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Only the Longest Threads
Only the Longest Threads presents dramatic and lucid accounts of the great breakthroughs in the history of physics—classical mechanics, electromagnetism, relativity, quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and string theory—each from the viewpoint of a (fictional) witness to the events.
Tasneem Zehra Husain re-imagines the pivotal moments in the history of physics when radical new theories shifted our perception of the universe, and our place in it. Husain immerses the reader in the immediacy and excitement of the discoveries—and she guides us as we begin to understand the underlying science and to grasp the revolutionary step forward each of these milestones represents.
Tasneem Zehra Husain is a writer, educator, and Pakistan’s first female string theorist. She holds a PhD from Stockholm University and did post-doctoral research at Harvard University.
Husain is fascinated by scientific theories, how we engage with them, and how they change us. She explores these themes in her fiction and nonfiction writing, her popular talks, and the educational workshops she conducts for science teachers. Husain is actively involved in science outreach, and frequently delivers talks about theoretical physics to students and lay audiences. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Advance praise for Only the Longest Threads:
“Science is done by real human beings, with human concerns. Only the Longest Threads tells a story that conveys the human side of science in a way that is as moving as it is accurate.”—Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist at Caltech and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe
“Tasneem Zehra Husain writes lyrically, poetically about life, love, and physics. I highly recommend this wonderful book for anyone interested in what physics, and indeed all of science, is about. She masterfully describes the most momentous moments in physics history with verve and talent.”—Amir D. Aczel, bestselling author of Fermat’s Last Theorem
“A delightful meditation on the development of modern physics, culminating in the discovery of the Higgs. Husain follows the thread of its creation through a dialog between a journalist and young theory student, and as seen through the eyes of witnesses.”—John Huth, Donner Professor of Science, Harvard University
“How do theoretical physicists think? Tasneem Zehra Husain knows. She knows their purpose, feels their passions, articulates their frustrations, shares their triumphs. Through the device of fiction Only the Longest Threads communicates the history of physical thought—its roots in inquisitiveness and essential disinterest in outcome—with greater clarity than any popular science text.” —Michael Duff FRS, Abdus Salam Professor of Theoretical Physics, Imperial College London
“Well-written and cleverly constructed, this book takes us on a journey through the history of physics as a series of fictional adventures, loosely linked by another fiction, the storytellers’ emails to each other. Some books are praised because ‘I couldn’t put it down,’ but this one merits a deeper reading, one that stops, muses on, and savors each story before going on to the next. Each one captures not only the emergence of a significant idea in physics, but also something of the characters, culture, and times surrounding that development. So take your time, pause to ponder, but persevere, you will be well rewarded!”—Helen R. Quinn, Physicist, Science Educator, and Co-author of The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter, Professor Emeritus SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
“Tasneem Zehra Husain’s writing is both enlightening and entertaining as it captivates the challenge and excitement of working at the forefront of paradigm-shifting discoveries. Book-ended by the history-making discovery of the Higgs field, this tale offers a sparkling account of our understanding of fundamental physics. Through many voices rich with evocative metaphors, the threads woven through time and place that make up our current understanding of reality are revealed.”—Elizabeth F. McCormack, Professor of Physics, Bryn Mawr College
“Only the Longest Threads describes the process of scientific discovery by focusing on the human elements: the bold conjectures, the wrong turns in the road, the competitiveness among scientists, the strength of their community, all seen from the point of view of the writers of letters and journals who make up the narrative. The clear, flawless prose is laced with a gentle wit when human behavior is described in the terms of physics—a welcome, light-handed nerdiness. Everyone who has studied physics but is unable to see the forest for the trees—and that means most of us—will relish this lovely little volume as it brings into perspective, through its accessible yet substantive treatment of the grand unifications, a magnificent edifice created by the human mind.”—Asad Abidi, Distinguished Chancellor’s Professor, UCLA Engineering
“Tasneem Zehra Husain skillfully w...
