Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day

Every day, people turn on taps and lights and go online without thinking about how water, electricity and the internet actually reach them. In this nonfiction graphic novel, cartoonist and educator Dan Nott follows each of these systems from its early history to the present, asking questions such as what the first internet message said and how much water one person uses in a day. Along the way he shows how choices made by inventors and builders long ago still shape who has access today, and what may need to change in the future. Maps, diagrams and pages from the author's sketchbooks fill out the book, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and named a 2024 Orbis Pictus honor book.