I am a fan of Bill Gates. His solutions to some of the world’s greatest problems are thoughtful and interesting and on a grand scale. Not solutions available at a personal level. One of his favorite authors is Vaclav Smil, which prompted me to read this book.

In Invention and Innovation, Vaclav Smil slices through the glossy veneer of modern tech enthusiasm with the precision of a skeptical historian. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon of progress, he asks a deeper question: what really counts as innovation?

Smil draws a sharp line between creating something new and actually making it matter in the real world. From the first stone tools to modern-day data processing methods, he places technological change in context—not just marveling at new ideas but scrutinizing their lasting impact.

The real power of the book lies in its call for realism. Smil points to China’s post-1990 leap as an example of true innovation—not by invention, but by rapid, practical implementation. At the same time, he warns us about the dangers of living in a postfactual society, where media hype outpaces scientific literacy.

Read this book if you’re tired of inflated TED Talks and want a clearer lens on progress. It’s not anti-technology—it’s pro-reality.