Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

Enjoyable read, fun and interesting, Not overbearing or too technical to enjoy. Neil is a great writer and this is essentially a collection of essays from his published work in magazines. A wide collection of interesting topics,

While the book is entertaining there is not much science in it. I wanted to learn about black holes, neutron stars, and the predictions of general relativity, but did not find this book, despite its title, to be a good resource.

This review would have had a very different title if it was the first of NDT's books I read.

The book by itself is pleasant, entertaining, at times hilarious and uncovers many little wonders of the cosmos.

But

If you've read already some of his other books you will find out that some of its parts are a simple copy and paste exercise, the science never goes deeper than what a 10yo can grasp and some parts badly needed to be updated (by years) at the time the book had hit the shelves.

MDT is a smart and busy academic, yet this is no excuse to reuse whole chapters of previous pibblications in more tha one book whothout even caring to update.This is lazy, especially comming from someone who constantly complains about the lazyness of our species.

If it is your first NDT's book you read you will surely enjoy it all and ask for more. If it is the second, be ready to jump whole chapters that you've already seen.

I thought the book was good although somewhat repetative. I didnt like the end of the book which it seemed like the arthor was voicing his sediments against religion. I wanted to read about what Neil deGrasse Tyson knows and not his feelings towards religion.

OK, I get the point that the universe is old and huge and we are young and insignificant. The anit-religion tirade is outdated; I suppose the target is creationists, but there is a lot of religion that doesn't merit that tag.

I am a biology pHD and I've always found astronomy and astrophysics to be an interesting subject that I explore for fun. I've been reading a lot of science books lately, and the last few have been physics based. I found this book to be a fairly easy read. It never gets too specific or too difficult to understand for someone who is only brushing the surface of this field. It's definitely a good "introduction" to astrophysics as a concept (although it doesn't give you a feel on what it's like to be an astrophysicist) , so I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to start looking at astrophysics more.

The book itself is an assembly of previous publications, essays, and other pet projects Neil wrote. As a result, the chapters don't really have an overall arching structure or design. Each chapter is a random, self-serving subject, with an ultimate point into and of itself.

This wouldn't be a problem so much if that didn't result in the book needlessly and frequently repeating itself. Not only does NDT feel the need to repeat himself many times with subjects within the same chapter (usually with him stated "And to repeat myself"), but since each chapter was written independent of any other chapter, he will regurgitate explanations he's already given in some cases as many as four times. So similar are some of these sections that I often became confused and convinced that I was on the wrong page and rereading a portion of the book I'd already read.

There for, you'll hear NDT's "mantras" repeated again and again as well, and you'll quickly get a sense of what is important to him and what isn't. This is fine, but if you're like me you'll quickly get a sense that NDT is a tad condescending and bit conceited. One part that comes to mind was when he recited the joke "what is heavier, a ton of feathers or a ton of lead?" He was only 8 or so when he heard this joke, but he felt the need to tell us that he, as a little kid in elementary school, apparently didn't fall for it. So great a physicist in NDT that he figured out the joke upon it's first recitation before he even knew what physics was.

It's little things like this that bugged me throughout the entire book. The book is full of snide comments and condescension sometimes veiled as "jokes" scattered throughout. In fact, of the some 10 books I've read in the last few months, this one probably had me laughing the least, and some of those books were about some pretty heavy topics like cancer. Then, NDT completely jumps the shark near the end of the book when he goes on a tirade about "scientific misfacts". Many of these complaints aren't more than a commentary on how expressions, like "the sun setting in the west" and "north pole" aren't scientifically perfectly accurate. Apparently, since the sun rarely sets exactly in compass west, saying the sun sets in the west is a grievous sin. In these cases, NDT completely fails to realize what generalizations and expressions are. This might be forgivable, if NDT himself wasn't prone to making numerous inaccurate statements himself, such as when he claims sharks "want to eat you" and parasites "drink your fluids". If you're going to be pompous and demand statements be perfectly representative of reality, then you better treat your own writing with the same care.

Of course, the book isn't bad. I was mostly entertained (if not amused) through most of it. Very little of the science it mentions is more/different than what I've already seen in discovery channel documentaries or heard in astronomy 101 back in high school, so I can't say it really gave me insight into anything new. However, it was a nice refresher and made a few insightful or interesting points. I particularly liked his assessment on newspapers declaring "scientists are baffled!" I've never thought of it before, but he's absolutely right. Too much of the public see scientists as bastions of knowledge, but the entire point of science is to find things you are baffled about, and then work on solving them. If you didn't do that, you wouldn't be a scientist.

So, all in all, I enjoyed the book for what it was. It isn't a great science book, but it isn't bad either. That left it with 3 stars for me.

I really enjoy Neil deGrasse Tyson. I especially like his laid back and oft times humorous delivery of difficult concepts of science to comprehend. That's why I was disappointed with this book. I checked it out of my local library expecting great things and instead I got the standard description of what happens when you fall into a black hole. You know, the spagettification stuff and all that. I guess what I was looking for was more science of these phenomenon than the laymen description of what is in this book. The rest of the book is just more or less casual history, comments and thoughts about the universe. I found it boring and didn't read it completely through. This is my fault, but if the book doesn't hold my interest and is or was not what I thought it was then I won't waste my time reading it. I have been studying the universe for over 40 years, so I wanted more technical insight into everything he wanted to talk about in here and I just didn't get it. I feel there is too much over simplification in science these days, like the authors feel they can't sell a book if it contains math, or difficult concepts because most Americans are not up on the subject? This book was a dissappointment to me and will be to anyone that has a deeper understanding of the physics of the universe. This book just ain't it. This is my opinion of the book, if you don't agree with me fine, I don't care. I am entitled to my opinion just like you are so leave off the snotty remarks.

4 Platypires for Death by Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson

I guess I wanted to torture myself after reading a book by Stephen Hawking that I decided to pick up another science book. I felt I wanted a redo because a lot of what Hawking said went over my head. I was hoping deGrasse would be a better and he did deliver. He has the ability to break down complex science jargon for those who do not have a science background to understand. I commend him that ability because it must at times frustrating.
Death by Black Hole was a really decent read and I did learn quite a bit from. I would recommend this book to others to read.

I found this book quite readable. Tyson does a great job of explaining things in a way that laymen can understand many of the complexities of astrophysics. However, I gave this book a rating of three stars for a couple of reasons:

First, as many others have noted, Tyson repeats a lot of things throughout this book. This is largely because it consists of a collection of essays that were published at different times and in different settings. While I don't think this is a crippling problem, since occasional repetition is actually a good teaching tool, I do think that with better editing, this book could have been made even more readable.

Second, I had problems with some of Tyson's remarks concerning the relationship between science and religion. While I think he does rightly point out the problems with the "God in the Gaps" approach to Christian apologetics (this is the approach that says that whenever we come to the edge of human knowledge, the rest is the realm of God's work; this is problematic because as science advances in knowledge, the realm that is covered by the "God of the Gaps" seemingly becomes smaller and smaller). However, I do think there is a germ of truth in the "God of the Gaps" approach and that is that it at least acknowledges our inability to fully understand the universe, which I do think is a good thing, because no matter how much knowledge we accumulate, there is infinitely more in the cosmos that we simply don't understand.

However, I really did not appreciate Tyson's attitude towards Intelligent Design, which is basically that ID is somehow unscientific and has no place in the classroom. I think that's quite close-minded, because he's categorically ruling out the possibility that the Universe was created by a Higher Intelligence, and that the complexity of nature is evidence of that Higher Intelligence.

Ranging from the spectra of nebulae within our galaxy to how to be an astrophysicist with just a stick in the ground, this book covers a huge variety of topics for the common citizen scientist. Neil deGrasse Tyson explains how the universe works, how we thought the universe worked throughout history, and just the right amount of philosophy mixed in on why the universe works. It can teach you more than a textbook can, in less pages and much less boredom. If you are an aspiring astronomer or astrophysicist, a science nerd, or are someone who loves the night sky, I guarantee this book is for you. If you, like me, are all of these things, then you won't be able to put it down.
However, when I say "if you love the sky," I mean that. It may seem a bit logical, but if you find more interest in watching the grass grow than learning about space, this book will most likely be challenging and dull for you. Even if you may enjoy learning about science, but are not the most avid reader, it might be a bit of a let down. Keep in mind that this book keeps you interested and involved, it challenges your scientific and comprehensive ability, and it teaches you. It is a reasonable challenge for all readers, but you don't want it to be too much. Explaining the Five Points of Lagrange in just a page, and giving crash courses on how light forms inside stars, this book is wonderful for some and awful for others. But again, if you love to learn, I'm sure you'll love it.

I received this book this time last year as part of an exchange. I figured it is about time I write a review for it, yet I find myself struggling to come up with the right words to describe how I feel.

First I should mention that I love space. Despite this and the fact that I am actually a fairly intelligent human being, I have found that most books written about space, and physic in general, are written at such a high reading proficiency and are jargon heavy to the point that it is more chore to read than anything.

Neil deGrasse Tyson brings his trademark humor to this novel as well as making it genuinely enjoyable to read. For being a non-fiction book, it certainly did not read like one. Regardless of whether you are a newbie when it comes to space or a seasoned fan, Death by Black Hole is consciously written with an easy almost conservational style that draws the reader in. I personally feel that it opens a lot of doors to those who want to learn but may have difficulty with the language.

I recommend Death by Black Hole to everyone. Literally everyone.

I admit to being somewhat of a science geek. I’m intrigued by cosmic mysteries such as black holes, the space-time continuum, and the theory of relativity. In fact, my favorite thing to ask my husband about before we sleep at night… is quantum physics (not that I understand all his explanations!). So when this book caught my eye in the library, I thought it might help me understand a little more about the science of the universe. It was a highly readable and engaging overview of astrophysics!

