Entangled States cover art

Entangled States

A Life According to Quantum Physics

Preview
Free with 30-day trial
Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Entangled States

Written by: Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
Narrated by: Dani Martineck
Free with 30-day trial

₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹667.71

Buy Now for ₹667.71

A young queer millennial physicist unveils some of the most mind-bending physics concepts in the universe—and uses them to illuminate their own fascinating life story

“I see physics everywhere,” Karmela Padavic-Callaghan writes. “It offers itself to me when I try to make sense of all the paths my life did and did not take, it reassures me when I try to reconcile all the identities that I feel describe me.” Born in Croatia in 1991, Karmela grew up against the backdrop of the Yugoslav wars. They grew to love science and hair metal, and they began longing to see more of the world. At age 16, they received an offer to study at a boarding school in New York, setting them on a path to a physics PhD.

Now a science writer in New York, Karmela uses physics to meditate on building a life in a new country, on being nonbinary in a field dominated by cishet men, and on cause, effect, future, and destiny. Each chapter examines a moment in Karmela's life through the lens of a physics concept. Knot theory becomes a lens for the story of Karmela visiting a Croatian healer. Ultracold atom labs lead to a meditation on societal expectations that women be unfailingly warm and nurturing. And the workings of an electron microscope become a framework for Karmela's evolving relationship with cosmetics as they realized they are nonbinary.

Taking us from Croatia to New York, from quantum computing to Queen, Entangled States offers readers a unique and unforgettable journey—and shows how the world of physics and the world of humanity illuminate one another.
Biographies & Memoirs Physics Professionals & Academics Science Science & Technology Leaders
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c

Critic Reviews

“Padavic-Callaghan’s prose is vulnerable and sharp . . . They push the boundaries of what a science book can be . . . An unconventional take on physics that stings like an exposed nerve and shines with humanity.”
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“An utterly unique journey into the quantum life—one where a love of quantum physics helps a queer immigrant make sense of who they are and make meaning of the cosmos. Come for the analysis of Freddie Mercury’s farewell album, stay for the clear, accessible explanations of next-generation quantum information science. Padavic-Callaghan has written an inspiring book about physics that beautifully centers the importance of being true to yourself.”
—Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos

“A lyrical study of temporal frames and the capacious interactions coupled with a powerful self-inquiry into the personal and cultural cost of achieving academic success as a late-twentieth-century queer immigrant. Entangled States is a portrait of survival through the systems of irreducibility, illustrating the probabilities of different, dare I say, exciting outcomes in a powerfully lived life.”
—Raquel Gutiérrez, author of Brown Neon

“A stunning and invigorating memoir at the intersections of science, gender, place, and wonder. I was awed by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan’s ability to engage elevated physics theory alongside such gorgeous and thoughtful prose, and to meditate so intimately on the particularities of a human life alongside explanations for our universal atomic experiences. A truly remarkable debut.”
—Raechel Anne Jolie, author of Rust Belt Femme
No reviews yet