Tyson always delivers on the science. I wasn’t as in love with this book as I was with his earlier work, however. Still a good read though.

Evidently, I wasn't in as much of a hurry as I thought. This is a fascinating book that alternately made me feel very small (not difficult) and part of something unfathomably great. Neil deGrasse Tyson has the gift of explaining involved concepts in a manner that make them feel, even if occasionally intimidating, like part of your life. His book reminded me that, even if I am, relatively, beyond minuscule, that what I do matters.

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Latest Book Makes Astrophysics Dead Simple
By Amethyst O’Connell (August 4, 2017)

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s newest book, released in May and meant to teach basic astrophysics to a general audience. It might be a little too simple for people who already know a bit about the topic, but for curious people with no background in astrophysics, it breaks down the science very well in one 208-page volume.

A lot of its style and tone is Biblical: “In the beginning, nearly fourteen billion years ago, all the space and all the matter and all the energy of the known universe was contained in a volume less than one-trillionth the size of the period that ends on this sentence.” There are clear parallels between this and Genesis. Although I can see why deGrasse Tyson took this stylistic choice, it not only comes off as a bit pretentious and condescending but is also borrowing style from a book whose style has suffered from years of translation errors. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry does have much better prose than the textbooks that would teach astrophysics in a university setting though, so I will give him that.

What this book lacks in prose, however, it delivers in content. It is jam packed from cover to cover with no-nonsense, just-the-basics astrophysics. If you don’t know anything about the topic and want to, this is a book for you. It explains complex concepts in a very simple way, and even goes into their history. True to its title, it is also a very quick read—a single chapter took me less than 10 minutes to read—meaning it could fit into anyone’s busy schedule.

For readers who know quite a bit about astrophysics already, I would recommend waiting for this book to be available at your local library. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is written for people who don’t know astrophysics at all, so if you have a bit of background, it might not have a lot to teach you. As a physics student, the book seemed very airy to me; in particular, I felt like there wasn’t enough calculus. That’s good for the demographic it’s aiming for, though, since calculus is made out by contemporary media to be a bit of a boogie man, and the public school system has not found a way to teach mathematics effectively in its cookie cutter one-size-fits-all formula. Still, it felt soul crushing to have another book that’s marketing “science to the masses” by discarding the mathematics that makes it possible. The popular-science industry needs to stop believing that math is too scary for the average person and start believing that cookie-cutter math teaching is the real problem. The lack of accessible books on the subject is making the problem worse, not better.

Ultimately, I think that Astrophysics for People in a Hurry has value as a basic introduction to the subject. If you don’t know anything about the subject and want to learn quickly, it’s meant for you. But if you’re already into astrophysics, there are better books about science to spend your weekend reading.

Dr. Tyson has shared much, much astrophysics theory and information in a small volume, so this book requires a bit of science background to fully appreciate it.
That said, even if your eyes glaze over, please read the last chapter. It is an important opinion piece on why this information on astrophysics and the galaxy is so important.
Absolutely fascinating read.

One quibble: I'm not an astrophysics guru, but I do know English grammar.
Early in the book, this phrase appears: " Nobody doesn't love . . ." !!!
Dr. Tyson!!! Who are your editors? Oh, well, small point in light of the rest of the book.

Only four stars because I am not an astrophysics expert, and, although I trust the information is accurate, I can't be a judge.

A fantastic, fascinating look at the universe - you can't read this and not leave smarter.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. is great If you know nothing of astrophysics. It's a great introduction and things are broken down to the simplest level making the terminology understandable for almost all readers. The book is very short and can easily be read in a day or two.

I enjoyed this book, I learned quite a few things, but I do think a working knowledge of some basic scientific principles are needed to fully enjoy this book. At times it talked at me and at times it engaged me. I've seen Neil deGrasse Tyson on Real Time with Bill Maher, and in interviews throughout the internet, and I am a fan. the strength of this book is that it speaks to actual astrophysicists, and plant seeds for noobs like me.

This is not a book for people who know absolutely nothing about space. I have watched Cosmos and The Universe and read many a book on space. This book I had to pay attention to even if I was already familiar with the concepts. It is for a person already familiar with science and space and wanted a higher level of understanding on the subject of astrophysics. It is short and sweet and packs a whopper of a punch with all the content it covers. It is well written and Neil deGrasse Tyson is always a pleasure to read. I love his sense of humor.

Do I know more about the universe than I did before? Yes. But I still struggled to get through this. I am a person in a hurry but it took me weeks to finish this book ;)

Science done right. Accessible to the layperson and engaging. Great for YA and adults. Definitely will recommend this book to any reader of science non-fiction. We need more books like this.

For those of us who aren't astrophysicists, this is a great primer for the cosmos. Mr. deGrasse Tyson is informative, entertaining, and understandable.

