INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Vaclav Smil is my favorite author." Bill Gates "How the World Really Works represents the highly readable distillation of this lifetime of scholarship Mr. Smil looks over the horizon of the future with humility and calmness, foreseeing 'a mixture of progress and setbacks, of seemingly insurmountable difficulties and near-miraculous advances.' Wall Street Journal An essential analysis of the modern science and technology...

"A young teacher eager to change her students' lives with her books. An indigenous community with its own stories to share. And a great and dangerous serpent not to be underestimated. Set along the Amazon River, this stunningly illustrated story will spark lasting conversations about cross-cultural relationships, the importance of oral storytelling, and what it means to be a lifelong learner."--Page [4] of cover.