1. Napoleons Buttons: How 17
Molecules Changed History by Jay
Burreson
Book Critique
Napoleons Buttons is the fascinating account of seventeen groups of
molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These
molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible
the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand
feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they
determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the
position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a
substance-which, in turn, can result in great historical shifts.
With lively prose and an eye for colorful and unusual details, Le Couteur
and Burreson offer a novel way to understand the shaping of civilization
and the workings of our contemporary world.
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The topic of Napoleon's Buttons was the concept of how chemistry
affected major historical events like malaria, the black plague, the Russian
Invasion by Napoleon, or even the drug industry. The intended audience of
this book is the chemist or historian in all of us. The author does a superb
job of not using too much advanced language, and therefore could be
intended for all audiences.
As stated above, the author uses these different points to give people a
chance to learn a side about history that is not taught in most books or in
the classroom. This book teaches the reader how the smallest things in
life--molecules--can make the biggest difference in history. The author
shows this very well by using different points in history to describe this

2. point, as well as using easy language and pictures that everyone can
understand.
This book was very well written. The author managed to get across his
point in very few words. The book was about 360 pages, and a portion of
that were pictures. The pictures actually helped the clarity of the book by
giving people multiple ways of absorbing the information. The author does
not consider many other points of view. That said, the topic this book
covers does not require other points, so overall it was fine.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the introduction. While it was just
the basis of how the book would be written, it did give a very interesting
story about the tin buttons on Napoleon's soldiers' jackets during the
Russian Invasion. The reason this is my favorite section was because this
was very relevant due to the fact that we just finished a unit on this
invasion in history. The author was very concise and used images well
where it was needed. While there was generally no complex language,
there were points when I was lost. A notes section was my only issue with
the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning. There is
much that anyone can learn from this book, and the language is not a
hindrance. This was a very good read which held a lot of knowledge. It is
due to that that I feel it is good for this assignment.
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