The Reality Bubble: Blind Spots, Hidden Truths and the Dangerous Illusions that Shape Our World

 

What are we not seeing? Our naked eyes see only a thin sliver of reality. We are blind in comparison to the x-rays that peer through skin, the mass spectrometers that detect the dead inside the living, or the high-tech surveillance systems that see with artificial intelligence. And we are blind compared to the animals that can see in infrared, or ultraviolet, or with 360-degree vision. These animals live in the same world we do, but they see something quite different when they look around. In The Reality Bubble, Ziya Tong illuminates this hidden world and takes us on a journey to examine ten of humanity's biggest blind spots. What she reveals is not on the things we didn't evolve to see but, more dangerously, the blindness of modern society. Fast-paced, utterly fascinating and deeply humane, this vitally important new book gives voice to the sense we've all had - that there is more to the world than meets the eye.

"Stunning . . . Considering how much she gets through, the tone is light and accessible. It feels like being shown around a fascinating exhibit by an enthusiastic curator . . . It is not just a book that tells a story of humanity; it is a gentle but highly effective wake-up call" (Guardian)

"In a time of mounting global crisis, the kind of radical curiosity that fills this book - a commitment to probing the unseen, unknowable and unthinkable - has become essential to our survival. In Ziya Tong's hands, we learn that it can be joyous, too, with thrilling facts, questions and juxtapositions on every page. A kaleidoscopic guide to everything we're missing" (NAOMI KLEIN)

"A brilliant, eye-opening work of wonder" (MATT HAIG)

"This book will tear through your preconceptions like a meteor through space. Ziya Tong is a wonderfully erudite companion on a tour of reality, from the very smallest to the size of the universe and everything in between. It's an incredibly illuminating and challenging but ultimately empowering book, and reading it delivers a shock . . . Prepare to have your bubble well and truly burst" (New Scientist)

"[Tong's] point . . . is made with devastating force, her argument . . . a clever and effective way to jolt readers out of their indifference" (Herald)

"A skillful weaving-together of disparate threads from many disciplines, set out in evocative language that expresses a profound love for our species and the other living things we share our only habitable world with. It's not just a wake-up call, it's a recipe for survival - alarming yet hopeful" (CORY DOCTOROW)

"Ziya Tong takes readers on an important and entertaining scientific journey, as she breaks open all the hidden ways we interact with the natural world every day. Read this book to start seeing - with new eyes - how we can transform our relationship with the extraordinary planet we live on" (JANE GOODALL)

"Filled with entertaining, often surprising, information . . . Ziya Tong's book should be required reading for all who care about what we are doing to the planet" (DAVID SUZUKI)

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