Death by Black Hole

And Other Cosmic Quandaries

By: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Narrated by: Dion Graham

“[Tyson] tackles a great range of subjects…with great humor, humility, and—most important—humanity.” —Entertainment Weekly

Neil deGrasse Tyson has a talent for guiding readers through the mysteries of outer space with stunning clarity and almost childlike enthusiasm. Here, Tyson compiles his favorite essays that he wrote for Natural History magazine across a myriad of cosmic topics, from astral life at the frontiers of astrobiology to the movie industry’s feeble efforts to get its night skies right.

Tyson introduces us to the physics of black holes by explaining the gory details of what would happen to our bodies if we fell into one, examining the needless friction between science and religion in the context of historical conflicts, and noting Earth’s progression to “an insignificantly small speck in the cosmos.”

Renowned for his ability to blend content, accessibility, and humor, Tyson is a natural teacher who simplifies some of the most complex concepts in astrophysics while sharing his infectious excitement for our universe.

©2007 Neil deGrasse Tyson (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Tyson takes readers on an exciting journey from Earth's hot springs...to the universe's farthest reaches....witty and entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)
"Smoothly entertaining, full of fascinating tidbits, and frequently humorous, these essays show Tyson as one of today's best popularizers of science." (Kirkus Reviews)
"[Tyson] demonstrates a good feel for explaining science in an intelligible way to interested lay readers; his rather rakish sense of humor should aid in making the book enjoyable." (Library Journal)

Great Articles - Mostly pithy and enjoyable.

These astronomy and science articles by Tyson are mostly very good. Some are a little bit simplistic but most are quite deep. I listened to it a few times and learned a lot. If I ever get back to New York I am going to drop by the planetarium and shake the author's hand.

Dr. Tyson has Done it Again

Would you consider the audio edition of Death by Black Hole to be better than the print version?

I'd consider the audio edition equivalent or better than the print version. Neil deGrasse Tyson has such a talent for explaining advanced concepts in a way that is accessible to the everyman. He explores the works of the greatest minds in human history and condenses them into a non-technical, accessible medium for all to enjoy. Rest assured, there is nothing lost in enjoying this book in the audio format. Aside from the proverbial "E=mc^2" there are no formulas to intimidate and no mathematics required.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'm sure this is better suited as a question for a fiction novel. I mean, is Neil an option?

What does Dion Graham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dion Graham brings this book to life and seems very at ease discussing concepts of the universe as we know it. He's very easy to understand and follow and is on my list of enjoyable narrators.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

As I have a background in physics there was not a lot for me to learn scientifically from this book; however, I can always find better ways to explain advanced concepts and make them accessible by listening to Dr. Tyson's musings.

Any additional comments?

Yes, if you are a scientific enthusiast, just curious about the world around you, or you chair the physics department at a prestigious university, you'll find something worth knowing here. Neil deGrasse Tyson has a remarkable talent for explaining the universe around us and I've met no rival to him.

Fascinating

I can tell this is one of those books I will be listening to over and over again. Kept me up long into the night staring at the stars.

Pure Magic

This book is pure magic. I hated physics when I was at school, possibly because the teacher didn't have the talent for teaching that Mr (or Dr) Tyson does. The information is presented in an humourous form but imparts the basic knowledge in a way that's easy to learn. The narrator does an excellent job, making the book come alive for you. I was totally impressed and adore the book.

An ever expanding mind

If you could sum up Death by Black Hole in three words, what would they be?

Wow, very deep.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The overall narrative was compelling. I learned things that I've never heard of or knew existed.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene that stood out the most was the discussion on how stars are born. To even think of a temperature as high as a million degrees is beyond my wildest imagination. I might have to read this a couple more times to get a grasp on all the information.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

It's hard to just pick one thing, but if I had to pick just one, it would be this. Unlike it is here on Earth, things in space that are red are cool objects and blue things are hot. So that makes the core of the sun blue. I hope that I interpreted that right. If not, I'll be reading it again to make sure.

Any additional comments?

This is a must read.

Funny, interesting, a great read!

I love Neil deGrasse Tyson to begin with, so this was a natural use of a credit. It is amazingly well-written, with just the right mix of hard-core science and easy to understand analogy. The topics are amazingly interesting and he explains them in a way that makes it fun and funny!

The only quibbles I have, which hold it back from the 5th star are 1) the material is a bit dated in some obvious places. While I don't expect a cutting-edge science read to be a classic, the constant mentions of Pluto as a planet get in the way a bit; and 2) it was compiled from a series of articles written over a span of years so, while Tyson does his best to tie the book together with comments like "as we learned in Section 2" for the most part, it feels like a series of discrete articles rather than a cohesive book.

All in all, well worth the credit, a great value for the money and a great listen.

Nice But Not Grabbing

Written playfully and with the nerdy energy of a professional physicist, this has a lot of good information, but isn't gripping. Probably best for people with a deep-seated interest in becoming an amateur astronomer.

Something for everyone

I have to say, the title of this book was a little misleading - there's a section on black holes toward the end (where I'm at now) and a few mentions earlier, but this is not a book about black holes. That said, I think it's a great introduction to astrophysics for anyone who is curious about science but maybe has (like me) a few gaps in their knowledge of the universe. It's not dry at all - in fact, it's surprisingly funny at times, and very...human. Down-to-earth, you might say (har har). It has really piqued my curiosity about many things and made me want to explore them further.

Fun

Great times listening to this book. The information is great and it's quite entertaining as well. Neil know his science.

review

I enjoyed this book however, if you have watched Neil Degrasse Tyson's iteration of Cosmos and listen to his star talks podcast, many of the ideas in this book are discussed on the aforementioned mediums. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.