Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves
Twilley explains why staring into your fridge is a revolutionary act—and how refrigeration has remade our relationship with the food inside.
Welcome to the SciFri Book Club page about Frostbite by Nicola Twilley. There’s lots of ways to participate: Get the book, join our community space, attend an event, sign up for our email newsletter, or send us a message via our contact page.
This July, the SciFri Book Club will read Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves by Nicola Twilley. It’s a fascinating deep dive into the farm-to-fridge “cold chain,” a vast global network of hidden systems that keep our food cool as it’s processed, shipped, stored, and sold. Voted on as a community pick earlier this year, Frostbite explores how artificial refrigeration systems have quietly reshaped everything from global trade to daily meals over the course of the last hundred years—changing what we eat, how we live, and how we think about time and distance. From banana ripening rooms to cheese caves to futuristic cold storage labs, Twilley unpacks the science and history behind the everyday miracle of refrigeration while asking urgent questions about its environmental cost.
Frostbite brings together a range of topics including environmental science, human ecology, physiology and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season. You can get your copy from your local bookstore or on Bookshop.org.
This Book Club season kicks off Tuesday, July 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:
- July 1-7: Chapters 1-2
- July 8-14: Chapters 3-4
- July 15-21: Chapters 5-6
- July 21-31: Chapter 7-Epilogue + Final thoughts
Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Book Club newsletter to be the first to know.
There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can grab a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), read an excerpt of the book, join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. There is even a young readers edition for aspiring marine biologists. Check out all the details below.
Grab Your Own Copy
Science Friday, in partnership with Penguin Press, is giving away 10 free copies of Frostbite by Nicola Twilley. Enter for your chance to win today!
This giveaway will close at 10:00 a.m. ET on Friday, June 27, 2025. Winners will be chosen randomly, and notified via email no later than Monday, June 30. Our Book Club for this book officially begins on July 1, 2025!
If you’d like to purchase a physical copy, we encourage you to start local! Check out the SciFri Book Club partner bookstores and libraries—if you’re in the area, consider supporting your local bookseller or public library (plus, mention our Book Club for a percentage off your purchase at participating shops!).
Want more ways to read? This book is available in a few formats via online retailers, your local library, or elsewhere:
Your local library may not currently have Frostbite in its catalog, but many branches offer options for patrons like you to submit book suggestions to librarians. Look for ways to suggest new titles via the Libby or OverDrive app, a form on your library’s website, or a suggestion box at your local branch!
Save The Date(s): SciFri Book Club Events
SciFri Book Club July community meeting
Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Frostbite. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about environmental science, human ecology, physiology and more.
Join Our Community Space
And as you start reading, join us on our online community space: the SciFri Book Club is on Mighty Networks, a platform where we can gather, read and discuss science books together. We’ve built this community space to create a better way for readers to stay connected with other Book Clubbers, and we hope you’ll join us there!
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Subscribe to SciFri Book Club emails to stay updated on our monthly read sand join us for community discussions. We’ll send emails a few times per week.