{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1610397495?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"1610397495","authors":["Robert Bryce"],"book_id":"9781610397490","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/a-question-of-power-1610397495","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781610397490.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","description":"An “informative and highly readable” ( Foreign Affairs ) breakdown of the history of electricity and the impact of global energy use on the world and the environment Global demand for power is doubling every two decades, but electricity remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and do so reliably. Today, some three billion people live in places where per-capita electricity use is less than what's used by an average American refrigerator. How we close the colossal gap between the electricity rich and the electricity poor will determine our success in addressing issues like women's rights, inequality, and climate change. In A Question of Power , veteran journalist Robert Bryce tells the human story of electricity, the world's most important form of energy. Through onsite reporting from India, Iceland, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, New York, and Colorado, he shows how our cities, our money—our very lives—depend on reliable flows of electricity. He highlights the factors needed for successful electrification and explains why so many people are still stuck in the dark. With vivid writing and incisive analysis, he powerfully debunks the notion that our energy needs can be met solely with renewables and demonstrates why--if we are serious about addressing climate change--nuclear energy must play a much bigger role. Electricity has fueled a new epoch in the history of civilization. A Question of Power explains how that happened and what it means for our future.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9781610397490","publication_date":"20200310","publisher":"PublicAffairs","slug":"a-question-of-power","subtitle":"Electricity and the Wealth of Nations","title":"A Question of Power"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"BUS070040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Energy Industry","score":0.8016,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TEC031020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Electrical Power","score":0.7811,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TEC031010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Renewable Energy","score":0.769,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"BUS070040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Energy Industry","score":0.8016,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TEC031020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Electrical Power","score":0.7811,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TEC031010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Renewable Energy","score":0.769,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"BUS070040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Energy Industry","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"BUS113000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Globalization","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL068000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Energy Policy","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Energy Industry","score":0.8016,"slug":"energy-industry"},{"label":"Electrical Power","score":0.7811,"slug":"electrical-power"},{"label":"Renewable Energy","score":0.769,"slug":"renewable-energy"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Energy Industry","Good for readers interested in development","Good for fans of Economics"],"related_lists":[{"intro":"Books that explain how the American electrical grid got so fragile, why windstorms still knock out power for tens of thousands, and what policy and preparedness choices could change the pattern.","slug":"cultural-currents-power-outages-readers-guide","title":"Why The Lights Go Out","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/cultural-currents-power-outages-readers-guide"},{"intro":"","slug":"shelf-bus070040-energy","title":"Energy Books","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/shelf-bus070040-energy"}],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Robert Bryce","Ax Norman","Audible Studios"],"book_id":"9781586489533","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781586489533.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":15.0101,"title":"Power Hungry","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781586489533"},{"authors":["Gretchen Bakke","Emily Caudwell","Audible Studios for Bloomsbury"],"book_id":"9781632865687","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781632865687.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":13.2866,"title":"The Grid","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781632865687"},{"authors":["Professor Bruce Usher","Bruce Usher"],"book_id":"9780231187855","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780231187855.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":13.1827,"title":"Renewable Energy","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780231187855"},{"authors":["Tyler Hamilton"],"book_id":"9781770410084","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781770410084.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":13.0954,"title":"Mad Like Tesla","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781770410084"},{"authors":["Robert Bryce","Peter Larkin","Audible Studios","& 0 more"],"book_id":"9781586486907","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781586486907.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":11.2551,"title":"Gusher of Lies","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781586486907"},{"authors":["Jones"],"book_id":"9780674970922","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780674970922.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":10.4284,"title":"Routes of Power","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780674970922"},{"authors":["Amanda Little"],"book_id":"9780061885143","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780061885143.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":10.3782,"title":"Power Trip","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780061885143"},{"authors":["Richard Rhodes"],"book_id":"9781501105364","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781501105364.jpg?v=20260417T204117Z-pairingsrefresh%3A2026-04-17T20%3A41%3A17Z","score":10.1043,"title":"Energy","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781501105364"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:economic development"],"label":"Development","score":0.0794,"slug":"development"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: Development.","Reading lane: Energy Industry and Electrical Power.","Publisher: PublicAffairs."]},"llm_signals":null,"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":false,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":0,"goodreads_ratings_count":433,"goodreads_reviews_count":71,"quality_score":0.8953}}