Author Discussion – Amy Brady for “Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks — a Cool History of a Hot Commodity”

About the Book:
In Ice, journalist and historian Amy Brady shares the strange and storied two-hundred-year-old history of ice in America: from the introduction of mixed drinks “on the rocks,” to the nation’s first-ever indoor ice rink, to how delicacies like ice creams and iced tea revolutionized our palates, to the ubiquitous ice machine in every motel across the US. But Ice doesn’t end in the past. Brady also explores the surprising present-day uses of ice in sports, medicine, and sustainable energy—including cutting-edge cryotherapy breast-cancer treatments and new refrigerator technologies that may prove to be more energy efficient—underscoring how precious this commodity is, especially in an age of climate change.

“You can’t possibly imagine what’s inside this cover! In Amy Brady’s expert hands, ice is sexy, mysterious, funny, and endlessly fascinating.” —Mary Roach, author of Fuzz and Stiff

“You’ll never view a freezer, a popsicle, or the Winter Olympics the same way after reading Brady’s delightful ode to an enigmatic, indispensable state of matter.” —Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Lives of Beavers and Why They Matter

“[A] vibrant history of America’s ‘obsession’ with ice…Overflowing with intriguing arcana and colorful personalities, this is an eye-opener.” —Publishers Weekly

About the Author:
Amy Brady is the executive director of Orion magazine and coeditor of The World as We Knew It: Dispatches from a Changing Climate. Brady has made appearances on the BBC, NPR, and PBS. She holds a PhD in literature and American studies and has won writing and research awards from the National Science Foundation, the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference, and the Library of Congress. To learn more, visit her website: https://amybradywrites.com