Disclaimer: it is definitely written from an evolutionary viewpoint, however, in many of the essay-length chapters that bias is completely absent. It’s not until the final section of the book (“Science and God”) that it really comes out — and that’s about where I stopped reading. But if you’re curious about “how the universe works” — and if you’re discerning enough to recognize false teaching when it appears — then I would recommend this!

This was a very informative and educational book. while similar to a textbook, it was an easy read to handle. The info contained was good to know and it was given in a very humorous format. Knowing the authors credentials, I believe it to be accurate information. I do have one thing that did puzzle me. I have always heard that the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecrafts were the first to leave the solar system but on page 81 of the paperback edition, he writes, "The first spacecrafts to leave the solar system were Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, and its twin Pioneer 11, launched in 1973". Am I missing something in the paragraph. I have since double checked on the web and all articles claim that fame for the Voyager missions. If someone in the know would comment about it I would be grateful. I also like the sectional format as I could read a few chapters, put the book down and come back later without having to remember what he was talking about. Sort of like the James Herriots books if you read them,.

Death by Black Hole is a highly accessible collection of essays on astrophysics, cosmology, and the intersection of science and popular culture. The book is actually a collection of short essays, so each chapter is about 5-8 pages and tackles a different topic (though there is a small amount of repetition in different parts of the book). As a result, the book lacks an overarching narrative, although this may help in making it a real page turner (as the reader doesn't get bogged down in the intricacies of any one subject).

I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed this book, even though I have always been fascinated by the subject. Tyson is, as always, an engaging and enthusiastic guide to the cosmos, and he explains things with remarkable clarity. At the risk of sounding juvenile, my only recommendation for the book would have been to include some illustrations or pictures to help readers understand some phenomena described by Tyson that are difficult to visualize. In any event, this is a great book for anyone with at least a passing interest in the universe, whether as an introduction to the subject or as a complement to other popular books in this genre.

An astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, where he serves at its world-famous Hayden Planetarium, Neil deGrasse Tyson has written a popular account of the evolution of the universe: its past, present, and future--from its beginning with a big bang to its ending with a whimper.

In Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, Tyson sees the universe "not as a collection of objects, theories, and phenomena, but as a vast stage of actors driven by intricate twists of story line and plot."

Each of the book's 42 chapters first appeared, in one form or another, on the pages of Natural History magazine under the heading "Universe" and span the 11-year period of 1995 through 2005. In spite of modest editing of the essays, there remains some overlapping and repetition of information.

Tyson divides his work into seven sections: "The Nature of Knowledge," "The Knowledge of Nature," "Ways and Means of Nature," "The Meaning of Life," "When the Universe Turns Bad," "Science and Culture," and "Science and God."

He discusses, respectively, the challenges of knowing what is knowable in the universe, the challenges of discovering the contents of the cosmos, the challenges and triumphs of knowing how we got here, all the ways the cosmos wants to kill us, the ruffled interface between cosmic discovery and the public's reaction to it, and when ways of knowing collide.

Tyson introduces a diverse company of actors who perform on the universal stage: galaxies, solar systems, stars, quasars, black holes, supernovas, planets, moons, comets, asteroids and meteorites. These cosmic thespians emerge as a strange, bizarre, mind-boggling, awesome and dangerous cast of characters.

Along the way, we meet some of the big names in the history of astrophysics: Nicolaus Copernicus, whose De Revolutionibus (1543) placed the Sun instead of Earth at the center of the known universe; Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler, who extended the Copernican revolution; Sir Isaac Newton, whom Tyson calls "one of the greatest intellects the world has ever seen," and whose Principia (1687) described the universal laws of gravity; Albert Einstein, whose special theory of relativity (1905) and general theory of relativity (1916) postulated that space-time is warped in the presence of massive gravitation fields; Max Planck. the founding father of quantum mechanics; and Werner Heisenberg, proponent of the infamous uncertainty principle.

A recent speculation about how the universe works is string theory, which seeks to unite the apparent contradiction between how the macrocosmos works (determinism) and how the microcosmos works (indeterminism). Like many of the quandaries that baffle physicists, the jury is still out on string theory.

Tyson is deeply committed to the scientific method. He is an empiricist, pragmatist, skeptic and, one suspects, an agnostic. In "The Perimeter of Ignorance," the final section of his book, Tyson fulminates against the 17th- and 18th-century view of a "clockwork universe" and its modern version, "intelligent design," which is itself a disguised version of so-called Creation Science.

Far from being a clockwork universe, Tyson argues, the cosmos is actually a chaos. "The invisible light picked up by the new telescopes," he writes, "shows that mayhem abounds in the cosmos: monstrous gamma-ray bursts, deadly pulsars, matter-crushing gravitational fields, matter-hungry black holes that flay their bloated stellar neighbors, newborn stars igniting within pockets of collapsing gas . . .galaxies that collide and cannibalize each other, explosions of supermassive stars, chaotic stellar and planetary orbits."

One doesn't have to venture into the outer reaches of space to find such mayhem: "Our cosmic neighborhood--the inner solar system--turns out to be a shooting gallery, full of rogue asteroids and comets that collide with planets. Occasionally, they've even wiped out stupendous masses of Earth's flora and fauna. The evidence all points to the fact that we occupy not a well-mannered clockwork universe, but a destructive, violent, and hostile one."

Tyson's conclusion? "Science is a philosophy of discovery. Intelligent design is a philosophy of ignorance. . . . It doesn't belong in the science classroom." He deplores the prospect that we Americans might just sit in awe of what we don't understand, mesmerized by a pious allegiance to "the God of the gaps," while our science and technology loses ground and we watch the rest of the world boldly go where no mortal has gone before.

Tyson comes across as having an excellent grasp of the current state of astrophysics, cosmology, chemistry, and other scientific disciplines, and, except for a few dense passages, he conveys his knowledge clearly to the nonspecialist, often doing so with ingratiating humor and wit.

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries Book Review
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, written by Neil deGrasse Tyson, is a nonfiction book that was published in 2007 by W.W. Norton & Company. It’s not hard to tell what this book is about because it’s based on exactly what the title says: dying from a black hole and other cosmic quandaries. I’ve only finished reading through section three of this book, but I’ve learned a lot already about the cosmos and the very small portion of it that we occupy and call Earth. I’ve read about antimatter, what’s possible to learn about our solar system with a “stick in the mud,” cosmic plasma, the speed of light in empty space, and so much more. The book Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, based on the portion of it that I have read, is a highly educational book on lots of different quandaries of our cosmos that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about.
As previously mentioned, the contents of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s book are many different cosmic quandaries. He addresses lots of different questions that people may have about Earth, our sun, our solar system, our universe, and the cosmos. His goal in writing this book was to explain these questions and to inform the readers about the knowledge we have about the cosmos as simply as he can. Basically, he’s taking very complex knowledge of our cosmos and explaining it so that younger people in our world can understand and comprehend it. This is the major reason that I enjoy Tyson’s book. His ability to simplify complex information is phenomenal. People reading Tyson’s book to expand their knowledge on the cosmos will find themselves very entertained by it, clinging on to every bit of information that Tyson mentions.
People with questions about our cosmos just might find the answers to them in Tyson’s book Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries. Even people who don’t think that they’ll be able to understand the complex information presented in Tyson’s book will be very satisfied with the simple terms he uses to explain the information. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I find myself very entertained by it. For all people interested in learning about our cosmos, don’t be afraid to pick up Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

After a hundred reviews, what can mine add? I've finished Dion Graham's audiobook version. Having seen Neil deGrasse Tyson on "The Colbert Report" promoting his newest book last week, he has the ability to charm audiences with his own wit and knowledge. I wondered why he did not read this audiobook, but Graham's delivery shares its author's talents at getting across to listeners the often challenging (how can it not be?) material of daunting astrophysics--for the rest of us.

As previous comments tend to focus on the printed version, and only a few allude to the audiobook, I'll elaborate a bit. I'd finished the admirable Michael Pritchard's patrician, assured recital of a book nearly twice this length, 19 discs of Brian Greene's 2004 "The Fabric of the Cosmos," recommended to me by a friend who has an interest in astronomy and who's a poet. She admired Greene's ability to use metaphor to simplify complexity. While Greene's book is far more ambitious than Tyson's, both translate advanced research and correct what we think we know about science as it tackles the mysteries to make them less so all around--and especially above--us. Their delight in the stars reminded me of childhood wonder.

Similarly, I found Tyson's approach understandable for myself, who has read far more poetry than physics. Tyson's cleverness, as others note, in this essay collection of 42 articles lightly edited and arranged as the preface explains, tends to delight many and make a few weary of his repeated anecdotes and often, I admit, one-liners and asides, half-great half-groaners.

Tyson prefers a conversational, casual approach. It can ramble, but part of this style can be attributed or blamed on its origins as magazine columns. A few jokes repeat and a few anecdotes do too. Still, anyone who can sum up the vagaries of what's "between our legs" as "an entertainment complex built next to a sewage system" (this book does cover a lot of ground, this analogy in the end section about God vs. Science!) deserves acclaim. Unfortunately, the audiobook skipped at one of its best parts: when Tyson "corrects" movie mistakes about science.

Graham's delivery is entertaining, too, but he does mispronounce some words repeatedly. Yet, in his likable tones and steady but somewhat wry pitch, he is well suited for the role, overall. There's a dash of the vaudeville comedian or talk-show performer in Tyson's style, and this has its advantages when getting across funny or silly moments, which feature far less in more serious elucidations such as Greene's! However, I found I could follow both astronomers with interest, on my commute. "Death by Black Hole" did drift, as with Greene (where I expected it) into spectography and the history of science more than I'd anticipated, but Tyson argues that radio astronomy and spectral studies merit as much popularization as do the more familiar imagery of the (doctored for our eyes) Hubble Space Telescope's observations.

