Wonderland

January 30, 2017
An impressive look at how much of our modern world’s accomplishments have grown out of mankind’s need for play and relaxation. The desire for entertainment has, according to Johnson, led us to many of our cultural, industrial and technological advancements and revolutions. Johnson traces the rise of coffee from being viewed as a vile-tasting brew to, when properly promoted, popularizing coffee houses, which became stimulating and sober gathering places that sparked the sharing of ideas, eventually giving rise to revolutionary thoughts that would change society and the world. He follows the trail from basic musical instruments made out of bone to computer punch cards to modern laptops and cellphones. Newbern syncs easily with the author’s prose. His reading is straightforward and engaging. He keeps the book flowing with an earnest and sincere delivery that holds the listener’s attention. Even though he presents a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time, he never rushes and keeps his tone light. The end result is a relaxing listen that is as informative as it is enjoyable. A Riverhead hardcover.

Starred review from October 10, 2016
In this charming study, Johnson (How We Got to Now) examines how the seemingly frivolous and unproductive aspects of society—the things people do for fun, pleasure, and entertainment—have influenced, defined, and created the world. “This is a history of play,” he writes, “a history of the pastimes that human beings have concocted to amuse themselves as an escape from the daily grind of subsistence.” According to Johnson, the development of music led to the computer age, the invention of public eating and drinking establishments progressed to cultural and ideological revolution, and games of chance inspired the creation of whole new mathematical fields. In food, fashion, athletics, and commerce, Johnson explores the surprising ways in which one discovery follows from another, often over the course of centuries. “Ignore the pleasure those institutions generated,” he suggests, “and focus on the innovations or historical sea changes they helped bring about: public museums, the age of exploration, the rubber industry, stock markets, programmable computers, the industrial revolution, robots, the public sphere, global trade.” In an entertaining and accessible style, he takes tangents that arrive at sometimes startling conclusions, like a magician practicing misdirection. Less focused on the why than the how, Johnson connects the dots in a way that sheds new light on everyday concepts.