A Science-hater Friendly Review

I have had this book in my shelf for a while which I have no intention to return to the rightful owner! I happened to pick it up the other day after I finished reading Hangwoman by K. R. Meera (which is an amazing book BTW).
Also, when you see a book by Stephen Hawking, you just can’t not read it! This book screams fascination and wonder before you even pick it up.

My Thoughts

This is a short insightful read to anyone who would love to know what Black holes are, or to be precise the scope of our understanding of Black Holes and what they could still be and what they aren’t during the BBC Reith Lectures broadcasted in January and February 2016.

The Einstein Equations don’t work at a singularity

Stephen Hawking

This book could be used as an invitation (or a trailer if you wish) into the beautiful world of Black Holes and all the stories and theories that keep spewing up every now and then that ensures we are trapped in a permanent cycle of awe.

This is a book that makes science understandable to everyone. By everyone, I include the people who hate math and science and run away from the use of these words. If I were to exaggerate, you could use this as a bedtime story for children as well and let them dream about space and time and the wonder of the unknown! I’m not kidding… This book has cliffhangers as well!

In space, no one can you scream; an in a black hole, no one can see you disappear

Stephen Hawking

Just sit back and imagine all that could be possible if you gave a thought to this!

The illustrations are beautiful! Imagine a book about science that features the Hulk and Heisenberg from Breaking Bad. Oh! There are references to the concepts from the movie Interstellar as well.

This book weaves through the basics of a Black hole, talks about the singularity, the event horizons and what we know about black holes today to the questions of what happens when we enter a Black hole, what it looks from inside and if we can escape from one!

So, if you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up: there is a way out, both in this universe and possibly to another

Oh! I definitely cannot forget Hawking’s sense of humour which lights up the mood of the book!

This has been one of the most fun reads! The comments by the Science Editor David Shukman are remarkable that provide value and breaks down the concepts Hawking speaks about. Basically, he simplified the simplified explanation by Hawking

My Recommendation

I honestly recommend this book to everyone. This would also be something that would help people get interested in the concept of blackholes.

This would be a simple must-read for anyone who has been struggling to understand the movie Interstellar as well. Haha!

This is a simple 20-minute read which could be read during transit or when you need a tiny filler as well! I mean, you could have finished 25% of the book in the time you reached this line of the review!

It would be a crime to rate the book anything below:

After reading this, you definitely cannot leave without listening to the sound track from the movie based on the legend!

I hope you pick this book up and read it!

More Power to You!