Hawking, Stephen "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes" - 1988
This was one of the most difficult books for me that I ever read. I've been meaning to read it for ages but never really was ready for it. I'm not sure whether I ever will be but I managed to read it. And I did even understand part of it. I'm not a scientist. I'm one of those people who could have been going through school happily without even a single science lesson. Instead, I lived in a country where you have to take biology, physics and chemistry all through middle school (grade 5 to 10) and high school (grade 11-13). Nowadays, you can opt for just one of them in high school but then take two foreign languages. Which both my boys did and I would have done had I had that chance.
It was interesting to read especially about black holes and all the planets. I might have been more interested in astronomy in school.
Anyway, I read somewhere that this book can make you feel more stupid and more educated at the same time. I was trying to find the person who said that but can't. If you know (or are) the one, please, let me know. Because - I agree wholeheartedly.
All in all, I'm happy to have finished the book even though it was a really hard one. And it taught me one thing. I'll never be a scientist.
From the back cover:
"Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries? These are just some of the questions considered in the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time - from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and string theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders.
Since its first publication in 1988, and its last revision in 1996, there have been some remarkable new discoveries in physics. This new edition includes updates from Stephen Hawking with his latest thoughts about the No Boundary Proposal and offers new information about dark energy, the information paradox, eternal inflation, the microwave background radiation observations, and the discovery of gravitational waves."
I am impressed. I have had this book for so long. I have started to read it twice and gave up both times. I was never interested in science while in school. My dad made me take all three even though we had a choice. But now I am interested and you have encouraged me to make another attempt. Maybe I could read 5 or 10 pages a day as I do with other nonfiction.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both. I must have had this book for about ten years at least. I never even tried to start it. But since I have resolved to delve into older TBR books, this one came up.
DeleteI was never interested in science in school and it still the least subject I care for. Languages, geography, history, maths, music, art, it all comes way before science. I know it's important but so are the other subjects and a lot of people have no idea about those. I saw that nothing has changed in schools when my sons went to school, a lot of science teachers still believe that nothing is more important than their subjects. ;) I tried to make them (the teachers) understand that some people will never be scientist and that we need other experts as well.
Anyway, I'm glad I finally finished the book, I did take away a few things but I still don't understand most of what the author was talking about. He was way above the heads of many, many people, including myself. But reading 5 or 10 pages a day is exactly what I did. I couldn't have read it all in one go. And for a lot of non-fiction books, that's the right way to go.
Thanks for your comment, it made me aware once more that we have a lot in common.
Have a good day.
I understand that a more readable version of this book, A Briefer History of Time, was published to make the one you read more accessible. Good on you for getting through the original!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds interesting. Maybe I ought to read that one, as well, to see whether I understood this one correctly.
DeleteThanks for your comment.