mybooktasticlife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
laviskrg's review against another edition
5.0
Finally, a book that actually requires thinking and was actually written nowadays when brilliant content is increasingly rare.
There is a lie in the title of this book and that is definitely the "in a hurry" part. It took me about a week of reading both quietly and out loud for my much smarter lover, of re-reading and digesting the surprisingly dense information found in such a small pocket book. I was familiar with most of the concepts but it does go into a satisfying amount of detail, and it is a general lesson not only in astrophysics but also in chemistry, history and, most importantly humanity amd humility.
Ah yes, this book, like the entire field that it so beautifully describes, is not for the weak-minded, ego-centric simpleton. It is for those who are not afraid or ashamed of being small in such an immense universe. It is for those who grow by accepting that while they are alive, they will always have plenty to learn and discover.
This is my first encounter with Mr Tyson in literary form but I hope it will not be the last because he writes with humour, passion and the calm of those who are comfortable with what they know and with their honest desire to share it. The book ends in a sweet, yet cautionary final chapter which by itself deserves 5 pulsating stars.
There is a lie in the title of this book and that is definitely the "in a hurry" part. It took me about a week of reading both quietly and out loud for my much smarter lover, of re-reading and digesting the surprisingly dense information found in such a small pocket book. I was familiar with most of the concepts but it does go into a satisfying amount of detail, and it is a general lesson not only in astrophysics but also in chemistry, history and, most importantly humanity amd humility.
Ah yes, this book, like the entire field that it so beautifully describes, is not for the weak-minded, ego-centric simpleton. It is for those who are not afraid or ashamed of being small in such an immense universe. It is for those who grow by accepting that while they are alive, they will always have plenty to learn and discover.
This is my first encounter with Mr Tyson in literary form but I hope it will not be the last because he writes with humour, passion and the calm of those who are comfortable with what they know and with their honest desire to share it. The book ends in a sweet, yet cautionary final chapter which by itself deserves 5 pulsating stars.
pandacat42's review against another edition
5.0
***I received an advance reader copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review***
I love Neil deGrasse Tyson and the way he so easily puts concepts into terms regular people can understand. I love how excited he gets about the universe. This short and simple book is a great intro to our place in the universe.
Also, watch the documentary "We are Stars" at your local planetarium if you get the chance (this book and that documentary go very well together).
I ❤ science!
I love Neil deGrasse Tyson and the way he so easily puts concepts into terms regular people can understand. I love how excited he gets about the universe. This short and simple book is a great intro to our place in the universe.
Also, watch the documentary "We are Stars" at your local planetarium if you get the chance (this book and that documentary go very well together).
I ❤ science!
nidiamacedo's review against another edition
4.0
4 hours of Neil deGrasse Tyson's voice is not enough. But I'm too dumb to completely follow this without seeing the words on a book or ebook.
mahi_tiwari's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
hayleymay1963's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
dorothy_gale's review against another edition
1.0
I'm sure it's a great book for people interested in space, but I rated it low so the app wouldn't recommend other books like it for me. I figured since it was short and a bestseller, that it would've made space interesting, but I was wrong. The author has passion and did a fair job at making it less dull, but I would need this kind of content in a video. I tried!
ikon_biotin_jungle_lumen's review against another edition
3.0
A straight-forward read, and one that I put down with a strange feeling of sadness mixed with regret. I have a good deal of respect for Neil deGrass Tyson as a man, if not a great amount for him as a scientist. I’ve mentally labeled him a "Pop Scientist," since his career consists largely of presenting scientific consents to laymen in engaging or at least easy-to-understand terms. He's the Tom Hanks of science, you might say—he has an easy way about him and inspires a sense of trust. It's because of this I feel the regret. Despite Tyson's perceived trustworthiness, "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" is an extended worldview pamphlet. Not convinced? I'm attaching the end of the last chapter below. Here Tyson clearly lays out his worldview, his Cosmic Perspective. It's a breed of respectful Humanism which has become all too common among modern intellectuals, but is at odds with my own worldview. What may seem harmless is actually a worldview without eternal hope and without satisfactory answers. I hope now that I've read this, I'll be better able to combat its flawed worldview with truth and a far superior source of hope.