Tasneem Zehra Husain re-imagines the pivotal moments in the history of physics when radical new theories shifted our perception of the universe, and our place in it. Husain immerses the reader in the immediacy and excitement of the discoveries—and she guides us as we begin to understand the underlying science and to grasp the revolutionary step forward each of these milestones represents.
Tasneem Zehra Husain is a writer, educator, and Pakistan’s first female string theorist. She holds a PhD from Stockholm University and did post-doctoral research at Harvard University.
Husain is fascinated by scientific theories, how we engage with them, and how they change us. She explores these themes in her fiction and nonfiction writing, her popular talks, and the educational workshops she conducts for science teachers. Husain is actively involved in science outreach, and frequently delivers talks about theoretical physics to students and lay audiences. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Advance praise for Only the Longest Threads:
“Science is done by real human beings, with human concerns. Only the Longest Threads tells a story that conveys the human side of science in a way that is as moving as it is accurate.”—Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist at Caltech and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe
“Tasneem Zehra Husain writes lyrically, poetically about life, love, and physics. I highly recommend this wonderful book for anyone interested in what physics, and indeed all of science, is about. She masterfully describes the most momentous moments in physics history with verve and talent.”—Amir D. Aczel, bestselling author of Fermat’s Last Theorem
“A delightful meditation on the development of modern physics, culminating in the discovery of the Higgs. Husain follows the thread of its creation through a dialog between a journalist and young theory student, and as seen through the eyes of witnesses.”—John Huth, Donner Professor of Science, Harvard University
“How do theoretical physicists think? Tasneem Zehra Husain knows. She knows their purpose, feels their passions, articulates their frustrations, shares their triumphs. Through the device of fiction Only the Longest Threads communicates the history of physical thought—its roots in inquisitiveness and essential disinterest in outcome—with greater clarity than any popular science text.” —Michael Duff FRS, Abdus Salam Professor of Theoretical Physics, Imperial College London
“Well-written and cleverly constructed, this book takes us on a journey through the history of physics as a series of fictional adventures, loosely linked by another fiction, the storytellers’ emails to each other. Some books are praised because ‘I couldn’t put it down,’ but this one merits a deeper reading, one that stops, muses on, and savors each story before going on to the next. Each one captures not only the emergence of a significant idea in physics, but also something of the characters, culture, and times surrounding that development. So take your time, pause to ponder, but persevere, you will be well rewarded!”—Helen R. Quinn, Physicist, Science Educator, and Co-author of The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter, Professor Emeritus SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
“Tasneem Zehra Husain’s writing is both enlightening and entertaining as it captivates the challenge and excitement of working at the forefront of paradigm-shifting discoveries. Book-ended by the history-making discovery of the Higgs field, this tale offers a sparkling account of our understanding of fundamental physics. Through many voices rich with evocative metaphors, the threads woven through time and place that make up our current understanding of reality are revealed.”—Elizabeth F. McCormack, Professor of Physics, Bryn Mawr College
“Only the Longest Threads describes the process of scientific discovery by focusing on the human elements: the bold conjectures, the wrong turns in the road, the competitiveness among scientists, the strength of their community, all seen from the point of view of the writers of letters and journals who make up the narrative. The clear, flawless prose is laced with a gentle wit when human behavior is described in the terms of physics—a welcome, light-handed nerdiness. Everyone who has studied physics but is unable to see the forest for the trees—and that means most of us—will relish this lovely little volume as it brings into perspective, through its accessible yet substantive treatment of the grand unifications, a magnificent edifice created by the human mind.”—Asad Abidi, Distinguished Chancellor’s Professor, UCLA Engineering
“Tasneem Zehra Husain skillfully w...
- GenresScienceNonfiction
222 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2014
26 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Tasneem Zehra Husain
2 books38 followersTasneem Zehra Husain is a writer, educator and Pakistan's first female string theorist. Tasneem is fascinated by scientific theories, how we engage with them, and how they change us. She explores these themes in her fiction and nonfiction writing, her popular talks, and the educational workshops she conducts for science teachers. Tasneem is actively involved in science outreach, and frequently delivers talks about theoretical physics to students and lay audiences.
