Thoughts on Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Ever since I was a wee little lad, at a time when books were my favourite friends, Space has had this unmistakable unshakable draw, particularly after I finished reading The Kingfisher Book of Space by Martin Redfern ages ago and the index at the end that told me what a Light Year was for the first time i.e the distance light travels in a year, approximately 9,460,700,000,000 Km, a number that has been BURNED in my brain ever since. Despite the fire that lit inside me, for reasons that still escape me somewhat, I didn’t read a whole lot more in terms of books but rather relied on The Internet as well as Pop Culture to satisfy my cravings alongside having to deal with the culture+society I’m born in and the severe lack of interest in the subject as well as the caged regressive mentality that you are drowned in overall and especially in the education system here. Fast forward decade+ years, depression and mental issues running amock and no sense of purpose for prolonged durations, a seemingly random jolt of Bing Bang proportions that was my Spiritual Awakening snapped me out of it and here I am at the age of 28, the beginning of a new Journey, unlearning and relearning everything from scratch, rediscovering my love of Books that was once lost, and amongst the early days of The Journey, I happen to read this book as if the Universe itself wants me to return.
Written by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a famous Astroyphysicist who I’m sure many have seen on social media and/or YouTube since he has that special knack of explaining things not only in a simple way but also in a fun way too, something I think should be a general requirement for Teachers as it is the interest resulting in a passion that makes someone pursue something properly but I digress.
As the title suggests i.e Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, it is what it is. From the first moments of The Big Bang to yet eluding mysteries such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy to Light Spectroscopy to Historical Information, the book compresses a lot of awesome space stuff, the essentials if you will, in a digestible and easy to read package comprising of 200 pages or so.
Furthermore, Neil DeGrasse Tyson sprinkles humour throughout, making it an even better read in his usual style. My favourite thing, though, is that he uses nuggets of wisdom here and there when looking at The Grand Stage and The Cosmic Perspective and employs it from a Spiritual lens (and no, spiritual doesn’t mean religion). As this line from the end of the first chapter goes, “We are stardust brought to life, then empowered by the universe to figure itself out-and we have only just begun.”, GOOSEBUMPS GALORE!!!
By the time I finished the book, I had this renewed sense of purpose as well as a reinvigorated love for Space, The Final Frontier. Regardless of whether you have any interest in the subject matter, I’d say this book is essential reading if you are a Book Reader if only to gain a new perspective and nothing else. I, of course, would be reading a lot more in this area in the future, all in due time. And if I were to rate this book, I’d give it a 10/10.
