How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

by Mike Brown

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I don’t usually go looking for memoirs. And I definitely don’t seek out science books. For as fascinated as I am by science fiction, reading actual scientific fact usually bores me. I want adventure! I want the high seas and forbidden magic! Something! The fact that How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming landed on my TBR at all was uncanny – the fact that it survived four years on my TBR without being cut is a miracle.

I’m really glad it did, because I found this book informative and fascinating.

In short, this is the story of Mike Brown and his journey to discover Eris (the “tenth planet”) which eventually led to the demotion of Pluto. He explains the procedure behind using telescopes and searching for “wanderers” in the sky with enough to detail to enlighten the uneducated reader (me) but not so much that it’s tedious. Mix in the story of his marriage and first child, and this was an easy read.

It’s also a bit embarrassing, but I learned way more about astronomy from this book than I did from my high school and college science classes.

This book was added to my TBR because I like Pluto. It was a good planet. There was a Disney dog involved. It was sad and far away and needed loving. After listening to this book, I’m no longer bitter about the demotion, not even nostalgic… not really. Brown presents his case pretty well here, and he makes it interesting. There’s even a little bit of drama with a stolen discovery to add a dramatic twist. How many memoirs actually have a nemesis? It was great.

If you’re interested in astronomy at all, Brown describes the tangled conundrum that is the definition of “planet.” the various bodies in our solar system, and even the process of naming a planet (there are rules!). It was all laid out in an interesting way, and doubly good as the narrator did a particularly excellent job making the reading engaging. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone still sore about Pluto, interested in astronomy, or just curious for a great real life tale involving planets and toddlers.

Also, just a thought, this would make a decent movie. Tom Hanks could play Mike Brown.