Synopses & Reviews
A vivid, geeky travelogue of a journey to meet the inventors, engineers, and young scientists helping to give birth to the world's next scientific superpower—a nation built not on conquest, oil, or minerals, but on the scientific ingenuity of its people One in six employed scientists with science or engineering doctorates in the U.S. is Asian, and by the turn of the millennium, there were claims that a third of all engineers in Silicon Valley were of Indian origin, with Indians running 750 of its tech companies. In this entertaining exploration of India's rise as a center of scientific excellence, Angela Saini delves inside the psyche of the nation's science-hungry citizens, explaining how ancient science is giving way to new, and how the technology of the wealthy are passing on to the poor. She also explores why the government of the most religious country on earth has put its faith in science and technology. Through witty first-hand reportage and penetrative analysis, she explains what this means for the rest of the world, and how a spiritual nation squares its soul with hard rationality. Full of curious, colorful characters and gripping stories, it describes India through its people—a nation of "geeks."
Review
"Eye-opening . . . Engagingly written and remarkably objective, Geek Nation shatters many myths while not discouraging guarded optimism . . . First-rate [as] reportage." —Independent
Review
"Stories are presented as vivid vignettes gathered from all over the country, assembled into a somewhat episodic travelogue . . . Geek Nation's emphasis on personalities and places provides an engaging introduction for those who want deeper understanding than facts and figures alone can provide." —New Scientist blog
Review
"Sainis penetrating observations of this teeming country make fascinating reading for those interested in popular science, travel, or India." —Library Journal
Review
"Saini's engaging narrative takes readers through India's colorful streets and gives a face to the problems--and more importantly--the solutions its "geeks" are eagerly exploring." —Publishers Weekly
Review
"A spellbinding account of how India is becoming a global hotbed for scientific innovation." —Utne.com
Synopsis
India: it's a nation of geeks, swots and nerds. Almost one in five of all medical and dental staff in the UK is of Indian origin, and one in six employed scientists with science or engineering doctorates in the US is Asian. By the turn of the millennium, there were even claims that a third of all engineers in Silicon Valley were of Indian origin, with Indians running 750 of its tech companies.
At the dawn of this scientific revolution, Geek Nation is a journey to meet the inventors, engineers and young scientists helping to give birth to the world's next scientific superpower - a nation built not on conquest, oil or minerals, but on the scientific ingenuity of its people. Angela Saini explains how ancient science is giving way to new, and how the technology of the wealthy are passing on to the poor. Delving inside the psyche of India's science-hungry citizens, she explores the reason why the government of the most religious country on earth has put its faith in science and technology.
Through witty first-hand reportage and penetrative analysis, Geek Nation explains what this means for the rest of the world, and how a spiritual nation squares its soul with hard rationality. Full of curious, colourful characters and gripping stories, it describes India through its people - a nation of geeks.
About the Author
Angela Saini is a science journalist who has written for the BBC, the Economist, New Scientist, Science, and Wired, and has been an invited speaker at Columbia University, Google, and Newswomen's Club of New York. She was named European Young Science Writer of the Year in 2009.
Angela Saini on PowellsBooks.Blog
As a lifetime geek (you’re welcome to inspect my membership card — it comes in the shape of an engineering degree), I’ve long been a devoted worshipper at the altar of science. I’ve attended nerd nights on two continents. I’ve spoken at Google. I even wrote a book about geek culture in India...
Read More»