Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World

This was fantastic. Similar to [b:The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History 43862307 The Golden Thread How Fabric Changed History Kassia St. Clair https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564592440l/43862307.SX50.jpg 63679455], I loved how etymology was discussed. Finlay brings up how history, economics, culture, and technology came into play in the creation of fabrics and some certain styles of those fabrics. Barkcloth, wool, cashmere/pashmina , cotton, linen, damask, silk, modern man-made fabrics and more were included.I loved how she talked about wool from the Falkland islands being added to a seat in Parliament as it reminded me of Eddie Izzard's comedy: “we need the Falkland Islands... for strategic sheep purposes”I was fascinated at the mention of the jute mill at San Quentin in the late 1800's.I was hoping she'd talk about the ‘silk' or other fabric that's made from eucalyptus, but it didn't come up, but she did briefly talk about the fabric from bamboo and to be aware of green-washing. I liked Finlay's inclusion of her life and the loss of her parents.

This is an impressive accomplishment. It is readable, accessible, touching, and informative. I enjoyed the travel log aspect, as well as the memoir about losing her parents. It is an unusual book, however, so I didn't finish it with a lot of material I could use easily for my classes. It's kind of a blend of history, a lot of detail, travel stories, and grief memoir. I ended up skimming a lot, because I knew I just couldn't retain the detail, but I enjoyed following her lines of inquiry, her sense of humor, and her candor.