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Title details for Ice by Amy Brady - Wait list

Ice

From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks—a Cool History of a Hot Commodity

by Amy Brady
Jennifer Aquino
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The unexpected and unexplored ways that ice has transformed a nation—from the foods Americans eat, to the sports they play, to the way they live today—and what its future might look like on a swiftly warming planet.
Ice is everywhere: in gas stations, in restaurants, in hospitals, in our homes. Americans think nothing of dropping a few ice cubes into tall glasses of tea to ward off the heat of a hot summer day. Most refrigerators owned by Americans feature automatic ice machines. Ice on-demand has so revolutionized modern life that it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t always this way—and to overlook what aspects of society might just melt away as the planet warms.
In Ice, journalist and historian Amy Brady shares the strange and storied two-hundred-year-old history of ice in America: from the introduction of mixed drinks “on the rocks,” to the nation’s first-ever indoor ice rink, to how delicacies like ice creams and iced tea revolutionized our palates, to the ubiquitous ice machine in every motel across the US. But Ice doesn’t end in the past. Brady also explores the surprising present-day uses of ice in sports, medicine, and sustainable energy—including cutting-edge cryotherapy breast-cancer treatments and new refrigerator technologies that may prove to be more energy efficient—underscoring how precious this commodity is, especially in an age of climate change.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 6, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593741382
      • File size: 226021 KB
      • Duration: 07:50:52

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 10, 2023
      Brady (coeditor, The World as We Knew It), the executive director of Orion magazine, offers a vibrant history of America’s “obsession” with ice. She begins her survey with Frederic Tudor, who launched the “American ice trade” in 1806 by harvesting ice from a Massachusetts lake and sailing it to the Caribbean. Among other innovations, Tudor designed a cargo hold that reduced melting by “keeping the ice elevated and as sealed off from air as possible” and created a demand for his product in Cuba by offering “several pounds of ice to competitive baristas for free, on the condition that they’d allow him to demonstrate how best to serve their drinks chilled.” Physician John Gorrie demonstrated his ice-making machine at a Bastille Day party in Florida in 1850, and by 1920, nearly 5,000 block-ice plants were “churning out over 40 million tons of ice per year,” leading the way for ice to become an essential aspect of American life, from home kitchens to hospitals and hockey arenas. Brady also delves into more troubling aspects of the national love affair with ice, noting that refrigerators release 60 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. Overflowing with intriguing arcana and colorful personalities, this is an eye-opener. Photos.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Jennifer Aquino's slightly rough voice grows on the listener. Her delivery has a storyteller's style, and her pace is right for this jam-packed audiobook on the history of ice in the U.S. Author Brady shares her deep immersion into all things ice--from Popsicles to cryotherapy--in a text that works well aurally. She includes details about how ice was once harvested and stored and talks about how ice now made by machines is used for purposes that range from skating to cooling fancy drinks. A realist, she points out the environmental cost of making frozen water and thoughtfully introduces research on its potential in energy creation. She never loses sight of how dependent we Americans are on air-conditioned comfort and the delights of frozen desserts. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      October 1, 2023

      Journalist and historian Brady (coeditor, The World as We Knew It: Dispatches from a Changing Climate) blends history, science, and cultural anecdotes, making a case for the significance that ice has had on human development. This well-researched and engaging micro-history delves into the unexpected ways in which a simple commodity has had a profound impact. The contents are a perfect balance of education and entertainment. The depth of Brady's research is impressive, skating from ice harvesting to the technology that has made ice available on demand for drinks, medical uses, food storage, and sports. Jennifer Aquino's narration suffers from somewhat awkward pacing, but she is clearly sold on Brady's material, as evidenced by her enthusiastic reading. She skillfully navigates between historical insights, scientific explanations, and entertaining anecdotes. With capable narration and captivating content, this title will make listeners appreciate how seemingly insignificant things can profoundly shape the world. VERDICT Despite occasional problems with pacing and pronunciation, narrator Aquino brings so much passion to her reading of this expertly researched book that listeners won't want to miss a minute.--Christa Van Herreweghe

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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