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!)

Fun listening...

Who would have thought an astronomer's memoir would be so engaging? The passion that fueled the drudgery of sifting through huge amounts of data and systematically searching infinity is a tough sell, but the author manages it deftly with a humour and affability that forgives the frequent detours where he stops to marvels at the more terrestrial delights of love and fatherhood. Definitely a worthwhile listen, and it's always nice to have a reminder to look up from time to time to contemplate the heavens.

A very pleasant surprise!

Like a few other readers, I though his inclusion of his parenthood experiences could have been easily cut in half and we still would have gotten the parallels. Otherwise, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I know next to nothing about astronomy so I really enjoyed learning not only about the discovery but even about the more mundane things like how telescopes are scheduled. It was a fascinating read and I appreciated having astronomy explained "at my level".

Fun & Informative

Mike Brown does a fantastic job of interweaving the story of his search for large astronomical bodies beyond Pluto with his family life. There's suspense (bad guys trying to steal planets), humor (Mike graphing his newborn daughter's eating and sleeping habits), science (explained so a person of average intelligence can understand it), and controversy (Pluto was kicked out of the planetary fraternity with more than a little discussion). I found it fascinating to discover that the number of accepted planets has fluctuated many times.

The only complaints I've seen about the book focus on the fact that it's not just about Pluto, Eris' discovery, and science. Go into your reading of this book with your eyes open. It's also about several large planetoids he's found, which, for me, helps put things in perspective. It includes a little bit of his childhood. He talks about his wife and child. This isn't really Pluto's story. It's Mike Brown's story and how his discoveries and the question "what is a planet?" resulted in Pluto's demotion.

This was an incredibly fun & informative read and listen. After I borrowed the book from the library (December 2010), I not only bought a hardbound copy, I purchased an audiobook version too. The narrator did a great job. I recommend this book to everyone.

Amazing listen in every sense

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

1. Entertaining
2. Absorbing
3. Imaginative

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

Ryan brought life to the book that I haven't heard even from books read by their author.

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

Yes! To put this book down was to deny myself an extremely entertaining listen brought to life by a man so enthusiatic, I had to check to see if it was the man that wrote the book who I was listening to.

Any additional comments?

I am fairly new to audible, and even newer to just about anything astronomy, but this book made me want to go out and look at the stars. The author and the narrator both did amazing jobs, and I can only shower them with praise and recommend this book to everyone. Astronomy buffs or otherwise. Buy it. Use the Credit. Just listen to this book.

Great Read-Took Time to Finish But Worth It

I never really cared about astronomy and missed the whole brouhaha concerning Pluto and Xena. This book lift the curtain for me about how life is for an Astronomer. I love the humor and the scientific insight that Brown gives to his field of work and study. I can understand why he was given the Richard Feynman Teaching Award...after listening to this book...I can imagine how good his lectures and class would be.

Amazing Story

And made me a firm believer in Pluto becoming a dwarf planet. I tell people to read this all the time.

An excellent detective novel about a dwarf planet

The story of the discovery reads like a detective novel. Highly recommended to anyone interested in a scientific process. Also a good book.

Excellent

Do not read this book unless you want to fall in love with astronomy and understand exactly why Pluto is not (and really never was) a planet.

A story that moves.

I am so glad I listened to this book. I truly believe there is something in this book for all.

Awesome!

Amazing book if you have any interest in planets or you just wonder what in the world happened to poor Pluto!