"The cosmic perspective flows from fundamental knowledge. But it's more than about what you know . It's also about having the wisdom and insight to apply that knowledge to assessing our place in the universe. And its attributes are clear: The cosmic perspective comes from the frontiers of science, yet it is not solely the provenance of the scientist. It belongs to everyone. The cosmic perspective is humble. The cosmic perspective is spiritual - even redemptive-but not religious. The cosmic perspective enables us to grasp, in the same thought, the large and the small. The cosmic perspective opens our minds to extraordinary ideas but does not leave them so open that our brains spill out, making us susceptible to believing anything we're told. The cosmic perspective opens our eyes to the universe, not as a benevolent cradle designed to nurture life but as a cold, lonely, hazardous place, farcing us to reassess the value of all humans to one another. The cosmic perspective shows Earth to be a mote. But it's a precious mote and, for the moment, it's the only home we have. The cosmic perspective finds beauty in the images of planets, moons, stars, and nebulae, but also celebrates the laws of physics that shape them. The cosmic perspective enables us to see beyond our circumstances, allowing us to transcend the primal search for food, shelter, and a mate. The cosmic perspective reminds us that in space, where there is no air, a flag will not wave-an indication that perhaps flag-waving and space exploration do not mix. The cosmic perspective not only embraces our genetic kinship with all life on Earth but also values our chemical kinship with any yet-to-be-discovered life in the universe, as well as our atomic kinship with the universe itself. At least once a week, if not once a day, we might each ponder what cosmic truths lie undiscovered before us, perhaps awaiting the arrival of a clever thinker, an ingenious experiment, or an innovative space mission to reveal them. We might further ponder how those discoveries may one day transform life on Earth. Absent such curiosity, we are no different from the provincial farmer who expresses no need to venture beyond the county line, because his forty acres meet all his needs. Yet if all our predecessors had felt that way, the farmer would instead be a cave dweller, chasing down his dinner with a stick and a rock. During our brief stay on planet Earth, we owe ourselves and our descendants the opportunity to explore- in part because it's fun to do. But there's a far nobler reason. The day our knowledge of the cosmos ceases to expand, we risk regressing to the childish view that the universe figuratively and literally revolves around us. In that bleak world, arms-bearing, resource-hungry people and nations would be prone to act on their "low contracted prejudices." And that would be the last gasp of human enlightenment-until the rise of a visionary new culture that could once again embrace, rather than fear, the cosmic perspective."
"The cosmic perspective flows from fundamental knowledge. But it's more than about what you know . It's also about having the wisdom and insight to apply that knowledge to assessing our place in the universe. And its attributes are clear: The cosmic perspective comes from the frontiers of science, yet it is not solely the provenance of the scientist. It belongs to everyone. The cosmic perspective is humble. The cosmic perspective is spiritual - even redemptive-but not religious. The cosmic perspective enables us to grasp, in the same thought, the large and the small. The cosmic perspective opens our minds to extraordinary ideas but does not leave them so open that our brains spill out, making us susceptible to believing anything we're told. The cosmic perspective opens our eyes to the universe, not as a benevolent cradle designed to nurture life but as a cold, lonely, hazardous place, farcing us to reassess the value of all humans to one another. The cosmic perspective shows Earth to be a mote. But it's a precious mote and, for the moment, it's the only home we have. The cosmic perspective finds beauty in the images of planets, moons, stars, and nebulae, but also celebrates the laws of physics that shape them. The cosmic perspective enables us to see beyond our circumstances, allowing us to transcend the primal search for food, shelter, and a mate. The cosmic perspective reminds us that in space, where there is no air, a flag will not wave-an indication that perhaps flag-waving and space exploration do not mix. The cosmic perspective not only embraces our genetic kinship with all life on Earth but also values our chemical kinship with any yet-to-be-discovered life in the universe, as well as our atomic kinship with the universe itself. At least once a week, if not once a day, we might each ponder what cosmic truths lie undiscovered before us, perhaps awaiting the arrival of a clever thinker, an ingenious experiment, or an innovative space mission to reveal them. We might further ponder how those discoveries may one day transform life on Earth. Absent such curiosity, we are no different from the provincial farmer who expresses no need to venture beyond the county line, because his forty acres meet all his needs. Yet if all our predecessors had felt that way, the farmer would instead be a cave dweller, chasing down his dinner with a stick and a rock. During our brief stay on planet Earth, we owe ourselves and our descendants the opportunity to explore- in part because it's fun to do. But there's a far nobler reason. The day our knowledge of the cosmos ceases to expand, we risk regressing to the childish view that the universe figuratively and literally revolves around us. In that bleak world, arms-bearing, resource-hungry people and nations would be prone to act on their "low contracted prejudices." And that would be the last gasp of human enlightenment-until the rise of a visionary new culture that could once again embrace, rather than fear, the cosmic perspective."