Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
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This cute little coffee table book is densely packed. It has the ~astrophysics for dummies~ vibe, and I imagine it’s as accessible as something like astrophysics can be to dummies like us, but it’s still very head-scratching because it uses “basic” confusing concepts to explain more complex confusing concepts. The building blocks are still pretty hard to fully grasp.
That being said, I did come away understanding things a bit more. At least enough that I can fact-drop at Thanksgiving dinner and look smart. In all seriousness, I now know about dark matter, the theory of relativity, how astrophysicists go about measuring aspects of the cosmos, the arguments for a multiverse, and some other stuff that I may or may not remember in two weeks.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a likable dude who I enjoy following on Twitter, and I think he probably did the best with what he had. I wish that he had started with a basic glossary of terms and phrases upfront because sometimes I was clueless. I also think it could have been even more focused; it’s clear that he wanted to cover a lot of cosmological ground, but sometimes I thought I was actually beginning to understand something right when he moved on to the next thing.
I also like the philosophy that fuels his interest in this field in the first place. Toward the end of the book, he talks about how having *cosmic perspective* can actually lead to a spiritual (not religious), meaningful existence that includes wonder and mystery but also discipline and rigor. Most importantly, it takes him out of an egotistical mindset, because not only are we made of the same chemicals that make up the rest of the universe, but the study of astrophysics opens your eyes to so many possibilities that there are lifeforms more intelligent than us. He views it in a very life-affirming way and he says it better than I, so if you’re intrigued by that, read his book.
Overall, I give it 3 stars not because it’s mediocre, but because I don’t typically jump at the chance to recommend a book about astrophysics. It’s aptly named– it really is astrophysics for people in a hurry– but it’ll still pretty confusing to a layman, so don’t expect all of the answers. But that’s astrophysics for ya, baby!
