jlphelps's review
4.0
“Some people are drawn to science by their drive to understand, but what I have always loved most is how science shows us what we don’t know, how little we understand of the world even as we’re inextricably a part of it. I didn’t want to answer questions but discover mysteries instead - mysteries with tantalizing possibilities, theories and hypotheses and whispers of truth. Science reveals that our world is so much more than what we see every day.” (Pg. 14)
_adk_'s review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Right up my alley. Highly recommend.
ekoster's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
frizzylizzybeth's review against another edition
4.0
I never thought I cared about possible alien life in the universe, but this author made me realize that I actually do. Such a fun and interesting read!
earlyandalone's review
5.0
I'm not typically a "sci-fi" person. I've never even watched Star Trek. But I found this book really thought-provoking and fascinating. Green thoughtfully and adeptly chronicles humanity's search for life beyond Earth, investigating what it all means through several lenses. She references science fiction but also the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scientists doing the work IRL.
This one did take me a bit of time to read because there are parts that are packed with science. But I was so impressed by Green's ability to make the science accessible and meaningful for the casual reader, as well as the way she threaded poignant observations from her own life throughout. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
This one did take me a bit of time to read because there are parts that are packed with science. But I was so impressed by Green's ability to make the science accessible and meaningful for the casual reader, as well as the way she threaded poignant observations from her own life throughout. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
wandering_not_lost's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I've read other books that were billed as thinking about how alien life would evolve, and instead they just mostly talked about how creatures evolve on Earth. THIS book doesn't do that! I really liked how they really gave some thought on how different evolutionary pressures would lead to different outcomes.
lindzieh's review against another edition
5.0
A cool deep dive on the possibility of life. Author does a good job writing in terms that are understandable and relatable. Are we alone? Probably not but how would we view an alien species? Would we try to do it in a lens that was based on our own experiences as humans? Author takes us through a scientific jorney to try and answer this