Visit her on www.facebook.com/tasneemzehrahusain and www.tasneemzehrahusain.com
Visit her on www.facebook.com/tasneemzehrahusain and www.tasneemzehrahusain.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 14, 2014
Only the Longest Threads by Tasneem Zehra Husain
This book explains the half dozen great breakthroughs in physics by describing them in their contemporary social setting. It is written for the non-scientist, without a single equation; even complicated concepts are meaningfully explained in everyday language.
One great advantage of using fictionalized contemporary accounts is that the reader gets a fresh appreciation of the audacity of imagination required to achieve these upheavals in our understanding of nature, and of the reactions of enthusiasms and bafflement.
The book begins with the announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle long hypothesized to exist. It then switches back several centuries to Isaac Newton and his theory of universal gravitation, which unified the gravity we feel on earth with the force that controls the movements of the solar system and comets. We move forward a century and a half to Maxwell, who used Faraday’s experimental results to show that magnetism, electricity, and even light are very closely related. Thirty years later, Einstein deduced the special theory of relativity from discrepancies between Maxwell’s equations and Newtonian mechanics.
The early twentieth century saw multiple paradigm shifts in physics. In an astounding intellectual achievement, Einstein formulated the general theory of relativity whose unintuitive predictions were all found to be completely accurate. Meanwhile quantum mechanics, with its bizarre concepts, was being developed by Niels Bohr and others, followed closely by particle physics, and the realization that two of the fundamental forces controlling the atom are in fact different manifestations of the same force. The book closes with accounts of quantum field theory and string theory.
Tasneem Zehra Husain not only describes these esoteric developments in clear, simple language, but her detailed research of time and place – London’s Royal Society, Maxwell’s laboratory at Cambridge, Copenhagen, New York, Lahore, Harvard – gives a grounding to the scientific achievements that makes them easier to understand and relate to other human endeavors. An educational book in the best sense of carrying its learning lightly by making the events real in the imagination, it bridges the two cultures of science and literature. Highly enjoyable and very strongly recommended. Five stars.
This book explains the half dozen great breakthroughs in physics by describing them in their contemporary social setting. It is written for the non-scientist, without a single equation; even complicated concepts are meaningfully explained in everyday language.
One great advantage of using fictionalized contemporary accounts is that the reader gets a fresh appreciation of the audacity of imagination required to achieve these upheavals in our understanding of nature, and of the reactions of enthusiasms and bafflement.
The book begins with the announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle long hypothesized to exist. It then switches back several centuries to Isaac Newton and his theory of universal gravitation, which unified the gravity we feel on earth with the force that controls the movements of the solar system and comets. We move forward a century and a half to Maxwell, who used Faraday’s experimental results to show that magnetism, electricity, and even light are very closely related. Thirty years later, Einstein deduced the special theory of relativity from discrepancies between Maxwell’s equations and Newtonian mechanics.
The early twentieth century saw multiple paradigm shifts in physics. In an astounding intellectual achievement, Einstein formulated the general theory of relativity whose unintuitive predictions were all found to be completely accurate. Meanwhile quantum mechanics, with its bizarre concepts, was being developed by Niels Bohr and others, followed closely by particle physics, and the realization that two of the fundamental forces controlling the atom are in fact different manifestations of the same force. The book closes with accounts of quantum field theory and string theory.
Tasneem Zehra Husain not only describes these esoteric developments in clear, simple language, but her detailed research of time and place – London’s Royal Society, Maxwell’s laboratory at Cambridge, Copenhagen, New York, Lahore, Harvard – gives a grounding to the scientific achievements that makes them easier to understand and relate to other human endeavors. An educational book in the best sense of carrying its learning lightly by making the events real in the imagination, it bridges the two cultures of science and literature. Highly enjoyable and very strongly recommended. Five stars.
November 13, 2014
This book will leave you with a sense of awe, both for the science that is described, and the author’s brilliant use of language. I find myself wanting to quote every single sentence of this book. Here are just a few.
