There was a lot in this book that I found interesting and informative. But there was also a lot that was dry and redundant. Winchester covers plate tectonics, history, politics, trade, current events, plate tectonics and history. (I told you it was redundant.) He starts with a history of the Dutch colonization of the Spice Islands and doesn't give the volcano more than passing mention for over 100 pages. He goes off on strange tangents, like the time he (the author) got drunk with an eminent scientist. He also makes a serious attempt to credit the volcano with prompting the ideas that led to the theory of evolution and giving rise to militant Islam. I was reading it in the lunchroom at work when Karen Kauffman sat down at the table. She pointed to the book and said, "I thought it said Karaoke," which made me think that "Karaoke: The Day the World Exploded" would be a pretty funny title for a book.