Over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and more than a million copies sold.The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist.What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil … acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.
But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.
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Dumbed down a bit to far but a good read, worth picking up and giving it a read.
An excellent description of the key forces in our universe. Interesting writing, with just enough details for understanding.
At least it isn’t called Astrophysics for Dummies.
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry might be a best seller, it might have racked up thousands of high-star reviews on Amazon, it might be a slim little hundredish pages, but, people, it’s still astrophysics. Dark matter, quarks, general relativity. I tried. I am a regular at the planetarium, I find space and time and space and the space-time continuum fascinating (if above my head) and I really thought this quick little book would make it all a little clearer for me. Instead, I fought sleep or boredom or both every time I picked it up. Regularly deciphering the likes of “To invoke an unstable condition as the natural state of a physical system violates scientific credo.” is simply asking too much of me. The text is dense, the terminology is dense, and at the end of the day, perhaps there’s a reason I’m not a physicist.
Final verdict: spend an hour at your local planetarium.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2018/04/astrophysics-for-people-in-hurry.html)
This book was so good that I finished it in less than 48 hours.
Tyson’s style is to bring the complex down to earth! Excellent read. VERY readable.
Great! I learned a lot despite no background in physics; just a big curiosity. Written so the novice can understand but not in a childish or demeaning manner. Sprinkled with humor. Highly recommended!
Very informative & interesting – Tyson relates the science to everyday living. Just great! I continually go back to it as a reference.
Can’t really understand most of it but enjoyed it nonetheless.
I have both the Kindle and Audio versions and listened to most of it while walking and driving. The end, the last quarter, was too fast for me so I have to go back and take it from the top.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about astrophysics. I listened to the audio book, which was read by the author.
Yes, very informative but still too far over my head, and I have a Master’s degree in biology! I find it hard to relate to something I have no basic understanding of, even though that was exactly what the author was trying to do. The topic is so complicated and intangible that it just couldn’t hold my interest, much less understanding for very long. And I really would like to understand astrophics a little bit!
Well written, an easy way to learn about the universe we inhabit
Informative and enjoyable
Great book to introduce everyone to the universe or lest as much as we know about it now. Easy to read and understand. Not too technical to scare off the general public.
It was a great book. Very informative
A concise and practical review of the basics….
Dr Tyson always has a knack for explaining complex topics in an easy way. The content might have been covered elsewhere in bits and pieces by him. However, it’s all in one book now and he keeps his style throughout the book. I would recommend this anyone who is interested in learning these complex topics at high level despite their academic background. Good read!
Wonderful explanations of scientific phenomena that, on the surface, make no sense to the lay person (dark matter?)
The author has an incredible ability to present complex ideas in a way understandable for people who are far from physics. He makes thesense ideas fascinating and inspiring. His great sense of humor makes it hard for you to put the book down.
Love listening to the author narrate his book but a little to technical for me. Was hoping for something more geared toward the layperson.