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andrea_author's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, lyrical, and profoundly human, this book tackles one of the oldest and most important questions—how did we get here? What happened at the moment of creation?
I'm an artist by profession, not a scientist, but I found the text accessible and enjoyable. In addition to the facts, the author brought surprising perspectives, putting the discoveries of particle physics in context. I'll have to read it again to really understand it, but I look forward to that. It's worth a second read.
I received and read an advance copy of this book. This is my voluntary and unsolicited review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm an artist by profession, not a scientist, but I found the text accessible and enjoyable. In addition to the facts, the author brought surprising perspectives, putting the discoveries of particle physics in context. I'll have to read it again to really understand it, but I look forward to that. It's worth a second read.
I received and read an advance copy of this book. This is my voluntary and unsolicited review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
guarinous's review against another edition
4.0
Particle physicist Guido Tonelli uses ye olde seven days of biblical creation as a metaphor for the beginnings of the universe, life, and humanity in Genesis. A star player in the discovery of the Higgs Boson, Tonelli is uniquely positioned to tell the epic history that ranges from the Void to the iPhone. As I soon discovered, a background in physics would have been a huge boon in reading this as I was frequently lost in some of the more theoretical musings. However, Tonelli writes with a poetic flair and a zeal sufficient to keep the layman interested throughout. Of particular note are Tonelli’s description of black holes and dark matter, two hard to conceive of but consistently intriguing topics in the field.
Tonelli waxes romantic multiple times about just how ridiculous it is that any of this exists when the variables are considered. One of my favorite bits was the description of the collision between Earth and another heavenly body that formed the moon, and the moon’s subsequent role in allowing life to form on Earth. Guess what? No collision, no moon; no moon, no you or me! While this book won’t make a physicist out of you, it might make you appreciate your place in this light show a bit more so it comes recommended.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.**
Tonelli waxes romantic multiple times about just how ridiculous it is that any of this exists when the variables are considered. One of my favorite bits was the description of the collision between Earth and another heavenly body that formed the moon, and the moon’s subsequent role in allowing life to form on Earth. Guess what? No collision, no moon; no moon, no you or me! While this book won’t make a physicist out of you, it might make you appreciate your place in this light show a bit more so it comes recommended.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.**
karosunfug's review against another edition
Didn't catch me, rambled on about unimportant topics for WAY longer than I dare to admit I put up with