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Reviews
Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang -- Rewriting Cosmic History by Neil Turok, Paul J. Steinhardt
antidietleah's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I need to preface this review with some context. I have a BS in Biology, I took exactly 1 physics class in college, a bunch of chemistry classes, and that's it. I struggle to grasp cosmology and astrophysics and metaphysics. Last year, I watched that Stephen Hawking biopic and enjoyed it but I still didn't "get it". It sent me down the rabbit hole of looking at "cosmology for dummies" on YouTube, trying to understand Dark Matter, trying to understand how the hell we are holograms on the edge of a black hole. (Like, seriously?) So I made it a bit of a mission this year to try to learn more and better my understanding. I ended up at OMSI and watched a Neil Degrasse thing in the planetarium on astronomy and cosmology. I liked it, but had even more questions. I knew it was just grazing the surface and I just. didn't. get. it. The museum shop has a bunch of books on cosmology - I took pictures of them, looked at reviews, and selected a couple to invest in in hopes of getting a better understanding. This book, Endless Universe, was the first one I picked up.
It is beyond me. The principles are too advanced for me to comprehend. I would have moments of "ahhhhha" where they would explain something well, but then I'd be lost again in the next paragraph. It took me 6 months to wade my way through. I ended up just reading a couple pages a day to try to get through it because reading large chunks would send me into anxiety. Maybe I need to start in the kids section...
That being said, I can tell this book was well thought out and they do offer a compelling argument for the cyclic model. I get that piece, on a high level. The details elude me though. But I gleaned enough to definitely raise my eyebrows questioningly at the current inflationary model. This book is now over a decade old and more WMAP's have come out - I would have loved to see an afterward added that discussed advancements since original publication.
I cannot in good conscience give a glowing review merely because my comprehension level is so extraordinarily low. I did find the history of theory progressions very interesting, and the straw example of extra dimensions did stick with me.
It is beyond me. The principles are too advanced for me to comprehend. I would have moments of "ahhhhha" where they would explain something well, but then I'd be lost again in the next paragraph. It took me 6 months to wade my way through. I ended up just reading a couple pages a day to try to get through it because reading large chunks would send me into anxiety. Maybe I need to start in the kids section...
That being said, I can tell this book was well thought out and they do offer a compelling argument for the cyclic model. I get that piece, on a high level. The details elude me though. But I gleaned enough to definitely raise my eyebrows questioningly at the current inflationary model. This book is now over a decade old and more WMAP's have come out - I would have loved to see an afterward added that discussed advancements since original publication.
I cannot in good conscience give a glowing review merely because my comprehension level is so extraordinarily low. I did find the history of theory progressions very interesting, and the straw example of extra dimensions did stick with me.
dernhelm7's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting and thought provoking...but scientifically premature. A great 'what if'. I'll be interested to see what comes of further research.
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