Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

In this collection of essays, Tyson does a remarkable job of taking extremely complex scientific concepts and theories and making them accessible to those of us lacking a background in astrophysics, all without dumbing things down in any way. His excitement and zeal for the subject matter is conveyed throughout the book, and I enjoyed it immensely. Even got quite a few laughs out of it at times. For those with questions about how the universe works, I can't recommend this book enough.

This was one of the best science books I've ever read. Truly excellent. Dr. Tyson is a new hero, for sure.

I have long known Tyson to be an excellent speaker and purveyor of scientific ideas with a Saganesque ability to convey the excitement of scientific findings with a bit more hipness and swagger to his talks than Sagan. This book is an excellent read through and through. I couldn't beat the feeling as I sat on the roof of a 14 story building in Curitiba, Brazil watching the sunset alone on the summer solstice (their winter solstice) while reading the section on Stick-In-The-Mud-Science and watching the long shadows creep across the sky and have Tyson explain to me all the celestial happenings around me (this really happened). Quite a magical read. The author presents complex scientific ideas in short, readable, cohesively-themed articles. Each article is on a topic familiar to us, upon which he expands towards scientific ideas which may be unfamiliar to us. There is enough overlap in the independent sections that the read feels like one is being 'taught' rather than just reading information. And Tyson is first and foremost a great educator. Although I did find myself trying to remember something from a previous chapter and flipping back through, I feel like I have learned a great deal about astrophysics from a book that was downright entertaining.

A funny and very interesting read. A collection of astronomy articles which covers nearly all the major ideas of modern astrophysics. Tyson is able to bring the complexities of the universe to you in a way that everyone will be able to understand.

I loved this book! A great whirlwind tour of what we know and understand about the cosmos and the physics of how the universe works. Highly recommended!

Interesting collection of essays. Well worth the time to read through them as Tyson makes the subject matter accessible to the average person with some humor.

probably the best encapsulation of modern astrophysics you can get your hands on. history, humor, hopes for our scientific future, all while offering up poignant questions aimed toward religion. a great place to start...if that's what you're looking for

A good simple book if you are interested in cosmology. Not for the uninterested and neither for the experts. Fast moving and well-written. Some views refuting the common-day concepts like eyes being the most wonderful human organ would stick for years. Perfect-length and lucid commentary on many common scientific concepts and cosmic quandries. The only negative is that it is a tad repetitive being a collection of articles and not a pre-conceived book.

A romp through the universe with the lively Tyson as guide. At times the book is funny and at others thought provoking but never is it dull.

It's a fairly easy read, by comparison to other books on the universe that I have read, such as "The Elegant Universe," by Brian Greene