I am delighted to share my review today for Blue Machine by Helen Czerski, this book is a non-fiction one and looks at how the oceans shape our world. I initially got this book from NetGalley, but then decided to buy a hardback copy and I am so glad I did because it is an excellent book to read.

All of Earth’s ocean, from the equator to the poles, is a single engine powered by sunlight – a blue machine.

Human history has been dictated by the ocean; the location of cities, access to resources, and the gateway to new lands have all revolved around water. We live inside the weather the ocean generates and breathe in what it breathes out. Yet despite our dependence, our awareness of its totality is minimal.

In a book that will re-calibrate our view of this defining feature of our planet, physicist Helen Czerski dives deep to illuminate the murky depths of the ocean engine, examining the messengers, passengers and voyagers that live in it, travel over it, and survive because of it. From the Ancient Polynesians who navigated the Pacific by reading the waves, to permanent residents of the deep like the Greenland shark that can live for hundreds of years, she explains by way of vast currents, invisible ocean walls and underwater waterfalls how all have their place in the oceans’ complex interlinked system.

MY REVIEW

This is a fascinating book about the ocean and how it shapes our world, how it impacts our lives and how it helps us today. The author does include science in this book, but it is explained in a way that is completely understandable to a non-science-brained person.

The author includes huge amounts of information from the way the ocean moves, to the different depths and strata, she mentions how people have learnt to navigate and how humans have impacted it. We live in a world where climate change is often mentioned. I always think about climate change affecting the air quality, temperatures, rainfall and storms. The ocean is also affected by climate change and this is becoming more and more obvious as great swathes of ice are melting, we are experiencing more run-offs into the rivers and oceans and we are interfering with the delicate balance. The author brings all these elements and so much more to her book and it was a fabulous book to read and one that thoroughly enjoyed.

I live in Cornwall, UK. It is an area of land that sticks out at the S.W. point of the mainland, surrounded on 3 sides by the sea. Our weather is, in part, affected by what happens out at sea and we do experience seasonal high tides, and weather coming in of the sea and we do benefit from the Gulf Stream.

Reading this book has made me realise just how much the oceans do to keep our planet at the right temperature for life to exist and function. The author also uses historical facts to reinforce events and to back up what she has discovered through her own research, she is, after all a physicist and is seen on BBC in a science section. So yes, she does know her stuff, what I liked about this book was that she used her own knowledge and that of others from around the world, it gives a deeper understanding as you do get different perspectives. It brings other cultures and their history to the table and gives the reader the chance to see the differences between then and now.

The book is broken down into 3 parts, with 7 sub-sections. The first part is about “What is the Blue Machine”, the author tells the reader why she refers to the ocean as a machine, and to be honest when you think about it, it does make sense. This section deals with the nature of the sea, the shape of water and the anatomy of the ocean. Part 2 is “Travelling the Blue Machine” This looks at life in the oceans and on the oceans and has 3 sections covering, messengers, passengers and voyagers. This was my favourite section as it got into the details of life in the oceans. The final part, Part 3 is ” The Blue Machine and Us” This is the 1 section and it is about what we can do or should be doing.

Obviously, this book highlights the impact that humans have had on the oceans and how they are deteriorating. It is an eye-opening book and one that does give pause for thought. So it is no surprise that there is a final section in this book that also deals with what we can do.

This is a fascinating book and one that I read in chunks over several days. I thought this book was so well laid out and explained and I definitely closed the book at the end knowing I knew more now than I did before. The explanations made sense and this is what I really liked about it.

If you have an interest in the natural world, the climate and oceans then this is a book I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helen Czerski is a physicist at University College London’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and a science presenter for BBC. She writes a monthly column for BBC Focus magazine called “Everyday Science” that was shortlisted for a Professional Publishers Association Award.

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