: technology, non-fiction

I was astounded to find that corrosion could be an interesting subject. Who knew that:

1) The 1980 climb of the Statue of Liberty by Ed Drummond and Stephen Rutherford to place a banner demanding the release of Geronimo Pratt,, a Black Panther (falsely) convicted of murder, led to the discovery that the statue's frame was rusting away. The climbers were initially thought to be using pitons, but the numerous holes were actually do to corrosion. The contact between the iron frame and the copper cla I was astounded to find that corrosion could be an interesting subject. Who knew that:

1) The 1980 climb of the Statue of Liberty by Ed Drummond and Stephen Rutherford to place a banner demanding the release of Geronimo Pratt,, a Black Panther (falsely) convicted of murder, led to the discovery that the statue's frame was rusting away. The climbers were initially thought to be using pitons, but the numerous holes were actually do to corrosion. The contact between the iron frame and the copper cladding had in essence created a battery that was mainly destroying the frame.

2) The Pentagon has a rust czar, Dan Dunmire, who hired LeVar Burton, known to me from Star Track: the Next Generation, to host a series of anti-corrosion videos. Dunmire has also done things that are more likely to pay off, such as inspecting a Navy-owned oil pipeline just in the nick of time to prevent a leak, and now his office reviews construction plans and weapons designs so that corrosion resistance is designed into these things in the first place. The Government Accountability Office has found an average $50 saved for every dollar spent by Dunmire's office.

3) Food and beverage cans have a coating on the inside of them to prevent corrosion; the more corrosive the contents, the thicker the layer. Tomatoes and tomato products seem to be the most corrosive; beer is only slightly corrosive. Unfortunately, the American industry continues to use BPA, a chemical which is an endocrine disruptor and estrogen mimic, as the most commonly applied coating.

4) Large corrosion-detecting robots, called pigs, are introduced into oil pipelines, and more recently sewers, to look for corrosion damage. It takes a pig about a month to travel the length of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. These devices may use ultrasound to find corrosion-related damage, or detect magnetic anomalies associated with corrosion, Unfortunately, while the owners of this pipeline are quite diligent, far too many other pipeline owners are not.

5) Rust can be beautiful, as Alyssha Eve Csuk's photos of the remainder of the closed Bethlehem Steel plant show.

I first posted this review on Amazon.com
...more

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Apr 18, 2015 Jason Arias rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, goodreads-giveaways

I received a free advanced reader's copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.

Okay, here's the deal, I'm not a rust nut (if that's even a thing) or a civil engineer (by any stretch of the imagination), but despite these shortcomings I found parts of this book extremely interesting. If you're into details, there are sections of chapters that definitely 'go deep'. But even if subatomic numbers make your vision blurry, like me, Waldman has a knack at sussing out the human story within the ox ...more

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Feb 18, 2015 Paul Pessolano rated it it was ok

“Rust, The Longest War” by Jonathan Waldman, published by Simon and Schuster.

Category – Business/History Publication Date – March 10, 2015

It took me longer to read this book than “War and Peace”, and it has less pages. If this book is meant for anyone it is best suited for those interested in Metallurgy, and I mean a serious interest.

The subject matter is rust and its impact upon our lives, and how it is a battle that we have been fighting since time began. It tells of the people who work in the ...more

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Dec 14, 2014 Alli rated it really liked it

Shelves: what-i-ve-read-in-2015

You'd think that reading a book about rust would be as exciting as reading a book about paint drying or grass growing, but Rust: The Longest War is actually quite fascinating.

Jonathan Waldman presents things we take for granted, like cans, and delves into every aspect of its development, production, maintenance, and history. He shares this information with us by often following the work of one individual; for example, a photographer to takes stunning photos of an abandoned, rusting, structure o ...more

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Jan 07, 2015 Jenny Boyce rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, non-fiction

A fascinating glimpse into the world of rust and the impacts it has on society. This book is a truly comprehensive history of rust, covering everything from the impact on aluminum cans to the impact on the military. Prior to reading this book I hadn't really thought much about rust, other than the basics when it impacted my life, after reading I will certainly pay more attention to rust and the ways that it impacts life.

As well as being an engaging read, this book immersed me in a lot of new inf ...more

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Sep 29, 2016 Martin rated it really liked it

Quite a sterling debut. Each chapter covers this ignored but fascinating topic from completely different viewpoints, with various degrees of interestingness, but no shortage of impeccable coverage, great detail on the human personalities, a healthy injection of good humor, and non-stop fascination with mustaches. He then wraps up all the loose ends quite nicely, and gives good, pragmatic solutions for the future. Excellent, important read. Nicely done.

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Dec 10, 2014 Cindy rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 13, 2015 Nooilforpacifists rated it liked it

Shelves: math-science

Rust never sleeps, but parts of this book were soporific; all of it was disjointed. Still, some good points made: mostly that an ounce of prevention, etc., and that were we not so enthralled with building new bright, shiny objects, we could maintain existing ones far cheaper.

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Mar 19, 2015 Debra Hennessey rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

I've got to find more books by this guy. He made rust interesting.

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Apr 06, 2016 Cherie rated it really liked it

Compulsive, funny and fascinating. I just called up a friend to talk about why more bridges aren't galvanized in this country. Clearly I've got Rust under my skin.

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Mar 25, 2015 Joe Rousmaniere rated it it was amazing

A clever and informative book. Read of the year so far for me. The section on can coatings (every can has a sprayed on interior coating. Who knew?) is worth the price of admission alone.

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Jun 16, 2018 Ben rated it really liked it

Shelves: 21st-century, materials-science-engineering, nonfiction, pop-science

"Rust" is a fun read that covers various stories related to rust and other forms of corrosion. Oddly, I do like the idea of referring to all of corrosion as rust. It’s such a simple syllable and why should the corrosion of iron get its own word? The book starts off with a couple of historical tales related to rust and then shifts to more contemporary ones, though the author continues to blend in some historical details. As the significance of rust increases proportionally with the advancement of ...more

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Mar 26, 2017 Roberta rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, recommend, science, debut

I never, ever would have imagined that I would be "riveted" by a book about rust. However, Jonathan Waldman took a fascinating perspective on a seemingly boring subject, and completely drew me into his adventures and discoveries.
About rust!
I enjoyed this book so much, I think, because I love finding out how the world works. (I use "why" & "how" like a 5-year-old.)
Waldman has a knack for relating hard science and facts to historical figures, events, and even the monuments we hold dear to our ...more

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Dec 30, 2017 Alan Earhart rated it it was amazing

Shelves: chemistry, science

This is a wonderful book! You don't need a science background to enjoy this look at rust. The author takes a number of different viewpoints on it and all were fascinating!

The first chapter covers the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and I were creating a course pack for a general chemistry class that including electrochemistry, I would want to include this chapter. Electrochemistry is one of my weakest areas as a general chemistry instructor and the author presented it in an easy-to-read and ...more

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Aug 02, 2018 Jamie rated it really liked it

It took me so long to finish this book (1 year) that I often joked to myself that I was progressing through it like Rust -- slowly, but surely. That's not to say that the book wasn't phenomenal, however. Waldman did really well in linking together various stories in completely different realms around one single topic. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading more scientific nonfiction, but struggles with the more technical aspects of what's happening. I'm not goi ...more

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