Some reviewers were upset by the polemical shift in the closing section, but given my own classroom experience, I found Tyson's advocacy of not a "God in the gaps" via "intelligent design" as sensible. He rises to rhetorical flourishes, rather than one-liners, in a conclusion advocating a fearless, rational, and logical approach refusing to give over to a Creator what we humans cannot figure out on our own. I predict, after reading or hearing this, most of his audience will agree.

I firmly believe that the various scientific disciplines need to find spokespersons that are able to describe the findings of science and the work of scientists to the general public in ways that are both accessible and entertaining. Science has produced very few of these in modern times. Carl Sagan was good at this, and the scientific community looked down on him for it. Hopefully, they won't treat Neil DeGrasse Tyson the same way, because he is a terrific spokesman for the interests of science.

This book is a collection of essays about science (largely focusing on astronomy and astrophysics, which are the areas of Tyson's expertise), previously published, but collected here into a single volume. Because these essays were originally published separately, there is a little repetition in the content (especially in his descriptions of how the heavier elements were formed), but this might not be quite as jarring if the reader only reads a few essays at a time or skips around, rather than reading the book straight through, as I did.

Tyson does a terrific job of explaining how science works to describe the universe, and how our understanding has improved incrementally through the centuries. He also is really good at explaining our current understanding of the universe and how it came to be as it is. His description of the formation of matter and the evolution of stars are highly accessible, explaining the complex realities of modern physics in terms that should be readily understood by anyone who is truly interested. In addition, Tyson's clearly has a sense of humor, as evidenced by the jokes (some better than others) scattered throughout these essays.

This book is an excellent introduction for anyone that wants to get a better understanding about what science currently has to say about how the universe was formed, and what science predicts about its future. As such, it can only help people better understand news articles about future breakthroughs in these areas. If only other scientific disciplines could find equally articulate experts to describe their work.

Very fun and engaging book. Started a little slow for me (I've been studying space for 25 years and am also an amateur stargazer) but halfway through I started learning some interesting facts that I didn't know anything about. Within the writing, sometimes you'll get a snapshot of Tyson's ego coming through and it's slightly off-putting...but overall a great book and well worth the read!

Fun and witty, but often quite cynical, Neil DeGrasse Tyson takes the reader through the history, to the present, and into the future of the field of astrophysics. His ability to simplify complicated concepts for the average reader makes this book ideal for those (like me) with lots of curiosity, but limited backgrounds in physics and mathematics. Tyson makes the Universe out to be a thrilling and dynamic place, full of mystery, but also predictable and understandable. His portrayal of the remaining gaps in our knowledge about how the Universe works, how it began, and how it will end, may inspire future scientists. His belief in the power of science is unmatched, and his disdain for the ignorant is immense.

This book is about a lot more than just black holes, although those enigmatic structures obviously interest him greatly, and are discussed at length in various parts of this book. Much of DEATH BY BLACK HOLE details the development of the scientific method, physics, and astronomy, providing a strong foundation for understanding and appreciation of the history of science in general and astrophysics in particular. Another significant chunk of the book deals with the lack of scientific literacy and bad-science myths that our culture nurtures. Tyson enjoys poking fun at misconceptions, mistakes, and willing ignorance, and does so in a cynical and biting way. He shows no mercy for catholic priests or film directors. While much of this is funny and enjoyable, there are times that Tyson gets a bit overly-cynical and negative about American culture as well as other scientific fields. His view that astrophysics represents the supreme science is obvious and extremely arrogant, as many of his jests come off as variations of "I'm so smart, you're so dumb."

As far as being educational though, this book should please any non-astrophysicist reader. Full of well-described detail bringing our Universe into sharp focus, while highlighting the great Unknowns, this book succeeds brilliantly in its goals. Highly recommended for all!

This book is a collection of magazine articles concerning astronomy and astrophysics, but the association with science should not put one off as the book is written in plane language, without any recourse to mathematics. While it is made from a collection of science articles, it has a coherent framework that makes it read as a consistent hole, as opposed to a collection of parts. Dr. Tyson writes with the same engaging style as he manifests in his numerous appearances on educational cable channels such as the Science Channel and the Discovery Channel. When reading this book I could easily imagine his witty narration. The book is humorous and very informative. The nature of the solar system, black holes, quasars and much more are presented in a very clear manner. While I was familiar with much of what was covered, I found new and fascinating tidbits in every chapter. For instance, owing to the fact that the earth bulges at the equator, Mount Everest is not the tallest mountain on earth, at least in terms of the distance of the summit from the center of the earth, as opposed to the distance above sea level (see P.52). Did you know that the Universe is a light shade of beige (see P.167) or that the electronic attraction of the electrons from a thimble full of lunar dust is greater than the gravitational attraction between the earth and the moon (see P.169). Chapter 32 describes many of the multitudes of ways in which life (at least that of complicated organisms, such as humans) could be destroyed by cosmic events. Chapter 33 describes the "Death by a Black Hole" and why a small black hole would shred you faster than a larger one. Chapter 34 debunks many misconceptions, such as "the North Star is the brightest star", or that the "Sun is yellow".

This is a fascinating and informative book, which I heartily recommend to anyone interested in the earth, our solar system and the surrounding universe. The treatment is light and focuses on the what, but not the why. I would recommend Brian Greene's "Fabric of the Cosmos" if you want a general treatment of the why.

New York Planetarium director and astrophysicist Tyson has been writing a column for "Natural History" magazine for some 11 years - that makes about 132 short essays. Tyson says this monthly chore is "one of the most exhausting and exhilarating things I do." Forty-two of these essays appear in this volume, "mildly edited for continuity and to reflect emergent trends in science."

He divides these essays into seven sections:

1. THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE - The challenges of knowing what is knowable in the universe.
2. THE KNOWLEDGE OF NATURE - The challenges of discovering the contents of the cosmos.
3. WAYS AND MEANS OF NATURE - How nature presents herself to the inquiring mind.
4. THE MEANING OF LIFE - The challenges and triumphs of knowing how we got here.
5. WHEN THE UNIVERSE TURNS BAD - All the ways the cosmos wants to kill us.
6. SCIENCE AND CULTURE - The ruffled interface between cosmic discovery and the public's reaction to it.
7. SCIENCE AND GOD - When ways of knowing collide.

"Natural History" is the same magazine Stephen J. Gould wrote 300 essays for, overlapping with Tyson for seven years. In both cases, the authors excelled in making their respective fields (evolutionary biology and cosmology) easily readable for the general public, adding to their already impressive credentials.

From page 33: "This universality of physical laws tells us that if we land on another planet with a thriving alien civilization, they will be running on the same laws that we have discovered and tested here on Earth - even if the aliens harbor different social and political beliefs. Furthermore, if you wanted to talk to the aliens, you can bet they don't speak English or French or even Mandarin Chinese. You don't even know whether shaking their hands - if indeed they have hands to shake - would be considered an act of war or of peace. Your best hope is to find a way to communicate using the language of science."

The format provides for benign redundancy as the Big Bang, formation of galaxies, creation of the chemicals in the periodic chart, and predictable physics versus chaos of interactions are looked at over and over from differing perspectives. This book is highly entertaining and I recommend it for anyone who wants to buff up their knowledge of astronomy (cosmology, astrophysics...) or for the confirmed science nut like me. First rate!

"And behold the greatest mystery of them all: an unopened can of diet Pepsi floats in water while an unopened can of regular Pepsi sinks." - From DEATH BY BLACK HOLE

On graduating from high school near the top of my class, I had visions of becoming an aeronautical engineer helping send missions to the stars. (This was in 1967 during the height of the "space race".) But, the realities of university-level physics and differential calculus soon brought me back to earth with a crash. And then I got drafted. If only I'd had DEATH BY BLACK HOLE to read, I might've been inspired to greater academic efforts. I could've become a superstar in the field of astrophysics, you think?

Well, probably not; I'm more of a Life Sciences kind of guy.

In forty-two chapters arrayed in seven sections, astrophysicist Neil deGasse Tyson guides us on a grand tour of the universe from the Big Bang 14 billion years ago to its projected end trillions of years hence when all energy is dissipated and cosmic death arrives with a whimper.

Section 1: "The challenges of knowing what is knowable in the universe" covers (the inadequacies of) our built-in human senses, the universality of physical laws, the ability of scientific observations to fool the observer, the potential trap of overabundant information, and what can be learned using the most rudimentary of measuring systems, which, in Tyson's example, is an upright stick stuck into the ground.

Did you know that Saturn's rings will be gone in about 100 million years? Book your seat on the tour early.

Section 2: "The challenges of discovering the contents of the cosmos" sets forth the genesis and journey of the Sun's energy, the (re)definition of "habitable zone" when considering the Solar System's planets and moons, asteroids, Lagrange Points, and antimatter.

Did you know that there's an asteroid named Ralph? Actually, I like to contemplate one named "Bob."

Section 3: "How nature presents herself to an inquiring mind" comprises discussions of physical and numerical constants, the speed of light, orbital mechanics, density, the visible light spectrum, rays other than visible light (radio, micro, infrared, ultraviolet, x, gamma), the colors of the cosmos, cosmic plasma, and the universe's temperature extremes.

Did you know that the coldest temperature ever achieved in a laboratory was 500 picokelvins (0.0000000005 degrees K)? Do you suppose the lab gnomes wore their wooly longjohns that day?

Section 4: "The challenges and triumphs of knowing how we got here" explores space dust, cosmic chemistry within supernovas, element synthesis within stars' cores (hydrogen to helium to carbon to nitrogen to oxygen to sodium to magnesium to silicon ... to, lastly, iron), the necessity of water for "habitability", the sources and properties of terrestrial water, the cosmic genesis of the molecular building blocks of life, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and Earth's radio footprint in the universe.