“What we call gravity, said Einstein, is merely a manifestation of this warped geometry. If this is indeed true, if the very shape of space-time itself changes, then it is not just massive objects whose paths are affected; light, too, will be forced to bend according to the dips and curves it encounters in its journey from one point to another.”
“I was struck again by the creative tension between the objectivity of facts and the subjectivity with which we internalize them; each of us cloaks the world with the mantles of our own experiences.”
Finally we have a book about physics that is gripping, sensitive, and inspirational. You will feel the science, the discoveries, and the genius. I have taught science for over twenty years, and I cannot wait to bring this book to the classroom. My students will no longer read about Einstein or Maxell or Newton from a dry textbook; they will feel the enormity of the thought and creativeness behind the most influential discoveries.
Only The Longest Threads is a dazzling combination of art, writing, science and emotion. It is a must read. We need people like Tasneem Zehara Husain to help us feel the beauty of discovery. I look forward to her next book.
“What we call gravity, said Einstein, is merely a manifestation of this warped geometry. If this is indeed true, if the very shape of space-time itself changes, then it is not just massive objects whose paths are affected; light, too, will be forced to bend according to the dips and curves it encounters in its journey from one point to another.”
“I was struck again by the creative tension between the objectivity of facts and the subjectivity with which we internalize them; each of us cloaks the world with the mantles of our own experiences.”
Finally we have a book about physics that is gripping, sensitive, and inspirational. You will feel the science, the discoveries, and the genius. I have taught science for over twenty years, and I cannot wait to bring this book to the classroom. My students will no longer read about Einstein or Maxell or Newton from a dry textbook; they will feel the enormity of the thought and creativeness behind the most influential discoveries.
Only The Longest Threads is a dazzling combination of art, writing, science and emotion. It is a must read. We need people like Tasneem Zehara Husain to help us feel the beauty of discovery. I look forward to her next book.
November 20, 2014
Only the longest threads was great. It was engagingly written and had me smiling once I was done. Some books leave one with a sense of exhilaration once you finish them; this was one of them.
Here were some of my takeaways: scientists are human, the best of us and the real heroes of humanity. I was left with even more admiration for them. While the book focused on snapshots of some of the most important moments in physics, its triumph was in piecing these into a coherent story. The book was thought provoking, mostly in the ways it switched up how I had heretofore perceived our understanding of the universe: even though we’ve grown so much, there is so much we don’t know, so much we still imperfectly understand and most of all, so much more to discover. The writing is fantastic throughout, making science accessible, fun and cool! Any book that delivers all of this is a winner in my book (bad pun intended).
If you love science you'll enjoy this one immensely. Go get it, read it and, if you have any, get your (older) kids to read it too!
Here were some of my takeaways: scientists are human, the best of us and the real heroes of humanity. I was left with even more admiration for them. While the book focused on snapshots of some of the most important moments in physics, its triumph was in piecing these into a coherent story. The book was thought provoking, mostly in the ways it switched up how I had heretofore perceived our understanding of the universe: even though we’ve grown so much, there is so much we don’t know, so much we still imperfectly understand and most of all, so much more to discover. The writing is fantastic throughout, making science accessible, fun and cool! Any book that delivers all of this is a winner in my book (bad pun intended).
If you love science you'll enjoy this one immensely. Go get it, read it and, if you have any, get your (older) kids to read it too!
January 27, 2024
Brilliant book for physics lovers who love to read stories. You actually go back in time and become a person who experiences the changing knowledge of the time and even the logical fallacies. Starting from classical physics, electromagnetism, then moving on to modern physics and then latest discoveries and latest theories (string theory and discovery of elementary particles). Discoveries followed by famous names starting with Newton and spans till Einstein. Loved every bit of the book.
January 17, 2015
Can you imagine a book about some major physics milestones that is written as fiction, with the physics portions being meticulously accurate and fascinating to read about? I couldn't! Yet I was enchanted the entire time I read this book. I never studied physics nor read about it until I encountered this book.
I was captivated by the beautiful writing and learned much about some milestones of physics history. There are characters in this work yet it is the physics research moments and the physicists involved that are the most interesting characters. That might be hard to understand; read it and see for yourself.
