A review by shivani_maurya
Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space by Janna Levin
4.0
Levin is right next to Tyson on my favorite scientist list. If you haven't heard her talk about black holes and higher dimensions, I would highly recommend watching (or listening to) her interviews on StarTalk. I had thought only personalities like Sagan or Tyson were capable of evoking the wonder for science. But Levin's enthusiasm and scientific fervor for her field puts her squarely in the same ranks. The way she tells it, I could listen to her talk of black holes and what not for hours on end.
On StarTalk, this book gets name dropped a LOT. Not exaggerating. So I decided to give it a try. And now, having finished and slept on this book, I can confidently declare that I enjoyed it. Contrary to the title, it has little to do with black holes. What it centers on instead is the evolution of LIGO from its conception to implementation. Levin offers a peak into the post war multi-national race to verify the existence of gravitational waves as predicted by Einstein in the 1916. I was mildly surprised to find how human centric the account was. It fleshes out the scientists who were directly and indirectly involved in the endeavor. Levin goes into details of problems facing any ambitious scientific inquiry of this proportion, where doubts abound and biases/mistakes can be destructive both personally and academically.
One can't help but admire the pioneering efforts and sympathize with the angst that comes with them. Every year we pay cursory attention to the Nobel prize winners. This here, is the account of what leads to one such win. There is human drama, a lot of red tape, technical obstacles, battle with doubts etc. Things one can't associate with Nobel prize wins when one reads in the papers. Levin brings the LIGO into the forefront against the backdrop of people who joined in or dropped off as it edged closer to its objective over decades. A slow crawl, that will test the patience of many a seasoned scientists. What becomes quite clear by the end? That the shift from theoretical to experimentally verifiable is not a easy one. It is cost prohibitive and at times even personally damaging. But scientists are known to persevere to the end, bitter or sweet. Through her records Levin allows the readers to participate in the joys and frustrations of the arduous journey that culminates in its true beginning in September 2015.
Reading this book made me wonder, how dramatic and of import each scientific discovery actually is. Contrary to the public opinion of people trudging away in the labs, this book paints a picture of the scientists that many would find surprising and humanizing. I wish to read other accounts like this one in the future. And for now, I thank Janna for the taste of wonder.
On StarTalk, this book gets name dropped a LOT. Not exaggerating. So I decided to give it a try. And now, having finished and slept on this book, I can confidently declare that I enjoyed it. Contrary to the title, it has little to do with black holes. What it centers on instead is the evolution of LIGO from its conception to implementation. Levin offers a peak into the post war multi-national race to verify the existence of gravitational waves as predicted by Einstein in the 1916. I was mildly surprised to find how human centric the account was. It fleshes out the scientists who were directly and indirectly involved in the endeavor. Levin goes into details of problems facing any ambitious scientific inquiry of this proportion, where doubts abound and biases/mistakes can be destructive both personally and academically.
One can't help but admire the pioneering efforts and sympathize with the angst that comes with them. Every year we pay cursory attention to the Nobel prize winners. This here, is the account of what leads to one such win. There is human drama, a lot of red tape, technical obstacles, battle with doubts etc. Things one can't associate with Nobel prize wins when one reads in the papers. Levin brings the LIGO into the forefront against the backdrop of people who joined in or dropped off as it edged closer to its objective over decades. A slow crawl, that will test the patience of many a seasoned scientists. What becomes quite clear by the end? That the shift from theoretical to experimentally verifiable is not a easy one. It is cost prohibitive and at times even personally damaging. But scientists are known to persevere to the end, bitter or sweet. Through her records Levin allows the readers to participate in the joys and frustrations of the arduous journey that culminates in its true beginning in September 2015.
Reading this book made me wonder, how dramatic and of import each scientific discovery actually is. Contrary to the public opinion of people trudging away in the labs, this book paints a picture of the scientists that many would find surprising and humanizing. I wish to read other accounts like this one in the future. And for now, I thank Janna for the taste of wonder.