Rare: The High-Stakes Race to Satisfy Our Need for the Scarcest Metals on Earth

In the age of smartphones and computer miniaturization, we need rare earth metals more than ever. How does the increased demand for elements like Neodymium, Scandium, and Palladium affect us politically, economically, and environmentally? What happens when we run out? And what are these metals for, anyway?

Rare tackles all of these questions, delving into history, mineral science, politics, and numerous other fields with impressive ease. Veronese clearly knows his subject well, and whether he’s discussing the possibility of asteroid mining or China’s clever cornering of the market, the Polonium-induced murder of Litvinenko or amateur recycling of dangerous materials, he keeps the vocabulary easily digestible for the average reader. Memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements isn’t required to get the most out of this book.

The author does an excellent job balancing all aspects of this surprisingly complex topic, maintaining a steady, interesting narrative that spans all seven continents and decades of scientific advancement. Rare is precisely that: a rarity, a book loaded with information that never bores or talks down to the reader. And this book will only grow more relevant in the coming years.