The Starship and the Canoe

Name: The Starship and the Canoe
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Kenneth Brower
ISBN: 9781705210420

Author: Kenneth Brower, Neal Stephenson

Narrator: David de Vries

Unabridged: 9 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/28/2020

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Science & Technology

Synopsis

Originally published in 1978, The Starship and the Canoe is the remarkable story of a father and son: Freeman Dyson is a world-renowned astrophysicist who dreams of exploring the heavens and has designed a spaceship to take him there. His son George, a brilliant high school dropout, lives in a treehouse and is designing a giant kayak to explore the icy coastal wilderness of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Author Kenneth Brower describes with stunning impact their lives and their visions of the world. It is a timeless tale framed by modern science, adventure, family, and the natural world.

About Kenneth Brower

Kenneth Brower's writing has appeared in the Atlantic, Audubon, National Geographic, the Paris Review, Smithsonian, Sierra, and numerous other magazines. His books include Wake of the Whale, A Song for Satawal, The Winemaker's Marsh, The Wildness Within, and other titles about the environment and natural places. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Matt (Fully supports developing sentient AGI) on May 20, 2024

Charming biography of Freeman Dyson and his son George during a time they both built ships. Both highly intelligent men, but with vastly different intelligences and interests. Freeman Dyson worked on the alternative starship Project Orion. Alternative because it used nuclear explosions to provide thr......more

Goodreads review by Ralph on May 17, 2013

Freeman Dyson wants to build a starship to take him into the cosmos atop a column of atomic fire. His son George wants to build an ocean-going canoe. While his father dwells in an Ivory Tower, George lives in a tree house. One an accomplished mathematician who lectures at universities worldwide, the......more

Goodreads review by Trina on March 25, 2014

I read this way back when it was first published (1978). What do you do when you're overshadowed by a famous father? George Dyson retreats to the wilderness while intellectual Freeman Dyson grapples with the cosmos. They're estranged, yet share an affinity for remote travel, whether in a canoe or a......more

Goodreads review by Andy on October 12, 2009

I found this book at a used book store some time ago in Arcata. Well let me rephrase that; my girlfriend found it. My girlfriend being Ken Brower's niece while the title, cover and description of the book caught my interest - it was an immediate buy. (Though I later learned I could just pull one of a......more

Goodreads review by Topher on May 10, 2022

I’ve read this book several times and while it may not be the best book I’ve ever read, it just might be my favorite. I don’t feel I can add anything of substance that hasn’t already been said by others; I just want to say for the record how much I like this book and how glad I am that I just happen......more