Books with author Steve Johnson

A National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure-garbage removal, clean water, sewers-necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to cure. As the cholera outbreak takes hold, a physician and a local curate are spurred to action-and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time. In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a riveting history and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Farsighted, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas.In this illustrated history, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes—from the French publisher who invented the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback, to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings in the history of the species—to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS, How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks building the modern world, written in the provocative, informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans around the globe.

Did you drink a glass of water today? Did you turn on a light? Did you think about how miraculous either one of those things is when you did it? Of course not--but you should, and New York Times bestselling author Steven Johnson has. This adaptation of his adult book and popular PBS series explores the fascinating and interconnected stories of innovations--like clean drinking water and electricity--that changed the way people live.Innovation starts with a problem whose solution sets in motion all kinds of unexpected discoveries. That's why you can draw a line from pendulums to punching the clock at a factory, from ice blocks to summer movie blockbusters, from clean water to computer chips.In the lively storytelling style that has made him a popular, bestselling author, Steven Johnson looks at how accidental genius, brilliant mistakes, and unintended consequences shape the way we live in the modern world. Johnson's "long zoom" approach connects history, geography, politics, and scientific advances with the deep curiousity of inventors or quirky interests of tinkerers to show how innovation truly comes about. His fascinating account is organized into six topics: glass, cold, sound, clean, time, light. Johnson's fresh exploration of these simple, single-syllable word concepts creates an endlessly absorbing story that moves from lightning strikes in the prehistoric desert to the herculean effort to literally raise up the city of Chicago to laser labs straight out of a sci-fi movie. In other words, it's the story of how we got to now!

After turning 50, Steve Johnson decided to embark on an incredible, life-changing adventure. Leaving family and friends behind, he chose to thru-hike the rugged 2189.1-mile Appalachian Trail. In this first of two volumes, Steve, "Sir Fob W. Pot," invites readers to lace up their hiking boots and join him on the journey of a lifetime, from Georgia to Maine, traveling five million steps across fourteen states. Filled with belly-aching laughs, heart-wrenching struggles, practical life lessons, and AT hiking strategies, Fob's hike is a compelling story about humanity and wilderness survival.

"I'll fight you till my final breath!"Momma Ruth has Alzheimer's but she's not giving up. She doesn't think there's anything wrong with her. "God knows, not all those know-it-all doctors," she says. She dreams of escaping from Oak Hill - and one day she does. Her sons are terrified, thinking she might get killed; but their mother isn't one bit afraid, charging boldly into the unknown on one last adventure.Ruth meets a compassionate bus driver, a helpful trucker, a protective airman, a large black woman heartbroken over a breakup with her babies' daddy, a thieving online whore, a kind-hearted Latino contractor and Ruthie Columbus, a lonely young lady in pigtails, round wire-rim glasses and an old-style flower-print dress who reminds her a lot of herself when she was younger.She sees Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore - or does she? She's got photos in her scrapbook to prove it, she says. Her destinations are debatable but one thing is for sure - Ruth's last adventure is her greatest adventure.With just one click, you can read all about it.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Farsighted, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas.In this illustrated history, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes—from the French publisher who invented the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback, to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings in the history of the species—to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS, How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks building the modern world, written in the provocative, informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans around the globe.

From the dynamic thinker routinely compared to Malcolm Gladwell, E. O. Wilson, and James Gleick, The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner with a real-life historical hero that brilliantly illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of viruses, rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry. These are topics that have long obsessed Steven Johnson, and The Ghost Map is a true triumph of the kind of multidisciplinary thinking for which he's become famous-a book that, like the work of Jared Diamond, presents both vivid history and a powerful and provocative explanation of what it means for the world we live in. The Ghost Map takes place in the summer of 1854. A devastating cholera outbreak seizes London just as it is emerging as a modern city: more than 2 million people packed into a ten-mile circumference, a hub of travel and commerce, teeming with people from all over the world, continually pushing the limits of infrastructure that's outdated as soon as it's updated. Dr. John Snow—whose ideas about contagion had been dismissed by the scientific community—is spurred to intense action when the people in his neighborhood begin dying. With enthralling suspense, Johnson chronicles Snow's day-by-day efforts, as he risks his own life to prove how the epidemic is being spread. When he creates the map that traces the pattern of outbreak back to its source, Dr. Snow didn't just solve the most pressing medical riddle of his time. He ultimately established a precedent for the way modern city-dwellers, city planners, physicians, and public officials think about the spread of disease and the development of the modern urban environment. The Ghost Map is an endlessly compelling and utterly gripping account of that London summer of 1854, from the microbial level to the macrourban-theory level—including, most important, the human level. Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Farsighted, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas.In this illustrated history, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes—from the French publisher who invented the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback, to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings in the history of the species—to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS, How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks building the modern world, written in the provocative, informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans around the globe.

