Scan barcode
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
'The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred' by Chandra Prescod-Weinstein is an interesting mix of physics, memoir, and advocating for a new approach to science.
Prescod-Weinstein weaves her own experience as an agender Black person into her explanations of physics and how she views science. She provides both an interesting look into physics for those of us who are less familiar with it as well as exploring how her identity has affected her study of science and view of the science field. As the book goes on, Prescod-Weinstein unpacks the racism, misogyny, and colonialism that are at the heart of modern day science and proposes new ways that we can approach science that opens up access and moves away from white supremacy.
This book is fascinating in the way that it weaves together different genres into one book to be part memoir, part science textbook, and part critique on the current approach to science. I wouldn't have necessarily thought that all of those pieces could work together but the progression with which Prescod-Weinstein works through these pieces build upon one another so that each part that came before supports what comes after.
The only part I found difficult was near the beginning when Prescod-Weinstein introduces us to different aspects of physics. I personally have a very hard time understanding physics and though I think Prescod-Weinstein made this far more accessible than most physics textbooks, there were still some aspects that went over my head. I do think this is in part due to listening to the audiobook and that returning to these sections in physical form, I would be able to understand more.
My favorite thing about this book is how all of the pieces come together. The end of the book, where Prescod-Weinstein weaves her own experiences and understanding of physics into a new view of how we can do science that removes harm and is more inclusive, was strengthened by each piece that came before. I have not read many books like this that meld genres to create something new and enlightening. I hope that she will write more in the future and I think this is a crucial read for anyone who is interested in or works in scientific fields.
Prescod-Weinstein weaves her own experience as an agender Black person into her explanations of physics and how she views science. She provides both an interesting look into physics for those of us who are less familiar with it as well as exploring how her identity has affected her study of science and view of the science field. As the book goes on, Prescod-Weinstein unpacks the racism, misogyny, and colonialism that are at the heart of modern day science and proposes new ways that we can approach science that opens up access and moves away from white supremacy.
This book is fascinating in the way that it weaves together different genres into one book to be part memoir, part science textbook, and part critique on the current approach to science. I wouldn't have necessarily thought that all of those pieces could work together but the progression with which Prescod-Weinstein works through these pieces build upon one another so that each part that came before supports what comes after.
The only part I found difficult was near the beginning when Prescod-Weinstein introduces us to different aspects of physics. I personally have a very hard time understanding physics and though I think Prescod-Weinstein made this far more accessible than most physics textbooks, there were still some aspects that went over my head. I do think this is in part due to listening to the audiobook and that returning to these sections in physical form, I would be able to understand more.
My favorite thing about this book is how all of the pieces come together. The end of the book, where Prescod-Weinstein weaves her own experiences and understanding of physics into a new view of how we can do science that removes harm and is more inclusive, was strengthened by each piece that came before. I have not read many books like this that meld genres to create something new and enlightening. I hope that she will write more in the future and I think this is a crucial read for anyone who is interested in or works in scientific fields.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, and Violence
More...