The Technologists, Matthew Pearl

The Technologists
Author: Matthew Pearl
American Historical Fiction - 1868
Random House, 2012
ISBN: 9781400066575
This was an interesting read.

I first picked this one up over a year ago when it first came out, but never got around to reading it (yay grad school!) until now.

I'm actually a bit pleased with how that worked out, because if the book hadn't echoed some of the circumstances of my own life, I don't know that I would feel as charitable towards it as I do.

I've not read any of Matthew Pearl's other work, and I picked this one up mainly because it was advertised to me as being a little bit "alternate history science fiction."  First off, gotta say that was very much overemphasized.  I didn't see much of anything that would make me put this into anything other than historical fiction.

That said, I did find it interesting.

Gist: The first graduating class of MIT (1868) in the months leading up to their graduation have to overcome challenges caused by their different backgrounds and personality types, the financial difficulties facing their Institution, a growing rivalry with Harvard, and a madman's attempts to destroy Boston with scientific discoveries put to nefarious purpose.

The good:
The story deals with the feelings and worries of the students as they prepare to graduate, work their butts off in their last school assignments, and worry about their futures.  Really hit home for me as I graduate in 2 weeks myself.  I very much identified with Marcus and his fears especially. 

I've not read anything before about the beginnings of MIT, and I staunchly support science and "tech" schools.  I found the origin story to be really fascinating, especially that both the "gentlemen" of Harvard and Boston and the "laborers" of the factories disliked the technologists and feared that they would upend society.  (Smart people - they were right!)

Many of the characters in the book were actually real, and essentially all of the graduating seniors were actual people.  That always makes for an interesting thought.  I was especially thrilled to learn that Ellen Swallow was a real person, and a real student at the time.  Very brave of her.


The bad:
After finishing the book, I read that a hallmark of Pearl's is to include lots of red-herrings.  I don't particularly like that technique, and found that instead of being tantalizing leads, they were a bit heavy-handed, and therefore suspicious. 

I was expecting there to be more "steampunk" or "alternate" science.  To be fair, that was more because of the specific recommendation I got, and less to do with the book itself, although I do think it would have been much better if he had been more descriptive of the science-y parts - either wholeheartedly embraced the psuedoscience involved and just blithely made descriptive shit up, or talk to a real chemist and work out a way to achieve the results in real life and then describe the process/remnants that way.  I thought the half-hearted descriptions did the plot a major disservice.

I didn't like the casual inclusion of viewpoint characters just for them to be killed off.

I didn't like how little time was spent dealing with the motivations of the bad guy.  While trying to avoid spoilers, let me just say that it should be entirely possible for those motivations to have merited more than two short flashback segments out of the entirety of the book.  In addition, the racial issue was a little bit distasteful.  I know it shouldn't matter, but it does to me.

Overall it wasn't amazing.  I am glad I read it, I enjoyed most of it.  I would recommend it to MIT students, historical (or Americana) readers, or people who like a good twisty thrillerish mystery. 

Summer Reading Theme: Mummies!

I'm running my branch's summer reading program this year, and our overall theme is "Dig into Reading."  There are 4 sub-themes involved (essentially one per week) : Mummies, Carrots, Dinosaurs, and Gardens

I'm picking titles for the programs now, based on what I've read before and what I'm finding now, and I may as well review them!

Mummies.

Only got two titles so far for this theme.
First up is
Where's My Mummy?
Author: Carolyn Crimi
Illustrator: John Manders
ISBN: 9780763631963 (full-size hardcover)
ISBN: 9780763643379 (miniature hardcover)

One look at the inquiring little rotund mummy on the cover of this book should be all you need to know there's some great illustration inside.

Baby mummy isn't done playing Hide and Shriek, but Big Mummy is busy.  So when Mummy gets tired of hiding in the graveyard, he goes in search of Big Mummy.  Various "monsters" pop up in various stages of their own bedtime preparations (the slime monster is washing it's face, Drac is washing his ears) to gently chide Mummy and encourage him to go to bed, and when Mummy gets scared (of a mouse!) Big Mummy is of course right there.  Too cute for words, and perfect because it's not scary at all.

Next is
Working Mummies
Author: Joan Horton
Illustrator: Drazen Kozjan
ISBN: 9780374385248 (hardcover)

I'm not so sure about this one.  I don't know that I will use it.  The rhyming commentary is mostly ok "Hilda's mum's a teacher / Her smile becomes a frown / Whenever screaming goblins / Refuse to quiet down." but is often a little too punny "A doctor mummy / Checks the throats / of spooks with raspy moans. / Then doses them with coffin syrup / to soothe their frightful groans" or the language gets too advanced "A writer mummy works at home / she isn't a commuter. / She conjures spells for witches / on her personal computer."

Likewise, I like most of the illustrations - they're garish and vibrant and loose, but still have nice details to them.  However, some bits are on the too-creepy side (vats of Frankenstein's Monster's spare parts, a freaky ghost rising up out of a creek, a witch conjuring a giant multi-eyed monster (less creepy and more touchy because of witches vs the Bible Belt...))  I just don't know whether toddler parents would freak.  (Please note I'm not worried about the KIDS freaking out - I'm worried about their parents.  Kids are tough.  :)

So... a solid maybe.  We'll see how I feel closer to the summer.