Dunn's clear explanations of advanced concepts make this book accessible to nonscientific readers. Her deft integration of the stories of the many fascinating people who contributed to the development of GPS adds an engaging and important human element to the narrative. Final chapters about efforts to counter surprising security issues make this a timely book about current events in addition to a history.

Booklist

It's the invisible network that runs our world. The story of the Global Positioning System is the story of modern life itself. In Little Blue Dot, Katherine Dunn tells the explosive, untold history of the twentieth century's most important technology. A gripping narrative of spies, scientists, and the secret history of how we came to map the world. You'll never look at that little blue dot the same way again.

Bradley Hope, co-author of BILLION DOLLAR WHALE and BLOOD AND OIL

The story of how you came to have, in your pocket, a way of knowing where you are, wherever you are, is an epic of human ingenuity. With pace, verve, and an eye for an illuminating anecdote, Katherine Dunn is the perfect guide to the greatest revolution in navigation since the age of sail.

Tom Whipple, Science Writer and Special Correspondent at The Times