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!)

great info

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

yes there a lot of info in this book and it may take more then one listen to get it all however it is worst listen to more then once

What did you like best about this story?

i enjoy the explantion as to how this king of sci is done and how the info get to the rest of us

What about Ryan Gesell’s performance did you like?

it was very enjoyable

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

yes

Just perfect in every way.

I love this book so much. It's perfect for someone who is scientifically retarded but still loves the idea of space. He explains his concepts as if to a 2 its old while still making his story compelling and gripping. And of course, you understand why the little planet that could had to go.

Briliant

This book is brilliant, it talks about how planets shaped his life and he is the founder of dawrf planet-Xena

Science with some real life thrown in.

Alternate title: Planetary Science and Fatherhood.

This book had a good mix of interesting astronomy and real life of the author mixed in. Enjoyable book. The astronomy in the book was not too complex that it was hard to understand for non-scientist type folks.

How to Find a Planet

I heard about this book from the Bad Astronomy column at Discover Magazine's website. I am interested in astronomy and space, but I don't come from a physics background (I am a nursing student). The good thing is you don't need to have a background in physics or astronomy to enjoy this book.

The best books about science are written by scientists who still love their subject as much as an excited elementary school student first encountering the material for the first time. It never gets "old." Brown clearly enjoys thinking very deeply about the edges of our solar system and he communicates this sense of wonder at nature very well.

Mike Brown explains three things very well in this book:

1. How he went about finding planets in the Kuiper Belt. One thing I did not consider is that writing the computer code to analyze your data is just as time consuming as taking the pictures in the first place.

2. The controversy surrounding a planet that Mike Brown discovered, but was announced as discovered by a Spanish astronomer before Brown had enough time to write a scientific paper about it.

3. How the International Astronomical Union came to the decision to demote Pluto as a dwarf planet, and subsequently all of the other planets that Brown had discovered. Brown spends a lot of time clearly explaining why he thinks this is the most accurate way to describe the solar system.

Brown spends a lot of time talking about his family, particularly his daughter Lilah. I have young daughter around the same age as Brown's daughter, so I could relate to how he felt like part of his story could be best explained by his feelings surrounding her first few months of life. Being a parent of a young child really does consume most of your time. For non-parents though, I could see how these sections could be tedious.

I listened to the book in about four or five days. If Mike Brown wrote another one, I would listen to that one too.

I Feel Smarter!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming to be better than the print version?

YES! Now that is biased, as I have not read the written edition; however, this was a wonderful listen.

What other book might you compare How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming to and why?

I do not have any at this time. This is THE best audio book I have EVER had the pleasure of listening to.

What does Ryan Gesell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a great engaging vocalizer. I actually picture his voice as Mike Brown's.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I did both many times. Mike Brown is my new science crush.

Any additional comments?

Get this audio book. You will NOT be disappointed.

Loved it

If you could sum up How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming in three words, what would they be?

great little book

Who was your favorite character and why?

Chad - he sounds hot

Which character – as performed by Ryan Gesell – was your favorite?

Lila in the end - saying adults are stupid

Entertaining, engaging and sometimes exciting

Its hard to believe that a book about astronomy, by an astronomer, could stir up any emotion exceeding casual interest. Yet I found this book both entertaining and occasionally riveting. While intensely personal at times, the book is fundamentally about the passion of a driven scientist.While blessed with a position that allowed access to the best tools of the trade, what separates the author from the mainstream is his ability to make best use of what was available. This book straddles detail, but not of a technical variety, with an overview that is specific enough to keep it interesting. The key sub-story of academic intrigue is genuinely telling, as well as really gripping. I was thinking of buying the book to give to a nine year old that is excited by the subject, but I think think that the personal parts might put him off. Maybe next year.
It is not too long and plays well at double speed. All in all, well worth listening to.

Exciting

I love astronomy, but nevertheless I was expecting this book to be a little dry. So I was pleasantly surprised that the book was quite interesting.

Informative and well written

Good narration and interesting story. If you like astronomy don't miss this. A detailed chronicle of planetary science (mostly) since 2000.