Who doesn’t love Neil deGrasse Tyson? My first experience with this charismatic genius were his visits to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; between his television appearances and his Twitter presence he is at the forefront of making science cool again.
“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. —NDT”
This is exactly what it is billed as- important principles of Astrophysics written in an easily digestible manner that is ideal for people without a science background who don’t want to devote years to the subject. Some of the information is a bit dense, you can only dumb down astrophysics so much, but Tyson does an admirable job to keep the reader from getting overwhelmed with feelings of idiocy. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is the perfect book for someone who simply wants to get a rudimentary lesson in the Universe. I took an Astronomy class in college but I probably learned more from this 200 page, pocket sized textbook than I did from my college professor.
Tyson’s charisma and humor come across in his writing and part of me wished this was a little bit longer. Sure, we’re all in a hurry but we can slow down for Neil to teach us!
“The power and beauty of physical laws is that they apply everywhere, whether or not you choose to believe in them.”
Tyson’s thing is oversimplified pop science and history. And it’s often wrong. See http://hopsblog-hop.blogspot.com/2016/01/fact-checking-neil-degrasse-tyson.html
Most folks today value celebrity and entertainment over rigor and accuracy. Which explains the rise of bullshitters like Trump and Tyson