Post type: Book review, Date: 19-August-2020, Language: English

Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson

With his perennial enthusiasm and passion, Neil deGrasse Tyson tells us the story of the universe, and us. I was lucky to catch hold of an audiobook read by Tyson himself. It was my second attempt with an audiobook and it felt good, although I had to move back and forth whenever I missed some idea or point.

This book introduces a layman to some of the deepest secrets of the universe which scientific enquiry has let humans understand. It takes the reader on a cosmic tour, with our “personal astrophysicist” showing us the amazing characters of the universe. The last chapter was especially very humbling, with a discourse on the cosmic perspective and how it nullifies the differences in us as a species and creates a sense of oneness with the universe.

Carl Sagan famously said : “It’s been said that astronomy is a humbling and character- building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sagan’s successor (in the Cosmos show), reiterates his words through his book in a beautiful way.