Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott
Published by Random House Graphic on March 14, 2023
ISBN: 9780593125366
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel, Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

“A hidden system is something we don’t notice until it breaks.” In a thoroughly understandable combination of text and graphics, Dan Nott does an amazing job of explaining exactly how some of the major infrastructures of our world work. Utilizing a 9-panel spread on most pages, with occasional full-page depictions of major ideas, the author covers the history, components, and possible futures of three major systems; internet, electricity, and water, in an engagingly accessible manner.  In the final section, Nott encourages the reader to understand these systems more deeply in order to reimagine them in a more environmentally and equitably balanced format. The book ends with Author’s Notes & Acknowledgments and a Selected Bibliography. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a simplified explanation of the hidden systems of our world.  (All ages)

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine