Bio
Tyson was born on the 5th of October, in the year of 1968, in Manhattan, New York, United States of America. He is an American planetary scientist, author, science communicator, and famous astrophysicist.
As noted, he was born in Manhattan as child number two of three. The family was living in the Bronx, with his mother, Sunchita Maria Tyson, working as a gerontologist for the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Sunchita had Puerto Rican heritage. Cyril deGrasse Tyson, the dad of Neil, was a sociologist and human resource commissioner for NYC mayor John Lindsay.
Best Neil deGrasse Tyson Books
Sky and the Cosmos
Throughout his childhood, Tyson was fascinated by the sky, but upon visiting the sky theater in the Hayden Planetarium, he felt as if the sky had left a mark on him, as if the cosmos was calling to him. With this obsession came his need to know more and more until he became so prominent even during his teen years that Carl Sagan attempted recruiting Neil to Cornell for his bachelor studies. Now, with all that said, let’s take a look at the best Neil deGrasse Tyson books.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
What We Wonder About
What We Wonder AboutAmong the best-selling Tyson books and one of the most popular Tyson books is, of course, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. The book was published in the year of 2017, spanning a bit over two-hundred-pages, all in all.
In Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, the author concentrates on the very fabric, the very nature of time and space. Several questions are worth brooding and ruminating over, so the writer addresses them aptly. Questions like, how is it that we can fit inside the cosmos, can the universe fit inside of us, how did things come into existence, stars, black holes, and the like.
For the Layman
As such, there is no better mind and no better authority in the world to answer these questions, but not in a long, tedious, and boring manner, but in an accessible, easy to grasp, palatable, and understandable fashion.
With a genuine and marked wit, with insights that can scarcely, if at all, be matched, and with the earnestness that defies the current generation, the author has written one very, very mighty volume. This is one of those books that we find to be rather easy to recommend. It stands in league with Tyson’s must-read books.
Letters From an Astrophysicist
Brightest Minds
Brightest MindsLetters From an Astrophysicist is not just any other pick among Tyson’s books, but one of Tyson’s best books to read, as far as we’re concerned. It was published in the year of 2019, spanning a little under three-hundred pages. Letters From an Astrophysicist is oftentimes looked upon as the sequel or the successor to the brilliant book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.
It was by making the science of astrophysics accessible, intriguing, and comprehensible to the layman, that the author garnered such an ardent and loyal following. With the book at hand, the writer is focused on sharing some of the letters exchanged between him and various other minds across the world.
All-Encompassing Overview
In total, the writer has collected some one-hundred letters to examine, with which he poses and answers several questions, dealing with, first and foremost, astrophysics, then science, philosophy, the nature of life, faith, and conviction. With a writing style that is both coherent, passionate, and humorous, the book at hand is one of the best Tyson books we’ve read.
Origins
Masterpiece
MasterpieceOrigins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution is one of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s best physics books that money can hope to buy. Likewise, the volume can easily be referred to as Neil deGrasse Tyson’s best book. Origins was published in the year of 2004, spanning some three-hundred-and-fifty or so pages.
Where do We Come From?
Origins deals with a rather philosophical, existential, and potently spiritual questions, namely with where we come from. Of course, a quick answer could be that we come from primates that evolved, but that is limited.
We can say that we come from a certain prehistoric beast that evolved in a certain fashion, but that, too, is limited in the same sense. As such, the author, here, has for us prepared an assertion that our origins are very much cosmic in nature.
Few Important Discoveries
Utilizing the newest insights that have been found, the freshest breakthroughs in all of the sciences, and, of course, drawing on his own experience, both in the scientific and more general, life, sense, the writer elaborates on the peculiarities and the specific quirks about a human origin stemming from the very cosmos.
With mentions of the Mars Rover and water being found on a Jupiter moon, the author has prepared a terrific science book for anyone that dares to pick it up. One of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s books everyone should read, in our opinion.
Death by Black Hole
Cosmic Mystery
Cosmic MysteryDeath by Black Hole is among the best-rated Tyson books that we’ve had the chance of picking up. The volume is oftentimes cited as being one of Tyson’s recommended books, and that goes doubly in relation to our Tyson book reviews, here. The book was published in 2006.
For quite a length of time, the author has been putting out various essays in the magazine titled Natural History, where he walks with the reader as they examine the various mysteries and secrets of the cosmos, all with his mighty flair for all things universe-like and with his enthusiasm, for which he is quite famous. At hand is a book that collects a number of these terrific essays and puts them together for the reader’s pleasure.
Where No Light Can Dwell
The titular essay, namely Death by Black Hole, brings forward the nature and the physics of the cosmic bodies known as black holes. The writer analyzes all the details that have to do with black holes, especially what would happen to a human if he or she were to find themselves in its depths. Other essays include Hollywood Nights, The Search for Life in the Universe, Holy Wars, and plenty more.
Space Chronicles
Space Program’s Forgoing
Space Program’s ForgoingSpace Chronicles is another brilliant and mesmerizing work from the mighty author. The book is also among Tyson’s best-selling books. Space Chronicles was published in 2012, spanning a bit under four-hundred pages. At the time when the book was published, the space program of the United States of America was at a crossroads.
NASA had, following years and decades of holding the highest priority on the topic, decided to forgo the space-shuttle program, with which the access to space had been completely barred. No astronauts would travel to the American spacecraft until the 2020s, with fears that NASA might lose its prominence in the world’s and public’s eyes.