Did you know that hydrogen, carbon and oxygen are the top three ingredients of life on Earth? What, not chocolate? Say it ain't so, Joe!

Section 5: "All the ways the cosmos wants to kill us" delves into the inherent cosmic chaos, killer asteroids and comets, the eventual deaths of the Earth, Sun and universe, the properties of black holes, types of killer radiation, and DEATH BY BLACK HOLE.

Did you know that in 2036 the asteroid Apophis may slam into the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California generating a tsunami that'll drown the former and devastate the Pacific Rim? Dude, surf's up!

Section 6: "The ruffled interface between cosmic discovery and the public's reaction to it" surveys the unthinking things people say, the fear of certain numbers, scientific bafflement, the historically shifting cultural and national nodes of scientific discovery, the erosion of nocturnal darkness by city lights, and Hollywood's misrepresentation of the cosmos.

What is the error in the following statement?

"Days (i.e. the period of daylight) get shorter in the winter and longer in the summer."

Section 7: "When ways of knowing collide" describes the first two minutes after the Big Bang, the necessarily irreconcilable differences between religion and science, and the boundaries of our ignorance.

Did you know that Galileo reportedly stated during his trial, "The Bible tells you how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go"? Right on, bro.

Sections 6 and 7 represent a change in the tone of Tyson's narrative in that, to a large degree, they reflect the author's opinions rather than observed scientific facts. Indeed, a portion of Section 6 the author himself describes as a "rant". I'm not convinced that Neil's personal views provide a smoothly contiguous ending, but the whole is so superlative that I'll not nit-pick or knock off a star. Indeed, the strength of Tyson's writing is that he makes esoteric knowledge accessible to the average reader (such as one who bombed out of university physics and calculus). An example of his humorously common touch is:

"As a child, I knew that at night, with the lights out, infrared vision would discover monsters hiding in the bedroom closet only if they were warm-blooded. But everybody knows that your average bedroom monster is reptilian and cold-blooded. Infrared vision would thus miss a bedroom monster completely because it would simply blend in with the walls and the door."

In the perfect reading experience, I'm both diverted and educated. Both elements may otherwise be present or not. An example of a book that's entertaining but thoroughly non-instructional would be, say, any one of the Jack Reacher thrillers by Lee Child, e.g. Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher). At the opposite extreme would be any random school text regardless of how competently it presents the material. DEATH BY BLACK HOLE joins two other books that immediately come to mind that satisfy immensely on both levels: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson and Roving Mars : Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet by Steve Squyres. Tyson has written a volume for any inquiring and thinking reader who's ever gazed up at a cloudless night sky with wonder and the thought,"Cool! What's that all about?"

DEATH BY BLACK HOLE should be required reading for incoming high school freshmen; early on, it might get them focused on a career worth pursuing.

Tyson's "Death by Black Hole" is a collection of essays (42 in all) that had previously appeared as articles over the span of 10 years. This book gathers them up and divides them thematically into seven sections.

Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium, makes complex astrophysics accessible to the casual reader. Even though the essays were initially separate, the book works very well as a whole and, indeed, each section builds nicely off the section that precedes it. In theory, since each essay was originally a separate entity, one could read this book in any order he saw fit but in practice, given the thematic connections, one would be wise to read this book from start to finish.

There are 2 major complaints I have. The first is that the book DOES work well from start to finish but at the same time, since each essay had been its own autonomous unit, historical characters and scientific concepts get introduced, reintroduced and re-re-introduced as nauseum (I lost track on how many times Tyson told me who Copernicus was). That defect is more the fault of the editors and publishers than it is Tyson's. The second complaint has to do with the last section of the book entitled "Science and God." The tone of this section does not match the rest of the book. Tyson in the first 6 sections is playful and humorous, in the "Science and God" section, he drops the humor and switches to diatribe against the concepts of "God" and "intelligent design." And given this was also the last section of the book, it is safe to say that after all the "light-hearted fun" of learning how one would die in a black hole, one is left on a "down note" of Tyson's diatribe. In truth, for the first 6 sections (and other than the first complaint noted above), I thought this to be a 5 star work. Then, after reading section 7, I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. I need not pass on the merits of Tyson's argument (and it does have merit) to point out that he should either re-work this last section so that its tone matches the rest of the book or else he should drop it entirely.

To the reviewer who noted that "Tyson is funnier in person than on paper," you would be happy to know that the Audio edition of "Death by Black Hole" cures that deficiency. Dion Graham's narration provides all the right inflections which help bring out the humor of Tyson's writing. In his reading of "All the ways the cosmos want to kill us" the reader picks up the intonation of sarcasm in Graham's voice and is immediately alerted (if he did not know already) that the cosmos are indifferent to us (though WE are not indifferent to the cosmos).

It was not that long ago, relatively speaking, that everything revolved around the Earth. It made sense: after all, it was the sun that moved through the sky and no one felt any special spinning motion underneath them. Then, Copernicus led the way to teaching us that the sun was the center of things, leading us on a journey that would expand our understanding of the skies and let us know that the true center of the universe was everywhere and nowhere.

Copernicus was also an early victim of the war against scientific ignorance, a war that continues to this day. Most notably with evolution, but on other topics as well, there are plenty who disregard evidence that conflicts with their beliefs. Fortunately, there are good science writers who can provide illumination to fight back the shadows of ignorance. Neil deGrasse Tyson is one such writer, as Death by Black Hole affirms.

This book is a collection of essays that originally appeared in Natural History magazine and focus on astronomy. In the 40+ chapters, he discusses many topics, from the planets and the stars to the Big Bang to the possibilities of alien life (and, of course, black holes). There are also several chapters dealing with the cultural and religious conflicts with science. As with many collections of essays, there is a bit of redundancy between chapters, but this is not a huge problem.

If you're into astronomy (or science in general), you're not likely to learn a lot in this book, though Tyson does present his material in a refreshingly entertaining manner. Compared with Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe and similar books, this book is rather elementary, but that is fine. Tyson is following in the footsteps of Isaac Asimov and others who have the talent to introduce scientific concepts clearly to those who have not been really exposed to them. So why curse the darkness when there are candles like Tyson to provide the light of knowledge?

Our great communicators of science have been dying too young: both Carl Sagan and Stephen Jay Gould were barely into the sixties when they left us. The question then becomes, who is to replace them? One of the first names to come up in such discussions is often that of Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.

Like Gould, Tyson was asked to produce a monthly column for Natural History, the magazine published by the museum. Here is collected many of those pieces. Focusing of course on astronomy, they are a lightweight, readable overview of the field and the latest findings therein. In fact, for the most part it's a little too lightweight for me, but then I'm finishing up a master's degree in astronomy, so I'm not exactly the typical reader. Even then, there are plenty of good essays in here, particularly when he takes on astronomical blunders in the movies (after spending tens of millions to reproduce the ship in excruciating detail, why couldn't Titanic at least bother to get the stars right?) or common misconceptions (no, the days don't get shorter during the winter, and the Sun hardly ever rises in the East, strictly speaking), or, more morbidly, all the ways that some astronomical object or event could destroy all human life, which takes up several essay, including the one that gives the book its title.

His style is wonderfully clear, with entertaining, down-to-earth asides at appropriate moments, and frequently relating cosmological concepts to more prosaic ones. So, while I wouldn't recommend the book to the astronomically erudite, anyone with more than a passing interest should find it interesting and enjoyable.

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries is a fascinating book in which Neil deGrasse Tyson takes us on a journey from Earth’s geography to theories on relativity to the depths of our universe. He is able to discuss these topics for even those who aren’t famous astro-physicists or striving scientists; Tyson starts with basics and goes deeper, but as he does so, he breaks down the details explaining each step of the way. What makes the book more enjoyable, than simply reading articles about such topics, is Tyson’s ability to speak to his audience through his book. He often times relates these phenomenons to everyday life; for example, “... I was having a hot-cocoa night... I had ordered it with whipped cream, of course...I saw no trace of it… he asserted I couldn’t see the whipped cream because it sank to the bottom… I offered the waiter two possible explanations: either somebody forgot to add the whipped cream or the universal laws of physics were different in his restaurant” (Tyson 37). I, personally, found myself chuckling now and then. His comical side notes not only made the book more enjoyable, but it did help put ideas/thoughts into more simpler terms. Besides his witty comments, the overall layout and order of the book helps readers get deeper into topics without sudden jumps from one idea to another; starting from more literal and concrete theories then slowly progressing towards more radical ideas. The overall fluidity made it a quick and easy read. Finally, Death by Black Hole contains the perfect amount of information in which readers may grasp each topic discussed without too much unnecessary information being thrown at them. It was reassuring looking at the pages of work cited, starting from professors, to scholarly journals, to other published books because there are books that discuss such topics, such as outer space, that are solely based on the authors knowledge, or contain little/bais resources. Neil deGrasse Tyson gives factual thoughts and concepts with little bias and persuasion. I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy the topic of cosmology, physics, or just want to learn something new; on the other hand, I would not recommend this book to people who lack interest in the topics discussed because some parts may feel dragged on.

"Death by Black Hole" is a collection of 42 essays originally published in "Natural History" Magazine. Thus, they have the virtue of being erudite, comprehensible by the non-scientist, and brief. The subjects Tyson takes on include just about every aspect of cosmology, including black holes, anti-matter, the planets of the solar system, the creation and death of stars, life, the End of it All, God, and science and the public.

Most of the essays are good -- and those that aren't can be skipped. As in most collections a coherent narrative between one essay and another is not always achieved although there is a general progression in the book from the cozy and close up (earth) to the ominous -- the end of the universe. Along the way, Tyson gives one of the best descriptions I have read of the formation of stars and heavy elements, in his essays "Forged in the Stars" and "Send in the Clouds." Many other good passages and good essays will be attractive to readers who don't want to spend a lot of time soaking up some cosmology and scientific lore.

