Jeff Koeppen's Reviews > Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

This short book is packed with cosmological goodness and is an excellent example of the wit, wisdom, and knowledge of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who has assumed the title of America's top science communicator from the late, great Carl Sagan. The book was more of a review for me as much of the subject matter has been discussed on his podcast StarTalk, which I've been a fan of for a number of years. Still, it never gets old listening to Neil talk about the cosmos. He is an excellent communicator and has a knack for explaining the complex concepts of astrophysics so that even those of us without science degrees can appreciate and understand them.

If you liked this book and have an extra hour a week, I highly recommend Neil's StarTalk podcast. The podcast is co-hosted by a comedian and Neil usually has an interesting guest and takes questions submitted by listeners. Guests range from astronauts to fellow scientists to celebrities who are interested in science. The comedian hosts are usually either Leighann Lord, Chuck Nice, Maeve Higgins, or Eugene Mirman. They keep the show's tone light and funny.

If you liked this book and have twelve hours to kill, I highly recommend Neil's 2014 TV series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, which was a follow-up to Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV series. Must-see TV for science geeks.