About the Book
Alcohol and caffeine are deeply woven into the fabric of life for most of the world's population, as close and as comfortable as a cup of coffee or a can of beer. Yet for most people they remain as mysterious and unpredictable as the spirits they were once thought to be. Now, in Buzz, Stephen Braun takes us on a myth-shattering tour of these two popular substances, one that blends fascinating science with colorful lore, and that includes cameo appearances
by Shakespeare and Balzac, Buddhist monks and Arabian goat herders, even Mikhail Gorbachev and David Letterman (who once quipped, "If it weren't for the coffee, I'd have no identifiable personality
whatsoever"). Much of what Braun reveals directly contradicts conventional wisdom about alcohol and caffeine. Braun shows, for instance, that alcohol is not simply a depressant as popularly believed, but is instead "a pharmacy in a bottle"--mimicking the action of drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine, valium, and opium. At low doses, it increases electrical activity in the same brain systems affected by stimulants, influences the same circuits targeted by valium, and causes the release
of morphine-like compounds known as endorphins--all at the same time. This explains why alcohol can produce a range of reactions, from boisterous euphoria to dark, brooding hopelessness. Braun also
shatters the myth that alcohol kills brain cells, reveals why wood alcohol or methanol causes blindness, and explains the biological reason behind the one-drink-per-hour sobriety rule (that's how long it takes the liver, working full tilt, to disable the 200 quintillion ethanol molecules found in a typical drink). The author then turns to caffeine and shows it to be no less remarkable. We discover that more than 100 plant species produce caffeine molecules in their seeds, leaves, or bark, a
truly amazing distribution throughout nature (nicotine, in comparison, is found only in tobacco; opium only in the poppy). It's not surprising then that caffeine is far and away the most widely used mind
altering substance on the planet, found in tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, soft drinks, and more than 2,000 non-prescription drugs. (Tea is the most popular drink on earth, with coffee a close second.) Braun also explores the role of caffeine in creativity: Johann Sebastian Bach, for one, loved coffee so much he wrote a Coffee Cantata (as Braun notes, no music captures the caffeinated experience better than one of Bachs frenetic fugues), Balzac would work for 12 hours non-stop, drinking coffee
all the while, and Kant, Rousseau, and Voltaire all loved coffee. And throughout the book, Braun takes us on many engaging factual sidetrips--we learn, for instance, that Theodore Roosevelt coined the
phrase "Good to the last drop" used by Maxwell House ever since; that distances between Tibetan villages are sometimes reckoned by the number of cups of tea needed to sustain a person (three cups being roughly 8 kilometers); and that John Pemberton's original recipe for Coca-Cola included not only kola extract, but also cocaine. Whether you are a sophisticated consumer of cabernet sauvignon and Kenya AA or just someone who needs a cup of joe in the morning and a cold one after
work, you will find Buzz to be an eye-opening, informative, and often amusing look at two substances at once utterly familiar and deeply mysterious.
About the Author :
Stephen Braun is an award-winning science writer and television producer living in Boston. He is currently Executive Producer at the New England Research Institutes.
Review :
"Most of us routinely dose ourselves with alcohol or caffeine in one form or another, through wine, beer, liquor, coffee, tea, or soft drinks. In Buzz, an entertaining, thoroughly researched work, science writer Stephen Braun provides a layman's guide to these two molecules and how they affect humans.... For people who love the aroma and flavor of good coffee, who appreciate fine wine, or who chug an ice-cold Coke on a summer day, this book will
provide a cautionary note or two."--The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Dispels several popular myths and raises important health issues.... Braun makes it clear, from interviews with scientists and documented references from research literature, that alcohol has a more multifaceted impact on the brain than previously believed."--The Chicago Tribune
"Award-winning science writer Braun, in this zippy little tome, mixes concise explanations of how everybody's favorite mind-altering substances work with a stimulating dash of related cultural tidbits."--Entertainment Weekly
"Braun...offers fascinating information on how alcohol and caffeine are produced, their effects on sleep, sex, and bodily systems other than the brain, and the attitudes of historical figures on the 'buzz' these substances afford."--Booklist
"Braun engagingly describes the chemistry, metabolism, physiological and behavioral effects, and reputed health benefits of the world's two most popular drugs: alcohol and caffeine.... Whether the subject is the cause of hangovers or the effects of caffeine consumption on PMS, Braun has a knack for interpreting the findings of medical researchers and applying them to daily life."--Library Journal
"Mr. Braun displays a remarkable command of highly complex and diverse areas of research. The science is presented accurately, thoughtfully, and with a clarity that is rarely achieved by scientists. Buzz will be appreciated by the general public, who enjoy alcohol and whose tax dollars support alcohol research, by alcoholics and their families, who suffer the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, and by clinicians and scientists, who, like me,
will learn something about alcohol that they never knew."--Michael E. Charness, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Chief of Neurology, Brockton/West Roxbury VA Medical Center
"Whether they prefer scotch on the rocks or a double mocha latte, readers will enjoy Braun's dissection of caffeine, alcohol, and the processes by which the work... Braun manages to take abstract concepts and mold them into something highly readable. Science novices should find this book as enjoyable and well-written as those who have spent their lives working with biology or chemistry."--Publishers Weekly
"Steve Braun's book, Buzz, is an engaging survey of two mind bending drugs, caffeine and alcohol, that are ubiquitous in our society. It is both scientifically accurate and easily accessible to a lay audience. I enjoyed reading it, and recommend it to scientist and non-scientist alike."--Irwin B. Levitan, Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University
"An entertaining and informative discussion of both the scientific and cultural impact of caffeine and alcohol."--Kirkus Reviews
"[Braun's] greatest asset...is his ease in explaining the imposing intricacies of the brain and how alcohol and caffeine confuse and perplex it."--The Village Voice
"By combining molecular science and history with the latest research, Braun provides an entertaining and informative look at two widely consumed substances that can cause trouble for shiftworkers when they're abused."--ShiftWork
"Braun. . .has an easy, humorous style, and quotes authorities from Shakespeare to Zippy the Pinhead....You might need a drink to recover." --New Scientist
