Death by Black Hole

And Other Cosmic Quandaries

By: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

“[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)

I loved it. An excellent read.

A great introduction to the world of astrophysics and our early attempts at understanding it.

Awesome narration about the origin, evolution of our universe, the physical laws governing our cosmos

It is indeed a wonderful presentation! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the book! I thought the title of the book could have been other than " Death by Black Hole " coz what you hear and what is covered is certainly much more than the ominous " Black Hole' :-)

A marvelous adventure through the stars

His explanations are so vivid and exciting that he makes me feel as if I really do understand what he's saying--even when he goes far beyond my untutored ken. He makes a second pass equally rewarding as the original becomes a little more familiar and I gain a bit more insight into his magical cosmos. As charming and eloquent as Sagan, with a saucy touch of humor. Loved the experience of reading and rereading it.

Vast, coinvolging, enthusiastic and hilarious

My first Book by De Grasse Tyson, it won't certainly be the last... Great experience!

I love NJT but.....

I'm not PhD like Dr. Tyson but I feel compelled to answer his questions in the 1st essay, Psychics, Fortune Teller's that he referred too as too why we don't know the lottery numbers or futures on the stock market, it's simple we read energy and since something has not happened it has no energy, a mystic is simply someone who knows, in the future as energy becomes more important and people realize as NJT states we are all light and energy, and trust me those who can read energy wish they could not, but NJT is a mystic he is someone who knows about astrophysics and I believe him, if he ever say in front of a mystic he would also be astounded because it has so much too do with what he study's

So much Good Information!!

If you read this book you will learn sh** about the world you never knew to ask questions on haha Neil gives great explanations on astrophysics and analogies are spot on. This is a good book regardless of how new you are to the subject and there is something for everyone. Time flies when you listen to it!

Very enjoyable listen

I enjoyed this book very much. He covered a lot of material but transitioned between subjects smoothly. His sense of humor is very laid back. If you are at all interested in astrophysics you'll like this book.

Tyson dishes it up and up...good show!

Tyson is an authoratative television personality who also has a great grasp of physics and the universe. This book had such a catchy title, how could I have even passed it up?

While being much more approachable in terms of use of analogy to explain very complex scientific concepts, it is also a sounding board for Tyson to rant on a few topics that drive him crazy about popular culture's views of science.

That said, it was a very fun book and well worth the money. Tyson is fun to listen to and his thoughts travel smoothly from point to point. He introduced me to some new information that I, even as an avid reader of all things science, had not known.

The only thing that could have made this book even stronger, perhaps, would be expansion on some of the scientific thoughts for those of us more versed in science. But Tyson's strength is reaching the common man, and so I wasn't surprised that occasionally very in-depth accounting of scientific preceps didn't meet my voracious appetite's needs.

I'll definitely be re-listening to this every now and again, though. It's wonderful for sitting outside and staring at the amazing sky. Bravo :)

A little tough to follow, but pretty interesting

Would you listen to Death by Black Hole again? Why?

Probably not. The "book" is actually a series of articles that are put together like a chapter book. As such there is a decent degree of redundancy. The plus side is that with repetition comes increased comprehension (as the subject matter can be a little heady for us non-science types)...the downside is that the book really could have been condensed by an order of a few hours with all the repeate material

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

the narrator is generally personable and you can easily visualize Neil deGrasse Tyson in his style. To each their own on this but I think the most compelling aspect of the narrative for me is getting a greater appreciation for the sheer magnitude of the universe versus the sheer insignficance of our place in it.

Which scene was your favorite?

For someone with nothing more than a beginners understanding of astrophysics, I found all of it pretty interesting. Probably, my favorite were the portions that focus on the potential for life on other planets.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"bring your pillow" kidding. my guess is books on astrophysics don't translate well to the big screen. Probably better suited for PBS or the Discovery Channel

Any additional comments?

A little repetitious but fascinating stuff to the layman.

Engaging pop science

While no one can replace Carl Sagan, Tyson might be the nearest thing the 2010s have to him, a friendly advocate of the sciences who knows how to explain abstract topics in everyday language without dumbing them down or dissipating their inherent wonder. I enjoyed his series on NOVA, so I decided to pick up this book after I noticed it on sale at audible.

No regrets. If you want an introduction or a refresher course on the basics of astronomy and astrophysics, this series of essays on various topics should fill in the gaps nicely. Tyson covers topics such as the mechanics of the solar system, the formation of the Earth and planets, the Big Bang and the origins of the universe, and the essential concepts of 20th century physics (quantum theory, relativity, subatomic particles, forces, string theory). Much of the ground Tyson treads will be familiar to those who watched Dr. Sagan's classic Cosmos series in the early 1980s, but a lot of discoveries have been made since then, so the update is worthwhile. Like Sagan, Tyson makes no bones about the fact that he sees science, not religion/superstition/mysticism, as the only reliable tool for understanding how the universe actually works. As he points out, no religious text has yet proved useful for predicting physical phenomena -- in fact, The Bible significantly misstates the value of Pi. (However, he's much less obnoxious about it than Dawkins.)

Tyson also spends some time nitpicking on the scientific errors in several Hollywood blockbusters. Yes, he's that guy -- the one that you stopped inviting to Doctor Who night.

If I have a complaint about this book, it's that its provenance as a collection of articles is pretty obvious. Things that were stated as assumptions or background information in one chapter will be repeated again a few chapters later. The editor could have done a better job integrating everything. And it's probably not a book I'd recommend to more knowledgeable readers; most of the information here, though presented in an appealing, accessible way, is basic.