I'll mark this book down a star because it imparts a lot of information, but the totality is not a complete picture of the universe as scientists now think it may be. But in terms of readibility and interest, "Death by Black Hole" ranks highly.

Smallchief

I'm not a guy who knows much of anything about astrophysics, but I love science fiction, so my ignorance is a frequent irritant. After seeing Tyson on The Daily Show and Real Time With Bill Maher, though, I thought he might be the right person to help me develop my understanding of what goes on outside our atmosphere.

The book is actually a compilation of essays Tyson wrote, so it reads very episodically, focusing on one or two concepts for each chapter. As the book progresses, the explanations get more and more reliant on your grasp of the previous chapters.

While Tyson is probably one of the best physicists to explain these ideas in terms a layperson can understand, I will admit having gotten a little lost from time to time. Without a basic understanding of physics or a desire to learn, this book won't work for you. If you're willing to try, though, you should find this text enlightening, at times funny, and in the end inspiring.

Comprehending the complexities of the current knowledge base of advanced astrophysics is a near impossibility to most lay people. Neil Degrasse Tyson, the current director of New York City's Hayden Planetarium and one of the worlds most fascinating astrophysicists, takes to the task of presenting all these complexities in a manner even us simpler minds can comprehend and enjoy.

Tyson dives into the growth of the sciences over the last few centuries, explains the evolution of the scientific process, and details the discoveries science has produced about the universe around us. He also discusses the gross misunderstandings about science and the reasons why many nonsensical fallacies have managed to endure.

For anyone with even a mild interest of the science of the stars, Death by Black Hole will prove to be a very entertaining read. Tyson has an engaging curiosity and a very deep knowledge of astrophysics. He writes clearly and with dry humour, and as a result he is able to communicate the intricacies of astrophysics exceptionally well.

Death by Black Hole: And other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson is a book that is without doubt informative to those without advanced education in astrophysics (like me), while remaining engaging and entertaining. I really enjoyed Tyson’s straightforward writing style and bits of humor inserted here and there. As I read this book I found myself wishing I hadn’t given my high school physics teacher such a hard time and had paid a little more attention in class, but at least I had this book to spark a renewed interest in things out of this world. I appreciate Tyson’s ability to explain concepts in a way that isn’t dry, and I’ll likely be reading more of his books.

First of all I am not a scientist, but if all science teachers had the wit, confidence and attitude of Mr. Tyson, then we all (non-scientists) would have probably paid more attention in class. I could not put the book down and although I thought it dragged just a little bit in the middle (the re-hashing of the atomic make up and eventual atomic breakdown of stars), the repetetive nature of some of his information was excellent in terms of helping the layperson to retain the information.

The amount of subject matter explained in this book is pretty heavy for a non-scientist, yet Mr. Tyson is able to get the points and information across in witty and entertaining way. I did feel that I learned a lot from reading this, from him talking about the smallest of structures such as antimatter, positrons, atoms, etc. to him explaining the largest of structurs and how they work (the universe). Theories on the Big Bang are explained as is the theories and probabilities of other life in the universe. What it would be like to be sucked into a black hole is described as is what it will happen when our Sun will eventually expand, destroying Earth, then die. How about what will happen when our solar system collides with our closest neighboring solar system, the Andromeda Galaxy? It is explained. Mr. Tyson has a talent for making the end of the universe, the eventual extinction of human-kind and our own insignificance sound as entertaining as a movie drama, and he does it with enthusiasm. This book is scary if you were to sit back and ponder the very distant, and maybe not so distant future (did you know there is an asteroid as big as the Rose Bowl that in 2029 will come so close to Earth that it will pass underneath some of our satellites AND if its path travels through certain spot or "keyhole" by Earth, its orbit will fluctuate enough to send it on a collision course with Earth in 2037 - hitting somewhere in the Pacific between Hawaii and California? Shouldn't someone be working on this worse case scenario?). It was eventual that with all the information presented, he was going to touch on the science vs. religion debate. His explanation of where religion and science have crossed paths in the past and where they are clashing now is very well explained, but it is still presented in his fact rich, confident, pro-science tone.

There is too much in the book to cover in a review. But I would say that to truly enjoy it, you would have to read some of it, then go outside at night and look up at the stars. Then read more of it and go look through telescope, read more of it and look up pictures from the Hubble Telescope online. The book, to me, was an informative doorway that opened up my eyes to the universe around and our place (and insignificance) in it.

I have watched a few documentaries by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and he did a fantastic job of explaining Science concepts in them. He has done an equally exceptional work in this book as well.

We can call this as 'a Science book for the common man', since even people with basic knowledge will have an educating and entertaining experience going through the book. IMHO, this is a book for all ages.

Complicated topics like Quasars, Quantum Theory and Black holes are detailed with utmost simplicity. The book covers a wide range of subjects and takes a deep-dive on many of them.

In most chapters, I was able to paint a mental picture of the material I was reading. Such is the flair of the Author's presentation.

The universe is a confounding place. The author attempts to explain science with humor in this collection of essays.We have black holes, dark matter, theories of contraction, expansion, the big bang all of them go into areas that the average person might find confusing. Neil DeGrasse Tyson's new collection of essays written between 1995 through 2005 for NATURE magazine proposes questions and answers that those without a degree in astrophysics can understand.

Tyson doesn't rest on his laurels either. These essays have been updated where appropriate to reflect new theories, changes, etc. The last section on science and Hollywood is particularly interesting (and funny). Tyson sat with James Cameron and noted to the "Titanic" director that the stars in the film were all wrong yet he got so many other facts right. He asked him simply why he couldn't also get the stars right as well. Cameron's reply, "Imagine how much more money I would have made if I had gotten the stars right!" silenced Tyson. Later, though, he got a request for the correct alignment of the stars for the special edition of "Titanic" released a couple of years back. Tyson happily complied with his request.

Tyson also tackles subjects as diverse as asteroids, to the five points of Lagrange (areas where gravity and centrifugal forces rotating systems balance. He uses an imaginative and funny analogy involving a thrill ride and vomit to make his points. He also tells us what the color of the cosmos really means. Insightful and often fun to read Tyson's book of essays look into a world that is often beyond the imagination of the average person but reminds us all why we should try and imagine it and appreciate it.

First, I'm a HUGE fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson. I love how enthusiastic he is about space and such. Second, he explains things in a way that is NOT condescending but yet witty and intelligent. It is a quick read...and this comes from a slow, dyslexic but avid reader! If you're interested in science, particularly that of science, this is a must read!! Enjoy.

This is a mostly enjoyable collection of articles by Neil Tyson. It's somewhat marred by what former Natural History Magazine author Stephen Jay Gould called "the bugbear of essay collections, redundancy." Other reviewers have noted this, and it's true -- you will encounter the same examples numerous times, and a few of the same painfully corny jokes. Overall, I prefer Carl Sagan, who presented much more unified and continually intriguing material throughout his books, even when he drew some of that material from works he had published previously (as he does in The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark). This being science, though, understanding of the universe marches on without Carl, and I mostly found Tyson's descriptions of recent advances in astrophysical thought worthy of Sagan.

One slight annoyance was the way Tyson glossed over some amazing facts. In one article, he casually notes that on Mars the atmospheric pressure is such that water could simultaneously boil and freeze. As a man of Earth, this is not particularly intuitive, but no further explanation was offered. At times like these I feel as though Tyson has tipped the balance from explaining science to simply mystifying the reader. I understand the necessity of this in writing popular science, but on a few occasions like the one described he leaves you wanting more, more that could be adequately described in a few sentences.

Lastly, I have one complaint against an irritating bias on Tyson's part. Yes, physics is the most fundamental of all sciences. But if it was the most appropriate apparatus for explaining every phenomenon there wouldn't be any other scientific disciplines. Biology builds on chemistry which builds on physics, and these delineations have been remarkably successful. Tyson references a debate with a biologist concerning the possibility of microbial extraterrestrial life on an meteorite ejected from Mars. He says that the biologist's claim that the possible organism in question could not be life due to the fact that it "was much smaller than the smallest life on Earth," reflected the small-mindedness of biology as a whole. Tyson should be ashamed of this type of generalization -- he's a scientist after all! Why take one example of close-mindedness and apply it to an ENTIRE DISCIPLINE? Biologists reasonably define life as something with a metabolism capable of reproduction. No size requirement in the definition. No doubt many biologists would absolutely agree with Tyson's assertion that life on other planets would probably diverge more from life on Earth than any two Earth organisms do from each other. I find the claim reasonable. As a student of evolutionary and molecular biology I found this attack senseless and arrogant. That was the main reason I took my rating down to 4 stars, but I believe that despite these flaws anyone can find something of interest in this book.

Death by Black Hole by Neil Tyson is among the best astronomy related books to appear for some time. In the best traditions of Carl Sagan, another popularizer of things cosmolgical, Tyson does a masterful job at explaining often drab and uninteresting topics in a most excellent manner. Death by Black Hole reminds me of book written by Isaac Asimov nearly thirty years ago, A Choice of Catastrophies. Death has the benefit, however, of thirty years of new information about the cosmos.

Consisting of 42 articles that originally appeared in Natural History, Death by Black Hole covers a huge range of topics; everthing from basic astronomy subjects to sophisticated physics topics. The most interesting chapters, in my opinion only are Chapt 7, Planet Parade; Chapt. 11, Antimatter Matters; Chapt 17, Colors of the Cosmos, Chapt 23, Goldilocks and the Three Planets; Chapt 30, Ends of the World; and Chapt 41, Holy Wars. Actually, there isn't a bad read in any of the 42 chapters, but these just seem to stand out.

