You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Very interesting, witty and easy read. I would have loved a bit more technical explanation, or an indication where to look for further reading
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
Of all the astophysics books I've read, this was definitely the most didactic. It's a book loosely centered around the different theories for how the universe may come to an end and how likely each of these are along with the supporting evidence. However, it felt a lot more like being a med student listening to a professor go on tangents about what they love about the field rather than having a specific lecture prepared. She tends to ramble quite a lot and backtracks to a lot of physics principles and doesn't make it very conversational or useful for the average person (I could barely keep up at times and I studied physics for years). I did learn a lot, and there were a lot of hidden gems, but tbh I recommend Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson over this.
emotional
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
I think about the end of my own life a decent amount, and the end of the earth a bit, but rarely do I think about the end of the entire universe. And yet, just as the former two are an undeniable certainty, the universe will assuredly end. From there, the question follows, how will it end? In "The End of Everything," Katie Mack describes five potential answers.
Explaining the ways that the universe may end necessarily involves relating difficult scientific ideas; Mack ably conveys those ideas, in a generally conversational tone, using understandable analogies. The book reads like a lecture by a cool professor, littering occasional references to (usually nerdy) pop culture, and emphasizing how interesting the author thinks the material is. It's probably the best way to explain unfamiliar, complicated topics, especially those that with as much existential gravity (!) as the end of the universe. Still, as a 200+ page book on cosmology and physics, there was a decent amount that I didn't understand (or, didn't take the time to try to fully understand).
The subject matter of cosmology--i.e., the beginning and end of the universe--is incredibly interesting, and "The End of Everything" is full of interesting ideas and facts. More than any other book I've read in the past several years, I found myself taking notes and opening up tabs for further reading (albeit, on Wikipedia). Cosmology also seems to invariably bleed into philosophy and metaphysics--the ideas of time, space, existence. I enjoyed reading about how all those things work into the beginning and ending of the universe (esp. the Boltzmann Brain).
To that end, I most enjoyed the last two chapters of the book--Chapter Eight and the Epilogue. In the former, Mack returns to what we know and what we don't know about how the universe will end (and, really, how our theories and models have hit dead ends on giving us answers), and discusses how we might learn more in the near future. It's a good summary of the previous seven chapters, and (I think) a reasoned (and somewhat exciting) consideration of the future of her field. In the latter, Mack effectively pens a short (~five pages) essay on how knowing the universe will end should make us feel. It's an introspective aside after nearly 200 pages of (fairly dense) scientific content; and reads as honest and reflective. Mack talks to a few of her peers in cosmology who alternately express general depression, sadness combined with indifference, and, finally, optimism. Reading "The End of Everything" it's easy to get caught up in the big ideas it relates, and forget the personal (and universal) significance of what those big ideas mean (i.e., the end of everything). And so, for me at least, the book ends somewhat as it began--reminding me of the finality of my own life, along with everything that has and will ever exist.
Explaining the ways that the universe may end necessarily involves relating difficult scientific ideas; Mack ably conveys those ideas, in a generally conversational tone, using understandable analogies. The book reads like a lecture by a cool professor, littering occasional references to (usually nerdy) pop culture, and emphasizing how interesting the author thinks the material is. It's probably the best way to explain unfamiliar, complicated topics, especially those that with as much existential gravity (!) as the end of the universe. Still, as a 200+ page book on cosmology and physics, there was a decent amount that I didn't understand (or, didn't take the time to try to fully understand).
The subject matter of cosmology--i.e., the beginning and end of the universe--is incredibly interesting, and "The End of Everything" is full of interesting ideas and facts. More than any other book I've read in the past several years, I found myself taking notes and opening up tabs for further reading (albeit, on Wikipedia). Cosmology also seems to invariably bleed into philosophy and metaphysics--the ideas of time, space, existence. I enjoyed reading about how all those things work into the beginning and ending of the universe (esp. the Boltzmann Brain).
To that end, I most enjoyed the last two chapters of the book--Chapter Eight and the Epilogue. In the former, Mack returns to what we know and what we don't know about how the universe will end (and, really, how our theories and models have hit dead ends on giving us answers), and discusses how we might learn more in the near future. It's a good summary of the previous seven chapters, and (I think) a reasoned (and somewhat exciting) consideration of the future of her field. In the latter, Mack effectively pens a short (~five pages) essay on how knowing the universe will end should make us feel. It's an introspective aside after nearly 200 pages of (fairly dense) scientific content; and reads as honest and reflective. Mack talks to a few of her peers in cosmology who alternately express general depression, sadness combined with indifference, and, finally, optimism. Reading "The End of Everything" it's easy to get caught up in the big ideas it relates, and forget the personal (and universal) significance of what those big ideas mean (i.e., the end of everything). And so, for me at least, the book ends somewhat as it began--reminding me of the finality of my own life, along with everything that has and will ever exist.
I will definitely re-read this in the future. There is so much to absorb.
challenging
informative
inspiring
A very faszinating book, however parts of it we're a little hard to follow.