The Universe in Your Hand

Buckle your seatbelt! Narrator Ray Chase's excited voice propels listeners through the cosmos--from the very small to the very large and everything in between. Chase's voice sounds young and energetic, as if he's bursting with momentous information he's eager to reveal. The author, a student and collaborator of Stephen Hawking, knows his stuff and communicates it in a you-are-there style. A strength of this book is that it covers scientific knowledge right up to 2016, and a lot has been discovered in recent years. The last few chapters bring us to the brink of the yet undiscovered, the edges where dark matter and dark energy and the invisible space/time fabric of reality reside. This is a riveting listen. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Starred review from February 8, 2016
In this entertaining and comprehensive book, science educator Galfard (George's Secret Key to the Universe, with Stephen and Lucy Hawking) blends physics lessons into a story of scientific discovery. He opens the book with cosmology, looking at signs of the universe's beginning and exploring gravity, general relativity, and special relativity. Galfard then plunges into the quantum world, illuminating the nature of atoms, subatomic particles, and the fields and forces that govern our universe. Having provided an exceptional foundation, Galfard further explores outer space, culminating in a discussion of the mysteries of gravity and quantum mechanics as well as a beautiful description of string theory. He follows an intuitive progression of thoughts and questions, elucidating his material with mindbending thought experiments. The deft and dazzling imagery makes difficult concepts accessible, streamlining the progression through topics and fulfilling Galfard's promise to "not leave any readers behind." The book is amazingly easy to get through, given the sheer number of concepts covered, and there is only one equation used. Galfard was mentored by Stephen Hawking and his familiarity with the material shows, as does the ease with which he conveys it. Readers looking to expand their knowledge of physics and cosmology will find everything they need here.