Carl Sagan would have enjoyed Death by Black Holes....maybe he has read it where ever he is at.

An excellent book to add to your library.

One thing that always got me about Neil deGrasse Tyson was his amazing, almost intoxicating ability to make abstract concepts and theories seem easier to follow. He chooses words that paint ornate pictures without all manners of phD jargon that distract from the concepts being presented. In person (or on screen), his manner is relaxed and friendly, allowing us to feel more at ease discussing or learning about infinate and, many times, horrific comic events that may transpire at any moment. It's hard, knowing that such a kind-hearted individual, will eventually lead you to a better understanding of our cosmic insignificance.

I was afraid that in print, Tyson's ease and comfort might come across more clinical and cold, but his gift for explaining the abstract works every bit as well in writing. I'm sure the hard-core Astrophysicists will hate the idea that dilettantes like myself will be able to follow their debates with some understanding.

Get out your crayons. Make a Sun in the sky. If it is like every Sun you have colored since you were a kid, it is a happy yellow ball. "And I don't care what else anyone has ever told you, the Sun is white, not yellow," writes astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in _Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries_ (Norton). "If the sun were yellow, like a yellow lightbulb, then white stuff such as snow would reflect this light and appear yellow - a snow condition confirmed to happen only near fire hydrants." How do we keep getting this wrong? Why do people think there is no gravity in space, or that what goes up must come down? How come total solar eclipses seem rare, but actually happen every couple of years? And especially important, how do we obtain those data to show us that these assumptions are wrong? Furthermore, what does happen when you step into a black hole, or into a hole that goes clean through the center of the Earth? What is going to happen when the Andromeda galaxy hits our own Milky Way? ("Gas clouds would slam into each other; stars would be cast hither and yon.. our planet could get flung out of the solar system... That would be bad.") And it is going to happen, but a couple of billion years before that happens, the Sun will explode and die and vaporize all the contents of the Earth. But as Tyson observes, "I'd say we have more pressing issues of survival before us."

Tyson's book consists of chapters that appeared as columns in _Natural History_ magazine. There is death and destruction all through it, and yet he writes with buoyant optimism and humor, making even the strangest findings of astrophysics accessible. We have a vast scientific and intellectual tradition, but we have fought against the ideas of one scientist after another who would give us a true picture. At the end of the chapter, Tyson reflects: "What are the lessons to be learned from this journey of the mind? That humans are emotionally fragile, perennially gullible, hopelessly ignorant masters of an insignificantly small speck in the cosmos. Have a nice day." The humor has the ring of truth, but Tyson is no pessimist. We may be slow to learn, but we do know some darned interesting stuff, and his presentation of it, touching on what we know, how we know it, how the universe and the solar system got started and are going to end, and what it all means to humans, is full of admiration for the scientists who got us this far. We are clever, but we are goony. A few years ago, Tyson got a call from a marketing executive who thought it would be a good idea to project her company's logo onto the Moon, and wanted to know how best to do this. Tyson slammed down the phone, but "... called her back and politely explained why it was a bad idea."

Tyson's final chapters have to do with science and religion: "The claims of science rely on experimental verification, while the claims of religion rely on faith. These are irreconcilable approaches to learning, which ensures an eternity of debate wherever and whenever the two camps meet." He does not expressly state his own beliefs, but says the argument is simple: "I have yet to see a successful prediction about the physical world that was inferred or extrapolated from the content of any religious document." People fail to realize that the skepticism scientists show towards religious explanations that, say, the Earth is less than 10,000 years old, that humans were supernaturally created in their current form, or that microbes had to have their propeller tails divinely attached, is the same sort of skepticism the scientists show to scientific pronouncements, too. Look what happened to the chemists who declared they had created cold fusion on their lab table: other scientists wouldn't accept the claim as true until it could be verified, and having tried to reproduce the results, could not. Case closed. The proponents of Intelligent Design, Tyson explains, are absurdly pessimistic in their philosophy "It's too complicated for any human being to figure out. So it must be the product of a higher intelligence." Maybe there is a limit to how much we can understand, he says, but what if, say, Newton had decided no human could figure out the laws of motion? "I don't want students who could make the next major breakthrough in renewable energy sources or space travel to have been taught that anything they don't understand, and that no one yet understands, is divinely constructed and therefore beyond their intellectual capacity." It is as close to polemic as Tyson gets; this hugely entertaining and instructive collection of essays stands as testament to how important it is not to close off curiosity prematurely.

Humans register the world's stimuli in logarithmic rather than linear increments. If you increase the energy of a sound's volume by a factor of 10, your ears will judge this change to be rather small. Hardly any scientific discoveries of the past century came from direct application of our five senses. In nearly every case, the job of a scientific apparatus is to transcend the breadth and depth of our senses.

High luminosity stars are the rarest. When we look in the direction of the Milky Way, over 99% of all stars that should be visible are blocked from view by gas clouds within the Milky Way. The Milky Way is only one of countless galaxies.

In the 4th century B.C., Aristotle concluded the Earth was a sphere after observing its circular shadow on the Moon. Newton hypothesized that the Earth would be a bit flattened at the poles because it was spinning - this was confirmed 50 years later. Faster-spinning planets are flatter yet - Jupiter is 7% wider at its equator than at its poles, while for Earth, its 0.3% (27 miles on an 8,000 mile diameter).

Sunlight takes a million years to get from the center of the Sun to its surface, then another 500 seconds to reach Earth. It was particularly interesting to learn how the initial standards photon generation evolved into a multitude of wavelengths via energy lost in collisions en route to the surface.

The most spectacular way to die in space is via black hole. The speed required to escape a black hole is greater than the speed of light; for Earth is is 11 km/second. Your body, upon approaching a black hole feet first, would encounter stronger gravity at the feet, and that difference would increase until one was pulled apart. A common variety of black hole contains several times the mass of the Sun packed into a volume only about 12 miles across.

Although I am no astrophysicist, I enjoy reading astronomy and cosmology books. I have found Death by Black Hole to be a fascinating book that's hard to put down. I kept going back to it in the store, so I eventually purchased it. It provides enough science information presented in layman's terms for anyone to understand. Definitely a must read for those who love astronomy.

(The reviewer was compensated for posting this review. However, the opinion stated in the review is that of the reviewer and the reviewer alone. Further, the reviewer independently selected this product to review and has no affiliation with the product maker/distributor, the store or the review requester.)

Death by Black Hole contains forty-one essays on astronomy and related topics by Dr. Neil Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium. Dr. Tyson is considered by some as the "new Carl Sagan."

For dramatic effect, Hayden uses the title of one essay "Death by Black Hole" as the title of the book. But his book is much more than a book on cosomology. From the history of astromony to the development of the experimental method, from comets and evolution to science's place in Hollywood, Hayden educates the reader. Whether it be that of an ancient measurement of the earth's circumference or the development of the definition of a meter, Hayden draws the reader in the drama of discovery.

However, sometimes, epecially when using humor, his efforts seem a little forced. Still, the ocassional over-simplication and weak attempts at humor aside, both in style as well as in substance, Death by Black Hole is an impressive book. Carl Sagan, if he were alive, would clearly rate Hayden's effort to explain astronomy "to the people" five stars.

My review refers to a hard back copy from my local library. Bravo Dr. Tyson. Death by Black Hole reminded me of the no nonsense science books that Isaac Asimov used to write, and that I loved, when I was young. I recommend this book to anybody that loves to read science and especially to young people. This book is basic Astronomy, but Dr. Tyson supplies the supporting science along with the Astronomical concepts he is teaching. Additionally, he supplies a lot of the history that lead to our knowledge. The result is a wide ranging comprehensive romp through many areas of scientific knowledge. We need more books of this sort.

A good primer for a 7th grader, but not suitable for a serious science reader.

I found Neil deGrasse Tyson's writing simplistic, often descending into irrelevancy without explaining anything. And when he does attempt to explain something, it dances around the subject without providing any depth.

What really got me chuckling, in Chapter Fourteen ‘On Being Dense’, he states that ‘the 150,000 ton Queen Mary 2 is lighter (less dense) than water. He claims that is why ocean liners don’t sink. Talk about being dense!

However, in a previous paragraph, he stated that density of liquid water is 1. Rocky materials are between 2 and 5, and metals have densities over 8. It is incomprehensible then to claim that a steel ship floats because it is less dense than water. In fact, the reason that a ship floats is that it ‘displaces’ water. The displaced water wants to return to it's original location where the ship is, and this pushes the ship upward. The force which pushes the ship up is called the buoyancy force.

If Tyson can make such drastic bloopers of fact, it is no wonder that I cannot trust much of what he has written in his book.

If you've seen or heard Neil deGrasse Tyson interviewed you know he is articulate, excitable, and very fun to listen to.

This comes through exceptionally well in this collection of columns from Natural History Magazine. One of my favorite essays asks (and answers) what scientific truths might be derived from just a stick as an experimental tool - turns out a great many, including the circumference of the earth, something first calculated well before Christ. Highly recommended, but in small doses, as he does repeat himself.

I've read a decent number of "popular" science books, all aimed at making truly complex scientific concepts digestible for lay people. As I read Tyson's offering, I began thinking that he was covering ground that was far less complex than some books I'd read earlier. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Tyson was actually tackling some pretty challenging subject matter and simply doing a really nice job of describing the concepts in plain English.

Tyson discusses nuclear fusion, the birth and death of stars, the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in the universe, threats to the earth's existence and much more. To keep the pace fast and fun, he makes references to scientific movie goof-ups and other pop-culture science gaffs. Tyson even thoughtfully discusses intelligent design and religion as it relates to science.

