The Reality Bubble

Blind Spots, Hidden Truths and the Dangerous Illusions that Shape Our World

Ziya Tong

We have reached a time where each of us must rise to the challenges that confront us. It is time for us to change.
The Reality Bubble by Ziya Tong (Paperback ISBN 9781838850487) book cover

Available as Paperback, eBook, Downloadable audio

A groundbreaking look at the hidden things that shape our lives in unexpected and sometimes dangerous ways, from the Vice Chair of WWF Canada

What are we not seeing?

Our naked eyes see only a thin sliver of reality. We are blind in comparison to the x-rays that peer through skin, the mass spectrometers that detect the dead inside the living, or the high-tech surveillance systems that see with artificial intelligence.

And we are blind compared to the animals that can see in infrared, or ultraviolet, or with 360-degree vision. These animals live in the same world we do, but they see something quite different when they look around.

In The Reality Bubble, Ziya Tong illuminates this hidden world and takes us on a journey to examine ten of humanity’s biggest blind spots. What she reveals is not on the things we didn’t evolve to see but, more dangerously, the blindness of modern society. Fast-paced, utterly fascinating and deeply humane, this vitally important new book gives voice to the sense we’ve all had – that there is more to the world than meets the eye.


“Stunning … Considering how much she gets through, the tone is light and accessible. It feels like being shown around a fascinating exhibit by an enthusiastic curator … It is not just a book that tells a story of humanity; it is a gentle but highly effective wake-up call”
guardian

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“In a time of mounting global crisis, the kind of radical curiosity that fills this book - a commitment to probing the unseen, unknowable and unthinkable - has become essential to our survival. In Ziya Tong’s hands, we learn that it can be joyous, too, with thrilling facts, questions and juxtapositions on every page. A kaleidoscopic guide to everything we’re missing”
Naomi Klein

“A brilliant, eye-opening work of wonder”
Matt Haig

“This book will tear through your preconceptions like a meteor through space. Ziya Tong is a wonderfully erudite companion on a tour of reality, from the very smallest to the size of the universe and everything in between. It’s an incredibly illuminating and challenging but ultimately empowering book, and reading it delivers a shock … Prepare to have your bubble well and truly burst”
new Scientist

“[Tong’s] point … is made with devastating force, her argument … a clever and effective way to jolt readers out of their indifference”
herald


Ziya Tong

Ziya Tong is the Vice Chair of WWF Canada. She anchored Daily Planet, Discovery Channel’s flagship science programme, until its final season in 2018. Tong also hosted the CBC’s Emmy-nominated series ZeD, PBS’ national prime-time series, Wired Science, and worked as a correspondent for NOVA scienceNOW.

@ziyatong | ziyatong.com