Scarcely Mentioned Significance
What the author has prepared for us is a witty, intriguing, fascinating, pervasive, and all-encompassing account of the importance of NASA, both in the past, in the present, and both the near and farther future.
Going into space is not something that should be frowned upon or looked at with an indifferent heart because even for the layman it can have great benefits. One of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s top books that we cannot recommend just enough.
The Pluto Files
Is It a Planet?
Is It a Planet?The Pluto Files is not just one of Tyson’s books to read, but one of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s best books, period. The book was published in the year of 2008, boasting a page count of around two-hundred or so.
The Pluto Files is a book that deals with the planet Pluto that has, several times now, gained, lost, regained, and lost again, its status as being a planet inside the solar system to which we belong. For instance, the planet was classified once by the Rose Center for Earth and Space as being an icy comet, leading to much discussion and debate as to whether Pluto was, in fact, a planet.
Great Insight
As such, Pluto became pulled in a sort of tug of war, both with regards to the emotional and the cultural view upon the cosmos. One can’t figure it out without carefully examining all the relationships herein, which is why the author wrote this fine volume.
Featuring knowledgeable tidbits and insights as to both why people think Pluto is a planet and what the appeal to the planet is, the book at hand has a lot in store for you. It is one of our Tyson favorite books.
Welcome to the Universe
Must-Read
Must-ReadWelcome to the Universe is the kind of book that would find itself among the topmost picks if we were examining Tyson’s books ranked or Neil deGrasse Tyson’s books in order of, say, best to worst. The book at hand was published in the year of 2016, spanning nearly five-hundred pages.
Universe’s Depth
Worth noting is that Welcome to the Universe was co-written by Neil, J. Richard Gott, and Michael A. Strauss. The three of them have come together to craft this marvelous, insightful, and brimming with knowledge book. We can scarcely tear our eyes away once we’ve opened a certain chapter, which deals with everything from stars to black holes, from wormholes, all the way to time travel.
What We Want to Know
Noting the most recent discoveries and findings that have been made in the field of astrophysics, the writers pose and bring forward answers to questions like the following – how is it that stars can live and then just perish? How big are the chances that there is intelligent life somewhere in the galaxy or the universe? How did it all start and what is happening right now? – and so much more. One of the top Neil deGrasse Tyson books ever.
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry
More Accessible
More AccessibleAstrophysics for Young People in a Hurry is regarded as being one of Tyson’s children’s books because it speaks primarily to that audience and, of course, because of the title’s implications. It was published in the year of 2019, spanning a tad under two-hundred pages.
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry is a kind of companion work to the Astrophysics for People in a Hurry book that we already reviewed. Additionally, the work at hand is a collaborative work with Gregory Mone, as well. Asking questions has been the norm for the greatest thinkers of all of history for a very long time, but answering some of these questions, namely having to do with the cosmos, is the specialty of Tyson.
Palatable
With Astrophysics for Young People, the author talks about the most basic rules and secrets that the cosmos has for us, for all of its inhabitants, on all of the odd planets that can be found this way in the galaxy and that.
Witty, charismatic, and enthusiastic, the writing style is quite interesting and helps with keeping one’s attention. This all coupled with the photos and infographics that Mone brings forward make it one of the best Neil deGrasse Tyson books for kids.
Merlin’s Tour of the Universe
From a Different Galaxy
From a Different GalaxyMerlin’s Tour of the Universe is one of the rarest occasions where the author has written in the form of fiction, though the characteristic nonfiction elements are still there to be seen. Merlin’s Tour of the Universe was published in the year of 1989, spanning a little over three-hundred pages.
The titular character of Merlin’s Tour of the Universe is none other than the Andromeda Galaxy native Merlin. Merlin is from the planet named Omniscia. Merlin is a friend and an acquaintance of key and prominent scientific figures, throughout human history, ranging from Doppler and Hubble, to da Vinci and Magellan, from Galileo to Einstein, and plenty of other scientists.
Put Into Perspective
In the book at hand, the fictional character Merlin speaks of the many conversations, discussions, and debates he’d had with the abovementioned historical and scientific figures, trying to answer questions brought up both by children and by mature adults.
One of the most fascinating questions – and subsequently the answers to it – has to do with the speed of light. Who wouldn’t know the famous Einstein theory of relativity? Imagine traveling so fast in space and aging so little only to be forgotten upon returning to Earth.
Accessory to War
An Odd Link
An Odd LinkAccessory to War is one of the most important Tyson works, by far. It might be the best Neil deGrasse Tyson book, too. The book at hand was published in the year of 2018, spanning nearly six-hundred pages, in total.
Accessory to War was also co-written by Avis Lang, but even as such, we still consider this to be one of the best books by Tyson. In the book at hand, the two authors speak of the thousand-year-long connection between the sciences and the military power that a country has. It is a seldom speak about topic, but quite interesting, to say the least.
Dependent
Accessory to War deals with all of the important discoveries that have to do with the sciences and their effects on the military, ranging from the navigation among celestial bodies to traveling into space, and to satellite-aiding warfare that is quite common these days. This is a terrific book and we cannot recommend it just enough to all of our readers. The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries is a book that we’re rather fond of, too.
Michael Englert
Michael is a graduate of cultural studies and history. He enjoys a good bottle of wine and (surprise, surprise) reading. As a small-town librarian, he is currently relishing the silence and peaceful atmosphere that is prevailing.