If you've never read a science book written for the layperson, this is a great place to get your feet wet and see if you want to read more in the genre. If you're an old hand at this stuff, you'll like this one but may find it less challenging than other books in the same vein. Either way, it's a fun read and you'll learn a lot too.

I'm having an intellectual love affair with this man, as I had with his mentor when I was a teenager. (Neither of them were aware of it.)

But read this book. Read all of this mans's books and the books by Carl Sagan. You might agree or disagree with what you read, but it's science with a heart. You can't do much better, in my horribly humble opinion.

Tremendous BOOK!!!! Anybody who is interested in just learning about the Cosmos or General Natural science will love this book ????
Tyson has the unique ability to blend tremendous insight along with silly humor to make any section Fun and exciting.
This book feels like an Adventure of the Mind.

Think you know it all you dont know anything ??
Even basic things from The SUN IS WHITE OR No silly the Sun does not Set and RISE in the EAST AND WEST will shock and inspire you.
Tyson unlike Hawking actually has the ability to explain very complicated subjects for the layman, like myself.
Thanks Tyson... I am still only half way through

I love Neil DeGrasse Tyson and I decided to read one of his books. What I think people don't understand is that this book is a collection of essays written at different times, for a magazine, so of course things are going to be repeated. If you can try to think of it as reinforcing the info each time you read a section I think everyone can enjoy it. And if you can't, try reading one section at a time and then doing something else. Overall it's a good read for someone who is interested in astrophysics but knows very little about it.

I have always been very interested in the way the universe works, particularly the stranger aspects of it (such as black holes). I am not, however, a big fan of reading non-fiction. This book attracted my attention because of its interesting title and I was certainly not disappointed by the book itself. The writing style is very conversational and the author clearly understands that bringing in vocabulary that the average person will not understand is not the way to keep a reader interested. "Death by Black Hole" blends humor with fact to create an informative, but still entertaining read.

Neil Degrasse Tyson is a likeable (and extremely intelligent) guy who is passionate about what he does. This book allows readers to see this. The subject matter is admittedly a bit over my head, but I would imagine this is one of the best books out there if you want to gain a better (basic) understanding of our solar system. I wouldn't say you should read it cover to cover, but to jump around to concepts that interest you. The way the book is structured and separated into sections allows for this. This will be a challenging read if you aren't already familiar with the subject (I had read some from Carl Sagan before hand), but it's well worth the read.

I "read" the Audio-book version. the reading was brilliant.

This book goes down as a favorite because in spite of it's silly title it is a wonderful, succinct review of astrophysics. That sounds boring, I suppose. But it isn't: black holes. quasars, the speed of light, the big bang, the origins of all the matter in the universe, basically everything interesting about the field is covered here in an entertaining manner. As a matter of fact it was so good I am considering playing it again.

This is the book for the intellectually curious but Mathematically lazy. Neil deGrasse Tyson uses the time tested Star Trek analogies to make the complicated simple and open up the possibilities of cross discipline thought to increase humanities understanding of the wider universal constants. This book was and is a pleasure to read. Get it in Hard back because you will review it when you get to the next chapter. The book is exciting and makes you an evangelist spreading the word of our decreasing ignorance.

This is a great introduction into the world of astrophysics for the lay person. It's funny and engaging in a way you couldn't imagine a book about astrophysics being (without reading this book). How did it all begin and where are we going are just some of the cosmic quandaries that are tackled. It even has a whole section on how many ways the planet and its life could end! Fun stuff for a nerd like me. Plus, it touches on many other science/culture conundrums that are great food for thought.

It was a tiny redundant, owing to the fact that these are all previously written essays collected for purpose of the book. But, I actually liked the redundancy. It allowed more time for the heavy science behind astrophysics to sink in, and I became more familiar with the scientists that propelled our cosmic knowledge forward.

Overall, it was a great read. It was a refreshing break from the day-to-day politics and tedium that can make our lives feel very small. From the advantage of science, it truly put our Earthly lives into a cosmic perspective.

The writing style of this book was easy for me to understand, which was an important factor for me. It explains the scientific facts in a very accessible manner. And being composed of individual essays, I can read one at a time, focusing on what that particular essay is imparting--I don't feel pressured to finish a chapter. Another good plus! This is a nice introduction to some of the more complicated subjects in our universe. It is a little dry at times, and there were occasions when I had to re-read sentences over and over to understand them, but overall, I enjoyed this book. It's fairly easy to find specific subjects within the book too.

Although I only read a chapter from this book, I thought that Tyson made the topic understandable and interesting to any average reader. The theme in this book is one of the most important things to know about science. We do not know everything about the universe and probably never will. At the end of the chapter called, "Antimatter Matters", he relates to this theme, saying that the properties of antimatter are unknown. I found myself curious about the potential applications of antimatter. When antimatter and matter make contact, they are annihilated, creating a ton of energy in the form of gamma rays. Perhaps we could find a way to utilize that energy for the populations energy needs. Even though we are far off from that point, I think it is important to continue researching its applications. I would highly recommend this book and chapter to anyone who wants to learn about antimatter and other cosmic concepts.

Every essay in this book is mesmerizing and fascinating. I swear, Neil could write about the physics of drying paint and leave the reader starry-eyed. But anyways, if you want a good primer on astrophysics and astronomy, this is an excellent book to check out.

A warning for potential new readers: I've wanted to buy a telescope ever since reading this book. It might have the same effect on you.

The book is somewhat repetitive, as if it were written as a series of separate magazine articles and then presented as a compendium. Lots of information and even some of his little jokes are repeated. In addition it is sloppily-written in spots. These problems are inexcusable: a major figure like NDT should be edited better; the man has assistants.

Pretty serious science here. I'm an engineer by training and astronomy has always been an interest so I was able to follow his essays. But deGrasse sprinkles in lots of humor especially in making comparisons. This I think will help the non-scientist in reading the book. I highly recommend it to anyone who looks up and wonders what's going on up there.

Death by Black Hole is a fantastic read that succeeds where many of its predecessors did not. The ease and grace with which DeGrasse Tyson brings the cosmos within reach is surpassed only by his ability to make complex concepts relevant and entertaining. The masterful manner in which he blends science and philosophy will challenge your preconceptions about the origin of life and the universe, and his enthusiasm and passion are as contagious as his scientific optimism. Whether you are new to the world of astrophysics or a fan of the works of Carl Sagan, you will find Death by Black Hole a witty, entertaining and educational book.

Most of the book is devoted to building a foundation of scientific knowledge so that you can better understand how you would be shredded by a black hole. But the actual ripping process starts only on page 283.
Mr. Tyson has a real knack for explaining science to a general audience.

As highly entertaining as it is informative . . . Neil deGrasse Tyson's collection of essays is written with the layperson in mind. He has a marvelous sense of humor that permeates every subject from the Big Bang to black holes.

Reading this book isn't a big investment in time. With a few dozen short chapters covering different topics, you can read it in spurts (like I did) when you've got a few minutes to spare.

A great primer on a variety of astronomical topics, written for the layperson.

I hate to use those descriptors in the title but I couldn't think of a better way to say it. This book is a collection of short essays that enlighten and entertain in a way that Dr Tyson is so uniquely qualified to do. Many of the topics are great for dinner conversation, especially the ones that discuss the relationship between science and religion.

I kept it on my bedside and read a few essays before bed and then placed it in the bathroom where guests often find themselves engaged with the witty and knowledgeable information. Worth the purchase.

This book explains the universe and our place in it in a clear, intelligent and most homorous way. The author's style can be understood by almost anyone, even my sister (and that is saying something) yet is still interesting to intelligent readers at the same time.

Dr. Tyson has created a masterpiece and I eagerly await his next effort. Those of us who are not professional astrophysists can much more easily understand and appreciate this book as opposed to the "Standard Reference" of "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking A Brief History Of Time - From The Big Bang To Black Holes.

Just a wonderful tour de force of Astrophysics, that doesn't shy away from the technical. I think this is the best non-mathematical book on astrophysics I've ever read. Read, think, enjoy, share this book!

Kabuki writes well and I found this to be generally an easy read about the interesting stuff that's out there in the universe. Though it might not entertain hardcore scientists it is nevertheless informative and not at all intellectually challenging. You might also like The Fragmenting Universe which despite the crappy cover-wasn't that bad.

I am a student of astrophysics and I just wanted something simple to read about my favorite subject. This is exactly what I got. Dr. Tyson's book conveyed the cosmos throughly in a very entertaining tone. I will be buying more of his books.

A highly enjoyable read on all aspects of astronomy. Witty, easy to read stuff from an expert. If you want to know what astronomers have been up to during the past deccenia (and before) I would highly recommend this book.

The first book in years that I couldn't put down once I started. I am 16 and thought I would give a challenging book a try, so I purchased this one. Good call! I fell in love with it as soon as I started. I love Tysons' sense of humor on scientific aspects of the universe. He explains stuff so well, even if you don't have a scientific mind. As I had said before, he adds a sense of humor not expected from someone with the title of an astrophysicist(and does it well!) I highly recommend picking this book up as it is maybe not only the best scientific book ever written, but quite possibly the best book ever! I don't think it gets any better than this!

The qualities that make Neil deGrasse Tyson so annoying on Nova Science Now are absolute positives when it comes to the written word. He is an intelligent and entertaining writer with an uncanny ability to reduce complex scientific concepts to bite sized chunks even I could (mostly) understand.

Very well written. Both knowledgeable and entertaining. Whether you have studied physics and astronomy in school, or have a limited scientific background, you will still be able to get a lot out of this.

Neil deGgrasse Tyson has a nice way to explaining the dynamics of our quest for knowledge.He does not take himself so serious as to be removed from mere mortals.A very good book to learn about the formation of the universe.