This was a fun introduction to astrophysics for the novice. There were times when Tyson's explanations went a little over my head (hey, it's been a really long time since my last science class), but for the most part I think I learned a little bit more about how our universe works in all its intricacies. I liked that Tyson cracked some jokes to keep the scientific explanations a little lighter, and I especially enjoyed his ponderings on alien life and if they might be able to see us let alone want to talk to us. All in all this was a very entertaining science book that I recommend to anyone who wants to learn a little bit about astrophysics in a not-too-daunting manner.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry demonstrates why Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the world’s foremost science communicators. Using his conversational style, Tyson relays the wonders of the cosmos without leaving the reader perplexed by scientific jargon. This compact book is divided into short, easily digestible chapters of information. Tyson remains one of my favorite educators because of his accessible approach to science and the universe.

Astrophysics etc

Neil, you don’t know me at ALL, do you? I love you – except for that thing where you did a TV remake of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, which ended up being disappointingly cartoonish…but after reading this new book, maybe that really IS my level! I had such high hopes going in to reading this…

The marketing is superb: “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.” (BTW, thanks to W.W. Norton and NetGalley for the copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.)

As I began, the preface sounded like it was meant for me: “…every one of us has looked up at the night shy and wondered: What does it all mean?...And, what is my place in the universe?” And I was thinking, OMG! Neil! Thank you! Then, you continue: “If you’re too busy to absorb the cosmos via classes, textbooks, or documentaries ...seek a brief but meaningful introduction to the field…” and I was HOOKED! This sounded perfect!!!

Then I began reading. In just a couple of pages, I was looking at “The ordinary photon is a member of the boson family. The leptons most familiar to the physicist are the electron and perhaps the neutrinos; and the most famous quarks are…well, there are no familiar quarks.” HUH? You lost me at photon (and boson and lepton).

I DID appreciate the places where he brought the abstract down to touching on real life (for some of us): “In America, local school boards vote on subjects to be taught in the classroom. In some cases, votes are cast according to the whims of cultural, political tides.” And this: “When I pore over the data that establish the mysterious presence of dark matter and dark energy throughout the universe, sometimes I forget that every day—every twenty-four-hour rotation of Earth—people kill and get killed in the name of someone else’s conception of God, and that some people who do not kill in the name of God, kill in the name of needs or wants of political dogma.”

So, what happened for me reading this was I was reminded that I am totally ignorant when it comes to science!!! Maybe Dr. Tyson will write some version of Astrophysics for Dummies. I would try it! And I really am glad I read this, because I love when he talks about our place in the universe and how the diminishing of science education can be a real disaster. It’s just that the beginning, when he got into the actual scientific lingo, it seemed there was a presumption of a certain level of scientific literacy – which I CLEARLY DO NOT HAVE.

So, I am giving this three stars. Five for the man and his approach to making science accessible to everyone – but a loss of two for the headache I got trying to follow the science.

As Mother's Day is fast approaching, I am thinking about what we can do for our children and their children. How about taking just a few minutes to watch what roughly 30 million people have already viewed? It's Neil deGrasse Tyson talking about science and politics:

embedded video from this link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/8MqTOEospfo

Then think about your family and choose to act. Maybe it's giving everyone a hug, maybe it's making a phone call or sending an email ... up to you.

Neil deGrasse Tyson has a new book titled ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY and I know that we have already had several requests for it. In the preface, he says, "at one time or another, every one of us has looked up at the night sky and wondered: What does it all mean? How does it all work? And, what is my place in the universe?"

In chapters with titles like "Dark Matter," "Invisible Light," and "Reflections on the Cosmic Perspective," Tyson explains the ideas behind our current understanding of the universe. I actually found myself pausing frequently to better digest and contemplate the information he shares. For example, he refers to how latest estimates show that the observable universe may contain a hundred billion galaxies. He goes on to share info about asteroids, individual elements, radio waves and much more in the relatively short 224 pages where Booklist said readers "will find Tyson's wittily delivered explanations compelling and disarmingly entertaining." Kirkus gave ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY a starred review.


This past Spring Tyson also noted: "Cutting the NEA & NEH to save money on a $3-trillion budget is like thinking 3 days is long relative to an 85-year lifespan." He tweeted that "Politics is one's reaction to data, not the data itself" and in the above video, he refers to "a recipe for the complete dismantling of our informed democracy."

We are fortunate to have so much opportunity to get smart about Science AND to think about the country's future. This week, Condoleezza Rice is speaking at New Trier on Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00pm in the Gaffney Auditorium. Her topic will indeed center around democracy and its challenges, including references to her new book: DEMOCRACY: STORIES FROM THE LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM.

Family Action Network (or FAN) are the local sponsors of the event and their invitation to the sold out presentation notes, "at a time when people around the world are wondering whether democracy is in decline, she shares insights from her experiences as a policy maker, scholar, and citizen."

We are in the midst of ordering new books to be processed this summer; if you have one to suggest, particularly related to science and/or government, please let us know.

It’s probably safe to say that most science fans out there have a bit of a crush on Neil deGrasse Tyson. The affable astrophysicist has entered popular culture to an extent that we haven’t seen from any celebrity scientist since Carl Sagan – or maybe ever.

Tyson is science’s greatest champion within the larger confines of the culture, so it’s no surprised that he’s written a book that aims to make some fairly complex stuff into engaging, accessible reading.

