Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

[wcs53]

A long, long time ago I really used to be into physics. Over 30 years ago I turned down a scholarship to study physics. Although I don't really regret doing that, I do regret losing touch with my interest in the subject. I can't remember much about anything I learned at school about physics, apart from some of the formulas and some other bits and pieces, but I'm sure at some point we would have looked into the realm of astrophysics. Which leads me to this book.

Although the book is called Astrophysics for People in a Hurry I took my time in reading it. I wanted to enjoy it and take time trying to absorb what I read. It's a great little book, crammed with lots to take in, but the author never talks down to the reader. Reading it you get a sense of his enthusiasm for the topic and the lengths he wants to go to in order for others to share in that enthusiasm. It's a well-laid out book that is easy to follow and the final chapter really brought it all together and made it worth reading.

This book is not a difficult read, but there is enough in it to make the reader consider trying some perhaps deeper books on the subject. Although I haven't sought out any more of the author's books yet, I did start watching his six part video lecture series, The Inexplicable Universe on Netflix. I notice other shows on there by him and might consider trying them at some point too.

This is a book worth picking up if you are curious about astrophysics. If you're a trivia fiend, you may also find some interesting facts to bury in your mind, such as the fact that Uranus was almost named George. That would've been interesting! I'm glad I took the opportunity to read this and it may be one that I will return to in the future as a refresher.