{"title":"Ainissa Ramirez","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAinissa Ramirez\u003c\/strong\u003e brings science to life with a captivating blend of storytelling and clear explanation. Her books explore the wonders of chemistry, physics, and mathematics, revealing the fascinating stories behind everyday phenomena and groundbreaking discoveries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIdeal for young readers and curious minds, her works uncover the human side of science, celebrating inventors and ideas that have shaped our world. Expect engaging narratives that inspire wonder and deepen understanding of the natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-alchemy-of-us-by-ainissa-ramirez-9780262542265","title":"The Alchemy of Us","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the bestselling tradition of \u003cem\u003eStuff Matters\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Disappearing Spoon\u003c\/em\u003e, this is a clever and engaging look at materials, the innovations they made possible, and how these technologies changed us. \u003cem\u003eThe Alchemy of Us\u003c\/em\u003e was a finalist for the 41st Los Angeles Times Book Award in Science and Technology and was selected as one of the Best Summer Science Books of 2020 by Science Friday.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA \"timely, informative, and fascinating\" study of 8 inventions — and how they shaped our world — with \"totally compelling\" insights on little-known inventors throughout history (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of \u003cem\u003eThe Sixth Extinction\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Alchemy of Us\u003c\/em\u003e, scientist and science writer Ainissa Ramirez examines eight inventions and reveals how they shaped the human experience:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eClocks\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eSteel rails\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eCopper communication cables\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003ePhotographic film\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eLight bulbs\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eHard disks\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eScientific labware\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eSilicon chips\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRamirez tells the stories of the woman who sold time, the inventor who inspired Edison, and the hot-headed undertaker whose invention pointed the way to the computer. She describes how our pursuit of precision in timepieces changed how we sleep; how the railroad helped commercialise Christmas; how the necessary brevity of the telegram influenced Hemingway's writing style; and how a young chemist exposed the use of Polaroid's cameras to create passbooks to track black citizens in apartheid South Africa. These fascinating and inspiring stories offer new perspectives on our relationships with technologies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRamirez shows not only how materials were shaped by inventors but also how those materials shaped culture, chronicling each invention and its consequences — intended and unintended. Filling in the gaps left by other books about technology, Ramirez showcases little-known inventors — particularly people of colour and women — who had a significant impact but whose accomplishments have been hidden by mythmaking, bias, and convention. Doing so, she shows us the power of telling inclusive stories about technology. She also illustrates that innovation is universal — whether it's splicing beats with two turntables and a microphone or splicing genes with two test tubes and CRISPR.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46342720782572,"sku":"9780262542265","price":41.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/12535663482281.jpg?v=1743937398"},{"product_id":"north-south-east-and-gladys-west-how-a-mathematician-helped-shape-gps-by-ainissa-ramirez-9781536225310","title":"North, South, East, and Gladys West: How a Mathematician Helped Shape GPS","description":"\u003cb\u003eGladys’s mind swirls with numbers and shapes as the world enters the high-tech space age. This is the lyrical true story of a groundbreaking Black mathematician whose inventions led to the creation of GPS.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLittle Gladys is a farm girl who loves math. But as a Black kid growing up in Virginia in the mid-twentieth century, she sees life around her as less than or greater than but never equal. When a teacher calls her “college material,” Gladys knows she can achieve her dreams—and goes on to get a higher education and land a job calculating trajectories and orbits at a naval base with only four Black employees. To help space rockets land safely, Gladys uses satellites to create a better model of Earth, which looks more like a lumpy potato from Gladys’s childhood than a perfect sphere! Gladys’s amazing work eventually leads to the creation of GPS, which now lets people everywhere navigate our uneven planet. Effervescent illustrations enhance the true story of this remarkable woman who paved the way for future thinkers and innovators. Back matter includes a biography, timeline, author’s note, references, and even a section on lumpy potato science!","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47974278070508,"sku":"9781536225310","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/82da1fa06703e58d0d0d7b3a7c5b25a9.jpg?v=1788127648"},{"product_id":"how-atoms-make-friends-by-ainissa-ramirez-9781536229561","title":"How Atoms Make Friends","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWho knew that tiny atoms had such big personalities?\u003c\/em\u003e Science meets social skills in this fresh, accessible look at the bits of matter that make up our world—and ourselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith playful prose and dynamic depictions that portray atoms as friendly characters, a renowned scientist and an award-winning illustrator team up to explore a fun and compelling metaphor as they present the chemistry behind the way atoms interact. Atoms make up everything we know. But did you know that these minuscule particles bond to one another, and that \u003ci\u003ehow\u003c\/i\u003e they do so determines what kind of material they make?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor instance, some atoms make friends by sharing their electrons, the fuzzy, buzzy bits circling their centre. When carbon atoms share this way, they make one of the strongest materials we know—a diamond. Other atoms make friends by giving an electron away (like sodium) to an atom that will take it (like chlorine).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are other atoms (such as copper) that join an atomic community where each atom donates electrons and pools them together. And some atoms prefer to be alone, because they have all the electrons they need (looking at you, helium).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith backmatter going into more detail about the structure of an atom, the role that the outermost electrons on the atoms play, and different types of chemical bonds, this entertaining, educational book is one that kids, parents, and educators will happily befriend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67598919008492,"sku":"9781536229561","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781536229561-how-atoms-make-friends-1.jpg?v=1790728112"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/ainissa-ramirez.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}