The result is “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry,” a collection of essays about the big questions – how the universe works and why, how we fit into it, those sorts of questions. And throughout, Tyson’s voice, delivering it all with enthusiasm and charm.

(The book’s chapters were adapted from the “Universe” series of essays that appeared in Natural History magazine at various times from 1997 to 2007.)

The 12 pieces serve as basic primers to larger scientific ideas. Each essay captures the basic essence of its assigned concept, but never falls into the trap of getting overly wonky or complex in the course of the discussion. Obviously, these aren’t intended to be scholarly explorations of ideas, but rather explanations intended to impart an introductory level of understanding.

One piece might deal with the nature of gravity and its myriad implications. Another might discuss the nature of light and its behavior. Still another might talk about dark matter and dark energy. Pulsars, quantum theory, exoplanets (not to mention the science behind the discovery and observation of these phenomena) – Tyson gives each topic the full benefit of both his scientific mind and his engaging persona.

Readers are going to find their own highlights depending on their more specific areas of interest (although anyone picking this book up in the first place is probably going to be delighted by its contents in their entirety), but some of my personal standouts include the paired mid-book chapters “Dark Matter” and “Dark Energy” and the surprising paean to the sphere “On Being Round.” In truth, however, every essay

Imparting information in this manner is difficult to do without coming off as lecturing, or worse, dumbing things down and/or lapsing into full-on condescension. The key is to go deep enough without going too deep. In many ways, that ability is the biggest reason that Tyson is as prominent a part of the zeitgeist as he is. He discusses ideas with a high-minded respect, but rather than speak over the heads of his audience, he gives them a hand up.

The entire collection serves as a wonderful example of Tyson’s brand of pop science writing – he gives his readers credit and leans on the “science” part of the equation while still taking into account the entertainment portion of the proceedings. The passion he feels about all of this is strikingly evident throughout; he’s perfectly aware that this book could serve as a gateway of sorts into a more thorough investigation of the ideas being presented and fully embraces his role as scientific proselytizer. He loves this stuff and can’t imagine that you won’t love it too.

“Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” is an ideal book for anyone looking for a crash course in or a brush-up on the basics of astrophysics. It’s a surprisingly breezy read considering the density of the subject matter, but Neil deGrasse Tyson has built a pop culture career on his ability to strike that balance. It’s smart and informative without every feeling dry, a chance to learn more about the stars even as you’re being encouraged to reach for them.

NDT explores, in layman's terms, the origin of the universe and its fascinating secrets...including the possibility of little green men out there...okay, maybe he referred to it as "life-sustaining planets". Great read, a must purchase!

Nonfiction
Adult
One of my roles while working at UBC involved sitting on the Science faculty curriculum committee, where we reviewed proposals for new and changes to courses, programs and degree requirements. As many of you know, my degrees are in history and information studies. So it became a half-serious joke between me and my colleagues that to get a BSc you should know more about pretty much every kind of science, from botany and ecology to physics and math, than I do. Not a high bar, I grant ya. I did complete Grade 12 studies of all the sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Physics) but as it’s been more than 30 years, my recall is weak at best. Thus I consider myself an excellent judge of the accessibility of this little book, which comes in at under 150 pages. As the title indicates, it’s a high-level introduction to the major concepts in astrophysics, such as the origins of the universe, dark energy and dark matter, radiowaves, and exoplanets. In his signature engaging and conversational style, Tyson explains the science of our universe using straightforward language and always conveying his lifelong passion for the stars. By no means does he dumb things down, either. We start out with Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity, and quantum mechanics. I found myself flipping back pages regularly to remind myself of something he’s explained, but I am happy to report I actually understood, or at least I think I do! And Tyson not only succeeds in explaining these topics to the non-scientist, but also in developing an appreciation for our place in space, what he calls, in the concluding Chapter 12, the Cosmic Perspective. Having completed this little gem, I feel both humbler and smarter! My thanks to publisher W.W. Norton for the advance reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32191710

I loved this. I love Neil deGrasse Tyson and I am excited that more science books are getting put out into the world. They are needed. This book is something that you need to take slowly. This is super meaty and honestly, my head was swimming after the first chapter. Basically, I read chapter one and thought, "I feel dumb." Then I read it again and I didn't feel as dumb as before and that pretty much was the tone for the entire book. With that said, this book was wonderful. I will definitely be looking for this as an audiobook later on. If you are interested in the universe and science this is one for you. Just take it slow and in the end, you will have expanded your universe of knowledge.

There is a lot of science stuffed into this small book. And I believe that I at least understood the book while I was reading it. Who knows how long it'll stay there (I'm hoping a long time, but, one never knows), but, it made more than enough sense in the moment, and he totally managed to find a balance between, 'I have to explain everything because I think the readers aren't educated', and 'This is a Ph.D. class paper, what do you mean you don't understand this forty syllable term'. I think that the book struck the perfect balance between the two.

Tyson is also a really good writer (the science aside), I mean, c'mon now, he managed to get a fart joke in the book. Heh, I love it. Not to mention all of his other sometimes hilarious asides.

It was not just a learning experience of a book, but it was quite the fun read too.

I got this ARC through Netgalley on behalf of W. W. Norton & Company.