Top reviews from the United States
5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, original and inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2019
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In this gem of a book, Tim Urban takes a deep dive into Elon Musk’s quest to engineer a sustainable future for humanity with electric cars and a human colony on Mars. With incisive rigour and clarity, he not only details Musk’s audacious business ventures that are disrupting century-old industries, he also explains the science and urgency behind these projects in a style that’s accessible, captivating and often amusing.
Tim Urban is a truly unique and brilliant writer who has a wonderful ability to convey the majesty and excitement of the world around us in words and pictures. He deserves a title for this much grander than 'blog', as it rates with the best non-fiction writing I've ever encountered.
5 out of 5 stars
Must read if you care about the future of humanity and want to feel more optimistic about this future!
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2016
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This blog series reads like a short book, so I was excited to read it for a second time on my Kindle. I enjoyed it even more this time around. Yes, after completion you are sufficiently informed about the superhuman known as Elon Musk, but there is much more to this book. Tim breaks down the history of the automotive and space industries in a very efficient way. He feeds you this knowledge in order to help you digest the true magnitude of Elon's endeavors. Also, Tim made it very clear as to why these two massive industries seem so frustratingly stagnant. It ultimately boils down to human desires such as greed and comfort. My world view and thoughts about humanity as a whole were altered after reading this.
I also have to mention my new found love for Elon Musk, yes love. This man is a special human that truly wants the best future for his species. Tim dives into Elon's mind in such a way that...you feel as though you really KNOW him. You understand and appreciate the fact that his pursuits are altruistic. You pull for him and want him to succed with all your heart. I'm in my 20's and I know that this man's actions have the potential to positively impact the lives of my future children. So thanks Tim for helping me get to know Elon. This is a great read if want to feel more optimistic about the future of humanity.
One more thing! Tim Urban's writing style is...unique in a very good way. He writes in a casual, conversational way and occasionally swears. I find it to be very precise, effective and funny. This is why I recommend his blog that is filled with fascinating material. Hey, Elon Musk noticed this guy's work and got in contact with him! Elon acknowledged and recognized the skill's that Tim possesses. That should be enough to check this guy out. Oh and my boy Tim just recently did a TED talk, doin work!!
6 people found this helpful
5 out of 5 stars
Amazing read for fans of Elon and simple explanations of complex things
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2016
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Tim's discussion of the neat technologies is a great hook for what later becomes a deep dive into the histories (and reasons) for the industries that grew up around those technologies. He discusses a lot of the "why" regarding the decisions that Elon has made, Tim himself has made, and surprisingly the decisions that people in general make.
Would recommend the read if both you fancy a glimpse into a possible future (with electric cars and trips to Mars) and this following passage resonates with you:
"[...] our obsession with fears of all shapes and sizes may have served us well in Ethiopia 50,000 years ago—but it mostly ruins our lives today. Because not only does it amp up our fear in general to “s*** we botched the hunt now the babies are all going to starve to death this winter” levels even though we live in an “oh no I got laid off now I have to sleep at my parents’ house for two months with a feather pillow in ideal 68º temperature” world—but it also programs us to be terrified of all the wrong things. We’re more afraid of public speaking than texting on the highway, more afraid of approaching an attractive stranger in a bar than marrying the wrong person, more afraid of not being able to afford the same lifestyle as our friends than spending 50 years in a meaningless career—all because embarrassment, rejection, and not fitting in really sucked for hunters and gatherers."
5 people found this helpful
5 out of 5 stars
Informative and Inspiring!
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2016
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Even if you don’t have an interest in anything to do with Elon Musk or space travel – you should read this book. Tim’s ability to take complex topics and break them down into relatable ideas is unparalleled. Not only does he explain the subject matter in a logical progression that everyone can follow, but after he successfully teaches you about the matter at hand, he goes even further by bringing the topic back into the “big idea” spectrum to show the heart behind these revolutionary ideas.
Furthermore, reading this series has changed my life in ways I never imagined. Long story short, it helped me to answer questions that have been bouncing around in my head for the last couple of years. In the fall, largely due to the message of this writing, I'll be starting back to school as a freshman engineering student - at 31 years old. I can't begin to explain what this series means to me.
WaitButWhy is the best blog on the internet and I’m happy to throw money at these guys for their outstanding work.
69 people found this helpful
4 out of 5 stars
Great read but terrible with Paperwhite
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2016
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Tim's written an incredible series that lives up to the standard that we'd expect from him. It's thought provoking, deeply interesting, and as witty as all his work. Unfortunately this is really not formatted well for Kindle Paperwhite. There are too many links to videos and animations that make this pretty disappointing to read on anything less than Kindle Fire, or similar tablet. The footnotes also don't link to external content like they do when viewing on a different tablet or from a computer, and multiple footnotes will jumble together.
So in all, it's an excellent read but is really poorly formatted for most Kindles
19 people found this helpful
5 out of 5 stars
Life Changing Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018
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Life changing words in this book. Tim Urban is an excellent writer, and while all of this is available for free on his website, this book has been a convenient way to read through the material offline on my daily commute to work. The content describing Elon Musk's goals is fascinating and inspiring, and broken down in a way anyone could understand and enjoy. Toward the end of the book he gets into describing his philosophy of personal development and problem solving which is refreshing and motivating. I would recommend anyone to pick up this book and read it.
5 out of 5 stars
Best read of the year
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2022
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Really like the way Tim explain things and also those drawings are so much fun! Can't imagine how much time he spend researching those topics in order to come to this book. It's like reading a science fiction, except everything is real...
One person found this helpful
5 out of 5 stars
One of the best pieces of writing I've ever read
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2017
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In the first two posts of this blog series, Tim Urban beautifully lays out the background for each industry that Elon Musk operates in, including how it began and how we got here and hence why Elon does what he does. Then Tim delves a little more into Elon, the man himself, before finishing off with how and why Elon Musk is who he is and how we all can be like that.
If you've ever read Tim Urban's Wait But Why? blog you will once again be treated to a thoroughly well researched piece of writing with humorous illustrations and utter clarity and sensibility in thought. Apart from gaining knowledge about the Automobile and Aerospace industries, reading this has made me sit up and rethink parts of how I live my life and I hope to make changes in it to be more like Elon and perhaps like Tim as well.
Highly highly recommended!
One person found this helpful