SOMETHING'S DIFFERENT ABOUT JONAHOther Civil War re-enactors thought all along there was something different about Jonah the way he corrected the placement of a line of Confederate riflemen, the way he took apart and reassembled an old cannon with ease, the way he walked over the battlefield like he'd been there before.Their suspicions were confirmed when he started firing live ammo into the Yankee lines. Find out if there are any additional casualties at the Battle of Brice's Crossroads more than 150 years after the last shots were fired.WHERE DID HE COME FROM?In the deepest mud at the bottom of the Tennessee River a great fish stirs. Awakened by a heat wave, worst since the Civil War, it moves toward the surface, starved for water richer in oxygen.Grayish-green from nose to tail, the mysterious fish crawls up on the bank and yawns and from its massive jaws comes the last Confederate, a man of honor in a dishonorable world. Naked and afraid, Jonah isn't too happy with what he finds but he doesn't mind setting a few things straight - if he can.General Wheeler has taught him well and he wouldn't want to disappoint the general or his daughter - the woman he loves, his darling Evangeline. A man with a mission, Jonah's back in uniform - one borrowed on a clandestine visit to the Wheeler museum along with a sword and pistol - and he's ready to ride.VIEWS OF AN HONORABLE MAN TRAPPED IN A DISHONORABLE WORLDJonah on smart phones: "I can't imagine what's in those little glass bricks that's so interesting people want to peer into them all day."Jonah on NFL players protesting: "Why are those slaves kneeling like that? Are they waiting to be punished? They're wearing gold chains so they must have rich masters."Jonah on Black Lives Matter: "Don't all lives matter? I thought we learned that at Shiloh." Jonah learns more about the Black Lives Matter movement when he helps and befriends Bud Knight, a black man beaten and wounded at a rally around the Emma Sansom statue in Gadsden, Alabama.Jonah on generals Wheeler and Forrest: "Their men would follow them inside the gates of hell to do battle with the devil himself but those two never did get along - too much jealousy."Jonah on the Rebel yell: "It can't be bought, sold or imitated. When it comes time to ride out from the trees onto the battlefield and you don't know whether you're going to live or die, it comes from somewhere deep within the heart of any man born south of the Mason-Dixon line."Jonah on Civil War letters: "We wrote them to our ladies right before battle to let them know we love them and we shed tears only moments before we shed blood."Jonah on honor: "A man of honor is an army of one."READY TO MOUNT UP?Jonah invites you to ride with him:"I'm ready to ride. How about you? Come along, if you'd like. But time's a-wasting. I ain't got all day."Read all about him with just one click.

After turning 50, Steve Johnson decided to embark on an incredible, life-changing adventure. Leaving family and friends behind, he chose to thru-hike the rugged 2189.1-mile Appalachian Trail. In this first of two volumes, Steve, "Sir Fob W. Pot," invites readers to lace up their hiking boots and join him on the journey of a lifetime, from Georgia to Maine, traveling five million steps across fourteen states. Filled with belly-aching laughs, heart-wrenching struggles, practical life lessons, and AT hiking strategies, Fob's hike is a compelling story about humanity and wilderness survival.

The outdoors inspires. Being Out There lends itself to creation, exploration, discovery, and sometime just the plain ol' accidental fun of getting lost in the woods and finding a whole new world. Never is this more evident and influential than to the curious and tireless mind of a kid. This book series celebrates those carefree moments in a fun and engaging presentation, with brother and sister main characters embarking on an adventure into a host of outdoor locales of different personalities, like a northern bog forest, high alpine mountains, coastal rainforest, or desert. Along the way they meet resident critters or perhaps a wise and storied local resident, and the kids learn about different habitats, life highlights of wildlife, the ins and outs of area flora, and much more. The story actively engages young readers with a tale of exploration and unique ways to learn and experience the place they're in, and the kids' own place within it all. A 'What We Learned' page closes the story, with some key moments and terms, and their definitions, readers might not have known before, along with some that stretch their knowledge base just enough to motivate them to discover the answers. This book invites and encourages kids to get out there and see the world around them, and provides an entertaining and effective approach to learning about what's right out the door.