Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As I was reading this, I didn't expect to learn anything new, but that wasn't really the point. Even the title hints at its true purpose: to inspire awe.

To be very sure, it's awe in the pure-reality sense, the scientific sense, and a measured analysis of who we are, what we might be capable of, and how we fit in the rest of the universe.

This is NOT, however, dull, pedantic, or dry.

I quickly came to the conclusion that this nonfiction is, in fact, a prose poem.

It's quite short, it's tiny data points all trying to express the magic, and it lightly flits over so many areas in a charming way.

Who is this written for? People who haven't lost their sense of wonder, or people who might be a bit too disgusted with humanity but haven't quite given up on the whole rotting carcass just yet.

In short, if you need a reason to remember that science is real, that all is not lost, that those who would drag everything down to the lowest level have not won, yet, then this might be the book you need.



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