I've been listening to Dr. Tyson's Star Talk podcasts during long trips, and this book is consistent with his knack for making astrophysics accessible to the masses. He is funny, engaging, and makes a great care for increased science literacy.

the book talks about alot of facts focusing much on the big bang. But if your thinking it's about black holes no. you are mistaken.
In fact he dedicated one chapter at the end of the book to talk in specific about black holes titled ( death by black holes).
though, he mentioned them alot in other chapters just because the context requires that.
again don't be misled by the title.
but still it's really a great book. and yeah as others said he rambles too much and that's why my rating is 4 not 5.

Anything by this author is worth reading. I like the way he starts off explaining things in a very simple way and winds up getting deep into the end result. "A professional con job with very educational results".

Tyson does an excellent job, again, with Death By Black Hole. The book covers an extensive array of topics from Quasars to Dark Matter. He does a good job of keeping the text relatively simple to understand - any amateur physicist or astronomer...or astrophysicist...can learn a great deal; as well as some slightly more experienced readers gaining some knowledge or just dusting off what they learned in undergrad. Good read.

No need for a long review with all sorts of quotes...

Death by Black Hole is a great book.

Cosmology explained with lots of humor and sarcasm in between.

I don't read many books but even I laughed out loud frequently because of his perspective of things in the cosmos. Even most of the (technical) equations are explained in easy to read language.

I really enjoyed reading this book and will purchase more of his work as it becomes available.

Neil deGrasse Tyson does an excellent job with this subject matter. He presents it in a way that makes it easy for the non-scientist to understand and even enjoyable to read. The book gives a new perspective on our lives, the Earth, Sun, and the entire Universe. Do not be scared away thinking that the book is too advanced and you won't "get" it; the book is actually fun to read and I find it hard to put it down!

I enjoyed this book very much since I've had a long standing fascination with the cosmos. However, many chapters of this book contain some very technical information such as mathematical equations and problems of physics which I think could have been communicated in more simplistic language. The humor of the author comes through which adds to the book's entertainment quality and helps to offset some of the very complicated issues. I would recommend this book to those with some knowledge of the cosmos and not as an introduction to the subject.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an expert at explaining the science of the universe to layman such as myself. This book is well written and very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in physics or astronomy in general.

This is a great book. I knew very little about the universe and how it works and what is out there, until I read this book. It did a great job of peaking my interest, giving me easy to read and understand knowledge about the solar system, and some of the events that happen in it. What a true enjoyment.

Pros: well written, interesting and very fun. Besides pure science, it has amusing anecdotes too.
Cons: somewhat basic for someone with little scientific background.

If it had more equations that would be fine.

This is one of the best astrophysical books I've read. It is worth reading for it has a great deal of knowledge while still being fun entertaining. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Don't be intimidated by it, it is a pretty easy read, so give it a try!

I was very disappointed by this book. I'm a very active science reader and found Dr. Tyson's work to be mostly a repeat of high school physics. Worse yet, he uses the word "I" much too much. Talk about the science and the wonder, Dr. Tyson -- not who you've been hanging out with. Carl Sagan is rolling in his grave. Give us some new stuff -- new information, insights, things to come.

This book will entice you to consider events that you never would have thought about. It creates a sense of whatever happens will happen no matter what you do. It also gave me a sense of acceptance for the future of earth as we know it today. It was very enjoyable and thought provoking.

This book is awesome! Neil Degrasse Tyson is a fantastic writer. He has the ability to make complicated concepts like Astrophysics understandable to everyone. If you love Astronomy or you just want to educate yourself more on the wonders of the universe, Read this book! He has an awesome sense of humor and the book is addictive!

I was disappointed by this book. I expected more from somebody of Tyson's stature. This book is a collection of short essays and there is a lot of repetition since the essays were written at different times. There is no flow in the book whatsoever. There is no logical sequence or relation among chapters. Not to mention the content is watered down - more suitable for a middle or high school kid than an adult. Lastly, the title of the book is clearly geared to get in sales. There are no more than 5-7 pages about the title in the book. The only good thing about this book is that it is highly accessible to even somebody with no knowledge of cosmos. For me it was a complete waste of time.

An astrophysicist for the American Museum of Natural History, director of the world famous Hayden Planetarium, and columnist for Natural History magazine, Neil DeGrasse Tyson brings to the non-scientific world the ideal book for those fascinated with space, the cosmos, black holes, and all the questions and wonders therein. Death by Black Hole is the perfect book for the reader who wants answers to questions about the universe in a simple and clearly defined way so that even if they know next to nothing about science and it's jargon, Tyson makes it easily understandable.

While I was hoping for something a little more in depth in the style of Brian Greene's The Fabric of the Cosmos or Lee Smolin's The Trouble With Physics, Death by Black Hole nevertheless provides quick and simple answers to many questions everyday readers without a science background have about physics, the universe, space, and most matters dealing with the cosmos. The book is a selection of his columns in Natural History that are organized in a somewhat textbook fashion. Tyson starts with the idea of science and nature in its basic form, how humanity views Earth, the solar system, the universe. Along with this discussion, Tyson also gives minor history lessons on the development of different ideas in physics and astronomy, what people came up with what big ideas and how the progression led to the development of the big theories of our current time with string theory and relativity. Going on from here, Death by Black Hole address the crucial steps that led to the formation of the universe and its development over the many billions and billions of years, again explaining how it is that scientists know what they do and what instruments were used, as well as the history of who invented and used said instruments.

It is then that Tyson finally turns to the subject matter of the title of the book in the section "When the Universe Turns Bad: All the Ways the Cosmos Wants to Kill Us." Here he addresses the complex and still relatively unknown subjects of chaos theory, dark matter (which constitutes over 90% of all matter in the universe, while we still know next to nothing about it), and finally black holes. Tyson takes the reader on a hypothetical journey with what would happen if one were to be sucked into a black hole and how as they approached the event horizon, they would become stretched until the elasticity point of their skin was surpassed and the body would be torn into thousands then millions of little pieces.

With many questions now answered, in the next section Tyson discusses how science is viewed by the media, Hollywood, and people around the world in general. The final section addresses the concept of science and religion, again taking the reader on a historic journey through the development of first religion, then science, and the struggle that has ensued for centuries. It is the perfect end to a book on science, as Tyson lectures the importance of supporting fact and reality in a time when there are many who believe more in faith, even when all the evidence is to the contrary.

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i havent read the book because i dont think black holes are anything special however i like the author, he makes some very valid points on his c-span apperance on february 13th 2007, he mentioned how people fear numbers and etc.. such as the number "13" and the number "187" , ironicly i just noticed there are exactly 13 reviews on this book as of right now but i am about to change that hehe.

In the print edition, most likely, the first letter of each chapter was done in an ornate lettering that was a picture, and not part of the font. The effect of this in the Kindle edition is that the first letter of each chapter is missing. Other than that, a good read.

i own this in hardcover and the kindle edition is obviously a poorly done scan directly from the print edition. All the initial caps are missing and the typeface is thin and difficult to read. Not satisfactory.

An illuminating collection of essays from one of the world's pre-eminent popularizers of science. Well put together and at times fairly amusing, this serves as a good introduction to the fascinating worlds of astrophysics and cosmology.

Information overload! You better bring your high IQ to the table when reading this one because Tyson's constant use of astrophysics jargon will go over the head of the average reader. I could only read this book a small portion at a time because my head started hurting after 20 minutes. He did cover some very interesting topics that I have never delved into. The most interesting scientific fact in the book deals with Diet Pepsi. ChrisNovinger.net

The book provides a pleasant review of astrophysics interspersed with attempts at humor - which themselves become funny, given their probable intended audience. The author seems to disdain intellectuals from the perspective of an intellectual and, in a probable attempt at a self-comparison with Newton's Principia, concludes with a flat promotion of a form of agnosticism - or is it denial? - to fall into the camp of chaos. The story is well written, filled with anecdotes that make for a pleasant read, an interesting insight into the manager of the Hayden Planetarium, but a disappointing ending about a squabble. I recommend "The Chilling Stars: The New Theory of Climate Change" by Henrik Svensmark as a better read of current goose bumping astrophysics.

Tyson is funnier in person than on paper, and this book was a reflection of this fact. Ultimately it panders to narcissistic fantasies, e.g., "All the ways the cosmos want to kill us." (Actually, the cosmos are indifferent.) The "Death by black hole" chapter occupies 7 pages.

Also, the book rambles all over the history and theory of science, the meaning of life, nature's place, and so forth.

Finally, the jokes were not particularly funny. Too bad! Tyson is genuinely funny in person.

Here is an alternative book: Simon Singh, Big bang: The origin of the universe. It was/is a NY Times bestseller and can be understood by a layperson easily.

All scientific books MUST HAVE PICTURES. Worthless book for young folks and novices that would like to see pictures of black holes and other stuff. Just boring text, anyone could do a better job. Why don't people do a good job of reviewing these books???

I love science and good books about science. As an amateur astronomer, I have read many excellent books... unfortunately, this is not one of them. First the author rambles and dithers about for most of the book, repeating himself and making very, very lame attempts at bad jokes. It's not cute. The presentation feels disorganized and the content has been presented by others in a more lucid and professional manner. It's a shame as it could have been a good book, but the author injects himself far more than he should have into the work, replacing a sense of wonder at the cosmos with a sense of annoyance at someone who obviously thinks he's just too cute. I know the book is simplified to appeal to the masses, but I don't think it serves that purpose well due to its smarmy, annoying attitude. If you're unlucky enough to get the audio CD version you'll be driven crazy by the reader's sickening saccarine rendition. Altogether, a work best skipped and forgotten.

One wonders if Mr Tyson is starting to lose it after writing all these books and/or if "The Cosmos" affected him more than he realizes. I am befuddled by his tweet:

"Some claim the USA is a Christian nation, compelling me to wonder which assault rifle Jesus would choose: the AR-15 or AK-47."