Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way)

Reviewed By  Nan van Dissel       March 24, 2023

 

Author  Roma Agrawal

Distributor:      Hachette Australia
ISBN:                 9781529340082
Publisher:         Hachette /Hodder and Stoughton
Release Date:   March 2023  

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Curious as a child, Indian-British-American Roma Agrawal MBE, award winning engineer, author and broadcaster, who is best known for working on the design of The Shard, Western Europe’s tallest tower, has written the perfect book for not only budding engineers, but also for those who wish to explore how seven small but important inventions have contributed and evolved into today’s modern technology, which seems mind-bogglingly complex.

In her book ‘Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That changed the World (in a big way)’, she deconstructs the most complex achievements of engineering into seven basic but important inventions: the nail, spring, wheel, lens, magnet, string and pump. 

 By enthusiastically sharing the stories of remarkable, but often unknown scientists and engineers, she explores how the ingenious development of each of these apparently insignificant objects has brought sweeping social change and thereby have revolutionised our lives.  

She demonstrates how they have ultimately improved the lives of billions of people around the world and are an essential component of every element of everyday life.

As a champion of women and ethnic minorities in engineering, she introduces the reader to little known inventors/engineers such as Stephanie Kwolek (poly-paraphenylene – Kevlar fibre), Josephine Cochran (first successful hand-powered dishwasher) and Masato Sagawa (the sintered permanent magnet). The information in each chapter is supported by a comprehensive bibliography and list for further reading. 

Roma Agrawal ‘by breaking down and delving into the small’ has demonstrated in this book that ‘engineering – past, present, and future – is stimulating, empowering and human’.