The Pluto Files

The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet

By: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Narrated by: Mirron Willis

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted Pluto out of planethood. Far from the sun, tiny, and eccentric in orbit, it's a wonder Pluto has any fans. Yet during the mounting debate over Pluto's status, Americans rallied behind the extraterrestrial underdog.

The year of Pluto's discovery, Disney created an irresistible pup by the same name, and, as one NASA scientist put it, Pluto was "discovered by an American for America." Pluto is entrenched in our cultural, patriotic view of the cosmos, and Neil deGrasse Tyson is on a quest to discover why.

©2009 Neil deGrasse Tyson (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A lighthearted look at the planet....Presents the medicine of hard science with a sugarcoating of lightness and humor." ( Publishers Weekly)

Humorous and enlightening look back

I really enjoyed this book and the material within it. NDT has long been someone I really enjoy learning from and coming back to the early days of a controversial topic that is fascinating almost 25 years on.

The narrator is good, and I have found that hearing NDT in other readings and Great Lecture Series makes me really want his voice more.

PLUTO is a Planet

Great book, please write more asap. Still Pluto is a planet lol, and always will be.

Enjoyable easy science history

I didn’t know going in exactly what this was - a history surrounding discovery, naming, and classifying Pluto. Light and enjoyable and learned a few things

Mixed

I found the first half of the book informative and amusing. As to the second half, I thought if I heard one more e-mail read I would scream. I give the first half a 5 and the second half a generous 2.

Ignore the propaganda. Go to the source!

Which character – as performed by Mirron Willis – was your favorite?

This guy sounds so much like Neil deGrasse Tyson, I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't narrated by the author!

Not a Pity Party for Pluto

Where does The Pluto Files rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed The Pluto Files very much. I enjoy most of what I've read and listened to from Neil deGrasse Tyson and this one was enlightening and fun. The blend of science and humor makes him easy for laypersons and scholars alike. The Pluto Files provides an understanding of why we only have 8 planets in the solar system now and the events leading to this.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the inclusion of some of the letters people wrote to Dr. Tyson. It was a nice touch to see things from his perspective.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Mirron Willis?

I would probably give him another shot although I should say I was not entirely blown away. He had a nice steady pace which made it easy to follow along. He had a few moments of emotion coming through which I actually thought made some of the chapters more entertaining.

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

No extreme reactions.

Didn't Like the Narration

Would you try another book from Neil deGrasse Tyson and/or Mirron Willis?

I would try another book from deGrasse, but not from the narrator, Mirron Willis.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Mirron Willis?

I am not familiar with the names of the narrators, I've listened to probably 30 audiobooks in my life and the narrators all have been fine up to this one. In my opinion, a good narrator is one whom you never or rarely think about while listening to the book.

Was The Pluto Files worth the listening time?

Yes. It was jam-packed with good, interesting information and was a pretty good story.

Any additional comments?

I have never paid attention to the names of narrators or listened to samples of the books before purchasing them. Big mistake. This narrator was a struggle for me to listen to. To me his voice was not clear and it was sometimes hard for me to understand the word(s) that he was saying. Too, it just wasn't a pleasant voice, to me. I didn't read the other reviews, so I don't know if others have felt the same way--I know that this might be a matter of personal taste to some extent. From now on, I definitely will avail myself of the opportunity to listen to samples of the audiobooks before I purchase.

Pluto will always be a planet to me.

I appreciate Neil Degrasse Tyson's work and think he has done a lot to further peoples interest and understanding of the cosmos.. I think people gave him a hard time when they blamed him for kicking Pluto out of the solar system it was the IAU that made the decision, not him. I think we will find even more things that will make us question how we think about things as we explore the universe. That is science.

Tyson

I love Neil DeGrasse Tyson so much. This is me starting all of his books.

I remember being 8 and our teacher telling us Pluto was no longer a plant, it broke my brain I couldn’t understand it. But excluding children, the public getting worked up about the new designation and being unwilling to accept the new science says a lot.

Informative

I was so curious to find out why Pluto was not considered a planet any longer. It was upsetting when I first heard the change in Pluto’s planet status. I needed answers and I got a lot of information. I’m still saying Pluto is a planet! I love Pluto!