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Hodder & Stoughton has signed a deal for engineer Yasmin Ali’s Power Up, described as “an exciting and accessible new popular science book about global energy”.
The book will draw on the author’s own experiences in the energy sector and promises to “take readers on a journey through the resources that make our world turn”.
Anna Baty, senior commissioning editor, pre-empted world all languages rights from Elizabeth Sheinkman at PFD for publication in spring 2024.
The synopsis reads: “Growing up in oil-rich Iraq, where ironically enough power cuts were commonplace, Yasmin Ali has a deep appreciation for energy and its significance. Her journey out of Iraq with her family is a story powered by fossil fuels – planes, cars and trains are what transported them to safety. Now as an engineer in energy, Yasmin shows us just how much it underpins the world and connects disparate landscapes and people.
“In Power Up Yasmin invites readers to discover a vast global network of power stations, gas pipelines, transmission cables, and engineers, quietly working behind the scenes and spanning the world. Blending accessible science and a story-led narrative, the book will trace energy from its source, as coal, oil and gas, nuclear or renewables, into our individual lives and homes, shining a light on our energy use and looking to the future to imagine how our world could be powered.”
Ali is an energy innovation programme manager for the UK government’s energy department, providing innovation funding, management and technical advice to enable the development of technology for energy system decarbonisation. Over the past decade she has delivered more than 100 presentations in various different settings. She completed a British Science Association Media Fellowship with the BBC’s Science Unit and has written for many publications as well as being recognised for several industry awards. In 2020 was listed in the Women’s Engineering Society’s top 50 female engineers in sustainability.
She said: “All of us, whether we live in a bustling city like New York or a remote community in New Zealand, depend on energy. We are bound by the same resources on this planet, making climate change and the transition to clean energy a global problem with a global solution. I am excited to share energy stories from around the world with readers, showing where we have come from and where we could go as a society."
Baty commented: “Yasmin’s ability to explain the science and engineering behind this vast network while telling an engaging and personal story will give readers a new appreciation of how our modern lives are powered. Power Up also shows just how entangled the problems of climate change are with the possible solutions. I’m thrilled to be publishing Yasmin’s expert and personal take on this urgent and essential topic.”