Close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades…..   ***

The intent of this book is to give a simple and quick understanding of the universe. Maybe that in itself says why this didn’t quite meet expectations. The stated intent is to be able to read a chapter, “While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive…”  This works if your coffee pot takes a while, or your bus is late, or the train is late, or you get to the airport two hours early.

The book is full of interesting information and is a good starting point for understanding our universe and its makeup. The problem is that it is not simple to absorb. DeGrasse suffers from the problem of knowing something so well, he has a hard time explaining things as simply as they could be.

On the positive side, deGrasse writes with wit and does pack a lot of information in just over two hundred pages. His passion for the subject comes through and is infectious. The last chapter, “Reflections on the Cosmic Perspective”, is worth the price of the book.

I am giving this one three stars only because it is marketed incorrectly. This is a book that should be read, read several times. But does take time to understand and digest. It is worth missing a flight over.