How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

By: Mike Brown

Narrated by: Ryan Gesell

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

The debate culminated in the demotion of Pluto from real planet to the newly coined category of “dwarf” planet. Suddenly Brown was receiving hate mail from schoolchildren and being bombarded by TV reporters—all because of the discovery he had spent years searching for and a lifetime dreaming about. Filled with both humor and drama, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is Mike Brown’s engaging first-person account of the most tumultuous year in modern astronomy—which he inadvertently caused. As it guides readers through important scientific concepts and inspires us to think more deeply about our place in the cosmos, it is also an entertaining and enlightening personal story: While Brown sought to expand our understanding of the vast nature of space, his own life was changed in the most immediate, human ways by love, birth, and death. A heartfelt and personal perspective on the demotion of everyone’s favorite farflung planet, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is the book for anyone, young or old, who has ever dreamed of exploring the universe—and who among us hasn’t?

©2010 Mike Brown (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"Finally I have someone to whom I can forward the hate mail I get from schoolchildren. After all these years, the real destroyer of Pluto has confessed. Part memoir and part planetary saga, How I Killed Pluto invites you into planetary scientist Mike Brown's office, his home, and his head as he tells the story of how his research on the outer solar system led directly to the death of Pluto, the planet." (Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium and author of The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet)

“Romance, intrigue, laughter, skullduggery, and most of all: science! Mike Brown has done more than anyone to reshape our view of the solar system, and this first-person account of his discoveries is an irresistible page-turner. You’ll have so much fun, you won’t even notice how much you’re learning.” (Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time)

“Science is at its best when it shakes up our thinking, and when it comes to planets, Mike Brown has grabbed on with both hands. Whether you think Pluto is a planet or just another ice ball, you’ll find Brown’s tale of exploring the outer solar system a charming and even endearing read. If Pluto is indeed dead, then its sacrifice was not in vain.” (Philip Plait, author of Death from the Skies!)

Cute

Interesting story about how Pluto was downgraded to an asteroid from a planet and the 3rd grade hate mail that followed. Well written and narrated.

Mystery, Discovery, Intrigue, and SCIENCE!

This has got to be one of my absolute favorite books on Audible. Whether you're an astronomy geek or not, do yourself a favor and get this book! Brown tells an incredibly human story of how he came to be a planet hunter, and how it affected his life. He talks about his obsession not only with science, but also about family-- as he talks in detail about trying to balance his work with his daughter's birth. Even better, he gives his side of the story of how one of his greatest discoveries was almost stolen from him, and how the dirty deed was discovered. This is a book with something for everyone, and the reader does a fantastic job of bringing some of the authentic voice of the author to his performance. Do yourself a favor and dive in!

Interesting Story, without much science

Would you listen to How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming again? Why?

I may. If I were on a long drive and someone with me wanted to listen to it I would.

What was one of the most memorable moments of How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming?

Mike's emotional ride through the book I loved. It was nice to hear some of the emotion that goes a long with discovery and the struggle to put scientific fact before ones own knee jerk reactions.

Any additional comments?

This was a very interesting story about Mike Brown. I think I expected a little more about the science of space study and such. I enjoyed this book very much, but it's really much more of an autobiography of the author at the time of these events. It's all from Mike's point of view and well told. Maybe that should have been obvious to me before I read it, but it wasn't. As I said though I did enjoy it.

Intelligent and engaging!

This memoir of how Pluto came to be demoted from planethood, by the astronomer who was chiefly responsible, could have been dry and self-aggrandizing. Instead, Mike Brown has written an engaging and intelligent book infused with humor. Underlying the unifying story of how Brown's discovery of a large planet-like object orbiting the sun led to the controversy about Pluto is a portrayal of the life of an academic scientist. Ryan Gesell's narration is perfect. I liked this audio book so much that I plan to leave it on my mp3 player so I can listen to it again.

Science, family, and integrity.

thoroughly enjoyed this book. it was interesting to witness the life of an astronomer. it's not all glory and often difficult but driven with passion and the luck of timing.

The story behind the science

This is the story of the discoveries that made it necessary to reconsider what a planet is. I love the way that it draws back the curtain, showing how scientists actually work, something our science-doubting world could use more of, as well as the way that it humanizes scientists, showing that they’re real people who are passionate about the things they study. I listened to it with my eleven year old son, who loved it. I highly recommend it.

An exciting astronomical murder

Well, it's not really a murder mystery - but the tale of how things went down is probably less well known. Brown carries off his tale of the "death" of Pluto with aplomb and manages to also impart an impressive amount of scientific information along the way. It was fascinating to hear his perspective on the events which transpired, as well as his argument for why Pluto needed to be "downgraded" from a full-fledged planet to a dwarf planet. I have to say, I was swayed by his logic and argument.

Ryan Gesell does an excellent job as a narrator, managing to convey even the more scientific aspects of Brown's tale in an engaging manner. Honestly, I never thought about the narrator throughout the story - he did such a good job of just presenting the story that his participation just slipped into the background and I lost myself in Brown's astronomical adventure.

But, more than anything else, this was a story - and it was well told. Brown comes across as a natural storyteller (I have no idea if there was a ghostwriter helping him, but it seems doubtful in my mind). I suspect he is an excellent professor to have to sit under. Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves astronomy or science in general. Brown conveys the methodology of how astronomers make discoveries and go about documenting it properly in an exciting manner, communicating his passion and excitement almost tangibly. Highly recommend!

A pleasant surprise!

Interesting and engaging memoir of an astronomers trials and tribulations both in his career and personal life. Enjoyed it more that I thought I would!

Thoroughly loved this book

Would you listen to How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming again? Why?

You may not know much about astronomy, but Mike Brown pulls you into an the field and makes it easy to understand and weaves a great story that could not be made up. I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the stars, even if, like my wife, you think Pluto is a planet.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Funny guy for a scientist

Not what you'd expect from a science guy with fun quips and he moved the story along nicely. Also taught about a topic I've studied little but now feel I'm well versed on.