I picked up this book recently since I was curious what were the latest discoveries in science were and figured that Neal deGrasse Tyson would be a good intro. Used to keep up with all the science discoveries when I was younger, but have not lately. This book was the right one for just such an update. The chapters are fairly brief most of the time and he lets one idea develop before transitioning to another. You do not feel overwhelmed (most of the time) with facts and discoveries and can reflect on the material as you go along. The personal asides are a nice touch, like the one about the hot cocoa and using science to prove that someone had made a mistake. This is one of the things that makes it feel not like a science textbook, but a science conversation with him.One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was when you are reading it, you feel like he is standing there talking to you and that it is not just written words. After finishing the book, I put on Cosmos hosted by Neal deGrasse Tyson and it felt the same as when I was reading the book which shows his style is the same for both mediums. Each chapter usually will have a personal aside which makes it less of a scientific recital as a conversation between people and a real teaching experience.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to catch up on the recent discoveries in science and wants a way to understand the terms you hear thrown around on TV and the Internet. This book does an excellent job of bridging the gap between those who are science knowledgeable and those who need it explained in more everyday terms in order to understand what is going on in the world today.

In this book you can tell that Dr. Neil Tyson put his heart and intellect into this book. I've learned more reading this book than I have in all of my science classes throughout the years altogether. I'm so happy that I purchased this book and the narration(narrated by Dr. Tyson)on my Kindle Fire because the narration just adds so much more. This book gives you the facts that are the most interesting, informative, and important, this book doesn't "dumb-down" any of the topics mentioned either. Neil Degrasse Tyson is my role model because I myself want to be an astrophysicist, or aerospace engineer, and reading this book just inspired me even more to go to college and major in one of the two when I get out of High School. I mean who isn't interested in the big questions of the universe? Please buy this book if you're at all interested in the universe and want to support Dr. Tyson too. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes I may have overlooked, this is my first written review.- Aiden A.

Except for the first few pages, which I found difficult to follow, the book is an extraordinary,enlightening and entertaining journey into some understanding of the universe within which we live. An inviting primer that may lead the reader to greater study of our world. Neil Tyson's explanations can easily entice one to seek more information and knowledge as a reader of mystery novels would seek more clues. A great book.

I needed to “cleanse my palate” after binge reading a fantasy series. I decided to step as far from fantasy as possible, so I ventured into the far more complex realm of…Fact.Astrophysics, to be precise.What’d I learn?I learned the universe is much bigger than I can comprehend, and we puny humans are much less significant to the universe than we imagine.I learned I’m glad there are people who are good at Astrophysics, because I’m notMostly, I learned that Astrophysics is really (Really, REALLY) complicated. Even having Neil deGrasse Tyson spell it out for me couldn’t get topics like quantum mechanics, prolate spheroids, dark matter, or E=MC2 to be more than curiosities beyond my reach.Getting through the book was worth it just to get to the last chapter, where Neil deGrasse Tyson brings the “our universe is so big and we are so insignificant” talk to a climax with some great comparisons. For example…Did you know there are more molecules in a cup of water than there are cups of water on Earth?Of course you didn’t. Because you’re not an Astrophysicist.Instead of feeling small, however, I was left feeling part of something very, very grand.Some call it science. Some call it God. I call it both.Interested in Astrophysics but clueless about Astrophysics? This is the book for you. You’ll still be clueless, but you’ll feel okay being clueless once you get a sense for the overwhelming complexity involved in with the physics of the universe.It’s a big place.Happy Reading.

I was hoping that this would be a good addition to my library, but I was quite disappointed. I understand that it's meant to be a short overview, but it feels a touch too short and almost unfinished. In comparison to books by Carl Sagan, all of which I've read, this pales in comparison. Neil is not nearly as likeable, his ego shines through in a number of passages. This feels less like a chat with a friendly, intelligent friend and more like a monologue by a college professor that loves himself too much.