From The Big Bang to Black Holes
by Stephen W. Hawking
This is a book I have picked up many times and never started because I thought Mr Hawking was far too clever for me. I finally picked it up a few weeks ago and actually read it.
I was very pleasantly surprised. Stephen Hawking writes with humour and clear, detailed explanations. He puts things in a way that are understandable and as simple as physics can be. I found myself reading it and saying 'Ah, that makes sense now' or 'I never knew that, but it's so interesting'
There are clear diagrams to explain theories so people like me can follow the ideas. I make no claim to be able to explain more than a third of it now. It made sense as I read it but I haven't retained all the information. I was poor at science at school and am only just beginning to pick up more science books, mainly to keep up with my physics obsessed son. I intend to reread this book next year, a more updated version next time - this was a first reprint and some ideas, I believe, have been updated since.
I am far more aware of how the galaxy has expanded, how what happened before the Big Bang is not relevant to our understanding of the universe, how black holes are created and I know to be be sure to never travel close to one and be spaghettified! The Unified Theory I actually thought had been found, though I didn't really know what it was prior to reading this book. There were many terms I had heard but hadn't much idea about. I found out a lot as I read this book and was delighted to find easier explanations of things that have always bamboozled me. There is only one equation in the whole book - which for me was great as I struggle with them - something else I'm working on. In the introduction Mr Hawking actually states that someone told him that each equation included in the book would halve his sales. They obviously knew people like me.
This book has renewed my interest in physics and made me ready to revisit Carl Sagan's Cosmos too. And to start on more Feynman.
So - should you read it?
10/10 - a superb book with clear, detailed explanations of the cosmos, written with humour and intelligence
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