A perfectly informative science book, though not a standout in terms of style or interesting content. It proposes an idea that’s, when you think about it, maybe too obvious to spell out: that certain molecules (e.g. salt, hemoglobin, polymers) have played major roles in history. Given that everything is made of molecules, that’s sort of a given.

But the book then undercuts its point by clarifying, at every turn, that history is complicated and more than any one factor or molecule has decided Napoleon’s defeat in Russia or the American independence. This is true, but it wouldn’t be UNtrue to charm the reader into a molecular perspective on those stories with a little more confidence.