Astrophysicist and Space Advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson

By: Marne Ventura

Narrated by: Book Buddy Digital Media

Have you ever stared into the night sky, full of stars and planets? As a kid, Neil deGrasse Tyson was star-struck when he first visited a planetarium. The universe was calling him.

Tyson pursued his interest in astronomy and studied to be an astrophysicist. In 1996, he became the director of New York's Hayden Planetarium. He is passionate about teaching people about the universe. Known for making science fun and easy to understand, he has hosted and appeared on TV shows such as Nova ScienceNow and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He even has more than one million Twitter followers! But how did he get there? Follow his path from fascinated kid to popular space expert.

Please note: The original source audio for this production includes noise/volume issues. This is the best available audio from the publisher.

©2014 Marne Ventura (P)2018 Lerner Digital ™

Critic reviews

"STEM Trailblazer Bios is a six-volume series featuring recent innovators in the fields of science or technology. Each book provides a biography of the subject's early life and education followed by a description of his or her career, inventions, and accomplishments. The biography of Jane McGonigal portrays the life and work of a pioneer in Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) and computer games. Readers learn how games can teach important life skills like cooperation and problem solving. The life of Neil Degrasse Tyson provides readers with a look at a leading researcher, writer, and educator in astronomy and astrophysics who is passionate about sharing his love of science. Caterina Fake is the founder of Flikr and an early developer and advocate of social media. Readers learn about Fake's goal of creating spaces on the internet where people could share information to make their lives easier.

"Students should find the books in the STEM Trailblazer Bios series interesting and informative. These short books, written in a simple and straightforward style, will appeal most to middle school-aged readers and should find equal popularity among both males and females.​ 3Q 3P M." (VOYA)

"This rather unique series takes on some high-interest topics (reality game designer, robotics inventor, astrophysicist) and pairs them with high-profile individuals in those respective fields. Their stories begin with a pivotal point in the person's childhood that peaked their interest in the career, then builds to adulthood, covering highlights, contributions, and ways they've shared their accomplishments with others within, and outside of, the field. Fact boxes of additional information, quotations, and well-produced and clearly captioned, full-color photographs are interspersed throughout the attractive layout. However, the writing is rather pedestrian." School Library Journal, Series Made Simple)

"This swift-moving overview of the affable astrophysicist's career focuses on the origin and growth of his interest in space science, and also his unusual aptitude for communicating scientific ideas and discoveries to public audiences. That interest was kindled by a visit at age nine to New York's Hayden Planetarium (which he now supervises) and nurtured by the acquisition of a telescope at 11 for sky watching from the roof of his Bronx apartment building. His career grew to encompass advanced degrees, appointment to a presidential commission, and many television appearances. Ventura also uses notes and quotes to make the perhaps arguable but cogent point that Tyson is the only African American on TV who is consulted for 'expertise' that is unrelated to his race. This entry in the STEM Trailblazer Bios series features sidebar quotations, photos of Tyson (as an adult) and other images, and appropriate quantities of back matter." (Booklist)