“A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking, Bantam 1996

 Introduction:

Back to the Future, featuring Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, was an epic movie exploring time travel. Time travel, physics, and space has peaked humanity's interest for centuries.  Whether it was Ptolemy of Alexandria, Copernicus, Galileo, or Einstein, humanity has learned a remarkable amount about the universe through advances in science.  Few physicists and astronomers have broken into mainstream society as Albert Einstein did during the 20^th century. Einstein transcended society unlike anyone has ever done. He was a rock star for his accomplishments, most notably general and special relativity. The popularity of Einstein is comparable today to Stephen Hawking. The recent Lucasian Professor of Mathematics is arguably today’s leading physicist. Hawking’s brilliant mind has delved into a variety of topics including: theoretical physics, quantum gravity, and quantum cosmology. Hawking’s book A Brief History of Time brings the complex universe into an understandable read. In his book, Hawking illustrates his expertise in physics making it easy to understand for people without a background in physics or mathematics.

Pros:

Hawking’s ability to bring complex ideas and theories to the general reader is astounding. A Brief History of Time takes its audience on a wild journey through different theories in the world of physics. Hawking delves into a number of physics topics from allusive black holes to time travel. Fans of astronomy and physics will be pleased to see Hawking’s mastery of physics and writing. Hawking illustrates his knowledge on the beginning and the fate of the universe. A Brief History of Time illustrates how the universe began with the big bang theory, which is the generally accepted theory among astronomers and physicists. Every beginning has an end. Physicists have speculated on the events that will lead to the end of our universe. Hawking brings this theoretical idea to life in his book by explaining Einstein’s relativity, which follows the universe to end in a big crunch, to other possible endings to our universe. In understanding the end of the universe, Hawking explains that there is no concrete answer to why the universe expanded fast through heat then cooled, but the universe is still expanding.  Hawking’s elegant writing style connects with his expert intellect in the world of physics, resulting in a complete firecracker of a book explaining the mysteries and facts about our universe. 

Cons:  

A Brief History of Time has almost no flaws. The writing style from Professor Hawking illustrates his mastery of the English language, while illustrating his expertise in teaching by making complex propositions connect with the public through analogies plucked from daily life. A negative about this book is that there are no concrete answers for some of the topics Hawking discusses in his book. Scientists still do not know why the universe is expanding at a rapid pace. Along with the universe expanding, there is no concept to connect two of the biggest principles in physics, relativity and quantum mechanics. The theory of relativity was Einstein’s groundbreaking theory combining both special and general relativity, about spacetime and gravity.  Quantum mechanics came to life during the 20^th century diving into particle physics.

Conclusion:

Hawking’s short but authoritative book on the universe is a must read for anyone who enjoys learning about how the world works. Hawking delves into interesting topics from black holes to time travel. A Brief History of Time is the book that will drive anyone to learn more about physics and astronomy. Hawking’s writing style illustrates that this book stands alone compared to other books about the universe. His writing style is unique and makes complex topics (black holes, time travel, fundamental forces of nature, and wormsholes) easily understood. Fans of Back to the Future will be enthralled by Hawking’s book illustrating the possibilities of time travel. A Brief History of Time leaves its audience with the possibility of an all unification theory, connecting relativity and quantum mechanics.  If you have any interest in astronomy pick up this book and be amazed.

Grade: A