I'll remember this book forever for these reasons:
1. It breaks new ground in writing about physics in a way that non-scientists can grasp well.
2. The writing is lyrical and lovely and seduces the reader into the world of physics.
3. It's researched extremely well. You know often that the author sat on that bus or look at that letter in a museum, etc. I felt I was present during all of the time periods covered.
4. It's a book I can recommend to most people because it's highly readable and reads like an exciting mystery much of the time.
5. It's the first book I've ever read about physics and I loved it. I shock myself:-)
The author who is a theoretical physicist has a gift for writing in general, both fiction and non-fiction. I am eager for her next book.
She also has fresh ideas about how to present complex scientific ideas to the non-scientist and to young people. It would be a blessing to science education if she could help shape new ways of drawing students into the sciences. This book belongs in all schools and public libraries too.
I was captivated by the beautiful writing and learned much about some milestones of physics history. There are characters in this work yet it is the physics research moments and the physicists involved that are the most interesting characters. That might be hard to understand; read it and see for yourself.
I'll remember this book forever for these reasons:
1. It breaks new ground in writing about physics in a way that non-scientists can grasp well.
2. The writing is lyrical and lovely and seduces the reader into the world of physics.
3. It's researched extremely well. You know often that the author sat on that bus or look at that letter in a museum, etc. I felt I was present during all of the time periods covered.
4. It's a book I can recommend to most people because it's highly readable and reads like an exciting mystery much of the time.
5. It's the first book I've ever read about physics and I loved it. I shock myself:-)
The author who is a theoretical physicist has a gift for writing in general, both fiction and non-fiction. I am eager for her next book.
She also has fresh ideas about how to present complex scientific ideas to the non-scientist and to young people. It would be a blessing to science education if she could help shape new ways of drawing students into the sciences. This book belongs in all schools and public libraries too.
December 16, 2014
A poetically and engagingly written book that makes physics approachable and understandable for those who are interested in stories as well as physics. With beautiful language and compelling characters, the science comes alive for the readers of Only the Longest Threads.
February 6, 2015
The explanations of physics were mostly engaging and easy to follow (until the most recent discoveries), but the narrative devices were contrived and felt absurdly forced. I would have appreciated this more as an essay or light history than as fiction.
December 21, 2014
A brilliant book by a brilliant writer.
December 1, 2019
I really love this book and her unique approach to explaining physics. While everything discussed in this book is factual, Husain introduces two characters who take us on an epistolary journey through their own understanding of physics; the standard model, quantum mechanics, and string theory.
I’ve never read a book like this one before. Even though I knew “what would happen next” (knowing how the Higgs Boson discovery happened as I sat glued to the tv that July of 2012), I still felt intrigued and excited.
Her writing is beautiful and clear, and I love her use of analogies to explain something so mind boggling as neutrinos’ helicity.
Awesome book and would highly recommend to all those who were previously afraid of physics.
I’ve never read a book like this one before. Even though I knew “what would happen next” (knowing how the Higgs Boson discovery happened as I sat glued to the tv that July of 2012), I still felt intrigued and excited.
Her writing is beautiful and clear, and I love her use of analogies to explain something so mind boggling as neutrinos’ helicity.
Awesome book and would highly recommend to all those who were previously afraid of physics.
December 20, 2021
Came for the physics, the really subtle romance was just a bonus.
This is about as nerdy as you can possibly get, and I approve. Some of the description in the characters' letters was over-the-top in its enthusiasm for elementary particles and equations, but Tasneem Zehra Husain does an amazing job of explaining the concepts without ever actually diving in to the math. She also manages to show the diversity of culture and life experience of people who share a love of physics.
This is about as nerdy as you can possibly get, and I approve. Some of the description in the characters' letters was over-the-top in its enthusiasm for elementary particles and equations, but Tasneem Zehra Husain does an amazing job of explaining the concepts without ever actually diving in to the math. She also manages to show the diversity of culture and life experience of people who share a love of physics.
