Neil deGrasse Tyson

I truly enjoyed this book. It is one I will keep on my bookshelf and refer back to often, I am sure. Mr. Tyson has a distinct point of view and is able to intelligently defend it. He stresses the importance of scientific literacy in our society, which is woefully lacking in our country. While I do not agree with everything he writes about as far as religion and faith, I respect him immensely. Some of my favorite quotes in the book:
"..In life, it's not good enough to be right. You must also be effective."

"'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence' remains a potent guide when investigating the natural world. But it comes with a recurring risk: knowing enough about a subject to think you are right, but not enough to know you are wrong."

"the most important moments in life occur at times when how we think will matter more than what we know."

"purpose is not defined outside ourselves, but from deep within. My purpose in life is to lessen the suffering of others; advance our understanding of the universe; and enlighten others along the way."

Dr. deGrasse has done a great job, through his academic career and his many modes of communication, to realize his purpose! Keep rockin' it, Dr. deGrasse!!
… (mere)

It's a speedrun through astrophysics. If you are familiar with this level of physics you might actually enjoy it, otherwise it will leave you amazed but uncertain of what has just happened.

It seems like this book's goal is to leave readers in awe of the scientific discovery of the cosmos. Not necessarily to help them understand it. This book is dense - full of facts, fun facts, and factoids neatly packed into memorable metaphors. It presents a grand vision and a variety of subjects that astrophysics deals with. It is easy and fun to read. However, it feels like a magician show designed to impress, not to teach the audience how the tricks work. You'll be able to entertain your guests at the dinner table with a description of a physics phenomenon, but it might be hard to explain it based solely on this book.

I wish there was more connecting tissue between the essays and more science behind them but then it wouldn't be a short book for people in a hurry. I hope it accomplishes its goal and is a gateway to other books for people who have time and want to invest it to understand how the universe works.

The author's delivery in the audiobook is smooth as silk and easy to follow. It's hard to not get carried along with the enthusiasm and passion of Neil deGrasse Tyson. There are moments when he tries too hard to be cool and it can come across as arrogance but they do not spoil the experience.

If this is not your first book on the subject - it might be a fun refresher, otherwise you’ll get the highlights that will leave you with more questions than answers… which can actually be a very good thing.… (mere)

The audiobook is frustrating because it is quite hard at times to follow the algebra amd you don’t get any of the pretty postures the book has... but beyond that this is a great piece.

Beyond Neil’s funny quips about the eventual potential fish found on the moon Europa being called europeans, the book offers two key jewels:
- a derivation of E = mc^2 that is the most intuitive I have ever read
- an application of the Copernican Principle to everyday estimation of how long things will last

Many other perspective views that tie the universe up into a pretty weird object, but walking through the steps that took us there.

Only big critique is that Gott does not really describe his strongest critics in the business of universes, he drifts over how contested many string theory approaches have been.

Great read nevertheless...… (mere)

I borrowed this one via the library because I really enjoyed Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. This book isn't quite the same. Think of it as a social commentary on the human race and our systems of beliefs, laws, political systems, etc. Tyson tries (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) to explain why using rational, science based arguments are superior to using emotions, tribalism, religion, and flawed beliefs to make decisions. He also points out how contradictory and egotistical our beliefs can be, especially as we consider ourselves more intelligent than and superior to, all other known life forms.

If you read this be prepared to have 'your buttons pushed.' If you are a vegan, you might just want to skip chapter six altogether. There is something in here almost guaranteed to offend nearly every reader.

This isn't my favorite work by the author but I will give Tyson kudos for providing an excellent narration for his work. Even when I didn't agree with one of this pointed opinions, Tyson's voice was soothing enough that I didn't get too worked up about it.

Here's one of my favorite quotations that I won't pose any argument against. :-)
Tally them all, living synergistically and symbiotically in our gut and on our skin, and you get more living organisms than cells of our own bodies. The number may be as high as 100,000,000,000,000 (one hundred trillion) microbes. Some of them may even influence what foods we crave, such as chocolate, as they break down larger molecules into smaller ones that more easily pass into your bloodstream. You think your cravings are your own. Instead, the chocoholic bacteria in your gut are what’s summoning the bonbons.

My overall rating is 3.5 stars but I hope his next book focuses more on astrophysics and less on his opinions about the human condition.… (mere)