The Standard Model of Elementary Particles can explain nearly everything from the workings of the sun to the structure of, say, a garbage can, but it can’t explain gravity, which is why physicists still have jobs to be done. The author, in this highly accessible volume, explains the Standard Model to every man, using literary references and easy-to-follow analogies to elucidate mind-bending principles of physics.

Subatomic particles got you down? Think about a BB gun and a Nerf ball. String theory? Why, it’s similar to a guitar, of course. He concedes that the book does have major deficiencies, especially in light of the recently discovered dark matter and dark energy.

However the physicists are closer than ever to discovering the Theory of Everything that will supplant the Standard Model, but this relentlessly informative and digestible primer on just about everything should appease armchair scientists in the meantime.

He shows how what were once thought to be separate forces were combined into a single theory by some of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. Rich with accessible analogies and lucid prose, the book celebrates a heretofore unsung achievement in human knowledge and reveals the sublime structure that underlies the world.