Brilliant, reminiscent of Lewis Hyde's The Gift in its reach and of Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time in its haunting evocation of human lives, offers a sweeping view of a surprisingly revealing aspect of human history-from the stone lamps of the Pleistocene to the LEDs embedded in fabrics of the future. Brox plumbs the class implications of light-who had it, who didn't-through the many centuries when crude lamps and tallow candles constricted waking...

"After moving to New York City from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks a simple question, "Do we need the stars?" Blending a humorous tone with cutting-edge science and poetic footage of the night sky, Cheney unravels the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights--including increased breast cancer rates, disrupted ecosystems, and a generation of kids without a glimpse of the universe above. ... [This film] is the definitive story of...