Tom Shroder: Recommended Read of 2011

Tom Shroder is the author of three books, most recently “Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster,” which he co-authored with John Konrad. The Miami Herald called “Fire on the Horizon” “a fascinating look at a little-understood industry and a fast-paced and emotional story of the efforts to save the Deepwater Horizon.” The Herald also said the authors’ account of the workers’ race to save themselves is “thrilling and suspenseful, and yet the book is also a sensitive account of the lives forever changed.”

Shroder’s recommended read for 2011 is:

“The Hidden Reality” by Brian Greene. Here’s a world-class theoretical physicist who is ALSO a world class writer. Greene totally gets that writers have to be able to see what they are writing through the eyes of their readers. He has a gift of being able to understand quantum mechanics, gravity field equations AND exactly how to convey those ideas to someone who stumbled on 10th grade algebra.Good thing too, because his material here is literally the most challenging subject in the universe. After reading this book, I felt 10 IQ points smarter — and it lasted for almost a week!