March 9, 2022
the physics is accessible and well explained but could just as well have done without the awkward attempts at a fictional frame narrative
May 25, 2016
Hands down the best book on this subject that I've encountered out of 20 or 30 similar introductory books. Page-turner, riveting, and accurate based on my limited independent knowledge.
I've been a bibliophile for more than 40 years, and a physicist (though only at the baccalaureate level) for 30 years. Before I read this book, some of my idols of the physics community have been Professors Albert Einstein, Rosalind Franklin, Richard Feynman, Marie Curie, Freeman Dyson, Harriet Brooks, Carl Sagan, Lise Meitner, Stephen Hawking, and Maria Goeppert Mayer. These were all people that after reading some of their works, I longed to meet them (or wished I could have met them) at some point in my lifetime. Now having read Professor Husain's book, I have a new physicist idol in her.
As a physics major in college, I took lecture and lab courses that taught classical mechanics and electromagnetism, the special theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics. So I had believed before reading this book that I understood pretty well many of the concepts she addressed in her book. However, Professor Husain's very thoughtful perspective on these subjects dramatically improved my understanding, and I had great difficulty putting the book down because she laced human stories so beautifully into the stories of the science. Regarding the other subjects she presents (general theory of relativity, particle physics, electroweak unification, quantum field theory, renormalization, and string theory) I had very little knowledge before reading this book. But after reading it, I felt like I had a good introductory knowledge of these subjects.
Thank you for writing such a wonderful book Prof. Husain! I look forward to your next one.
I've been a bibliophile for more than 40 years, and a physicist (though only at the baccalaureate level) for 30 years. Before I read this book, some of my idols of the physics community have been Professors Albert Einstein, Rosalind Franklin, Richard Feynman, Marie Curie, Freeman Dyson, Harriet Brooks, Carl Sagan, Lise Meitner, Stephen Hawking, and Maria Goeppert Mayer. These were all people that after reading some of their works, I longed to meet them (or wished I could have met them) at some point in my lifetime. Now having read Professor Husain's book, I have a new physicist idol in her.
As a physics major in college, I took lecture and lab courses that taught classical mechanics and electromagnetism, the special theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics. So I had believed before reading this book that I understood pretty well many of the concepts she addressed in her book. However, Professor Husain's very thoughtful perspective on these subjects dramatically improved my understanding, and I had great difficulty putting the book down because she laced human stories so beautifully into the stories of the science. Regarding the other subjects she presents (general theory of relativity, particle physics, electroweak unification, quantum field theory, renormalization, and string theory) I had very little knowledge before reading this book. But after reading it, I felt like I had a good introductory knowledge of these subjects.
Thank you for writing such a wonderful book Prof. Husain! I look forward to your next one.
October 25, 2016
A very good premise well executed- the narrative device really helps put you in the relevant time period and understand the significance of the new theory.
The first three chapters were relative straightforward to understand the physics involved - but from then on it got harder and harder to comprehend. That may have been my lack of understanding and intellect rather than the book - but it was hard to get through the last few theories and feel like you had a grasp of them.
I'm glad I took on the challenge of the book, I do have a better understanding and appreciation of the advances in physics, but am glad I'm not going to be quizzed on the Higgs-Boson or String Theory anytime soon.
The first three chapters were relative straightforward to understand the physics involved - but from then on it got harder and harder to comprehend. That may have been my lack of understanding and intellect rather than the book - but it was hard to get through the last few theories and feel like you had a grasp of them.
I'm glad I took on the challenge of the book, I do have a better understanding and appreciation of the advances in physics, but am glad I'm not going to be quizzed on the Higgs-Boson or String Theory anytime soon.
February 19, 2015
A delightful book! Lots of good information that was presented in a fictional setting that made it easy to follow as the characters explained how they worked through trying to understand new and challenging developments in physics. A great complementary volume to Amanda Gefter's "Trespassing on Einstein's Lawn."
April 2, 2016
Brilliant, like Sophie's World for physics. I even understand string theory a bit now. A bit.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews