2018 Beyond the Classics discussion

As one might look up at the sky at night and wonder what is out there, another might simply be looking through a telescope looking for those answers. There are so many mysteries that scientists are still trying to solve, but yet there is so much that has been discovered.

Neil deGrasse Tyson an Astrophysicist and author of “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” is one of the biggest names in his field at this time. “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” is a combination of past and modern day knowledge in both Physics and Astronomy. The chapters consist of different concepts, some including Dark Matter, Invisible Light, Dark Energy, Exoplanet Earth, and On Being Round. The book teaches the reader by bringing back original theories and explaining how they evolved to what they are now. Neil deGrasse Tyson explains his expertise in a modern and simple way allowing the reader to comprehend the material easily. Adding his own humor into his work gave the book an easy going feel that will greatly appeal to readers, especially those around my age. As he explained concepts in each chapter, he would also provide footnotes on many of the pages. He seemed to do this to better help the reader understand a word or concept, but he also occasionally provided thoughts he had. A book encompassing the mysteries, wonders, and questions of the universe, Neil deGrasse Tyson did an excellent job at simplifying, yet still giving the reader information about everything scientists have found and are still looking for.

Before I picked up this book I had an interest in Astronomy, so reading a book by Neil deGrasse Tyson himself was exciting for me. As I am someone who is always thinking about the world around me, I really liked how I was able to get information out of this book. At times I did get a little lost at what I was reading, but I found it very easy to get back into it. The author did a very good job at keeping the book moving and constantly talking about new ideas and interpretations of those ideas. Personally, my favorite part of the book was when he started listing the periodic table of elements in order and explained their importance to the universe. Some might read the title of this book and be a little intimidated by it, which is okay because this material is not for everyone, but as cliche as it may be do not judge a book by it’s cover, a saying used throughout history. As explained in the previous paragraph this book can be for everyone, especially since it was written so people who don't have a degree in the author's field can be informed on the wonders of the world very easily. Overall, my experience with this book has been a very good one and it has influenced me to continue reading other books with similar material.