From a Hod to an Odd EM Wave follows D. A. Weston’s life from a rough start in postwar Britain to a long, winding career in engineering and research. The book moves through building sites, radio repair shops, mental-health research labs, nuclear facilities, and international consulting work. Along the way, Weston meets people who are brilliant, kind, petty, tragic, and sometimes heroic. His memoir mixes personal anecdotes with technical curiosities, plus emotional reflections on war, ethics, science, and the strange places a career can lead. It feels like a tour through the human side of engineering, full of sharp memories and surprising turns.

I found myself pulled in by the plainspoken honesty in his stories. He writes in a way that feels like the reader is sitting across from someone who has lived five lifetimes and is finally ready to talk. Some scenes hit hard. The thalidomide children, the chaotic fights in the lab, the grim humor around radiation work, and the quiet sadness of patients stuck in outdated psychiatric systems. Other parts feel warm and almost nostalgic. His delight in radios and tape recorders, his pride in small technical victories, his awe at mentors who believed in him. At times I laughed, then suddenly felt my stomach drop. The emotional swing made the book feel alive, even when the writing wandered.

The parts that lingered most for me were the stories that touched on moral courage. Rudy’s escape from Auschwitz and his fight to warn the world. The reminders that science is done by flawed people who can steal credit, cut corners, or act with unexpected kindness. Weston never hides his own missteps either. That humility made me trust him more. Sometimes the prose felt abrupt, but I didn’t mind. It matched the way memories surface in real life. The mix of technical curiosity and human vulnerability kept me hooked.

From a hod to an odd EM wave is ideal for readers who enjoy memoirs with grit and candor, especially those curious about science and engineering from the inside. It is raw, personal, and full of feeling. I recommend it to anyone who likes hearing about life told straight from the heart and who does not mind a ride that goes from light to heavy and back again.

Pages: 223 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0G9C9R31N