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The Universe in Your Hand: A Journey through Space, Time, and Beyond Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Stephen Hawking’s protégé and cowriter lifts the veil on the mysteries of our universe in a style that is wonderfully direct.
Quantum physics, black holes, string theory, the big bang, dark matter, dark energy, parallel universes: even if we are interested in these fundamental concepts of our world, their language is the language of math. Which means that despite our best intentions of finally grasping, say, Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, most of us are quickly brought up short by a snarl of nasty equations or an incomprehensible graph.
Christophe Galfard’s mission in life is to spread modern scientific ideas to the general public in entertaining ways. Using his considerable skills as a brilliant theoretical physicist and successful young-adult author, The Universe in Your Hand employs the immediacy of simple, direct language to show us, not explain to us, the theories that underpin everything we know about our universe. To understand what happens to a dying star, we are asked to picture ourselves floating in space in front of it. To get acquainted with the quantum world, we are shrunk to the size of an atom and then taken on a journey. Employing everyday similes and metaphors, addressing the listener directly, and writing stories rather than equations renders these astoundingly complex ideas in an immediate and visceral way.
Utterly captivating and entirely unique, The Universe in Your Hand will find its place among other classics in the field.
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“How can we ever hope to fully grasp the infinite complexities of space and time, or even the very nature of reality itself? Thankfully, Christophe Galfard shows us the way, through a well-written and thoroughly approachable journey through what we know of modern astronomy and physics. Part personal conversation, part travelogue, and part science primer for the non-scientist, The Universe in Your Hand is a delightful and highly educational read.”
— Jim Bell, author of The Interstellar Age
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“A wild tour through the reaches of time and space…It’s friendly, excitable, erudite, and cosmic.”
— Jordan Ellenberg, New York Times bestselling author -
“Galfard’s jaunty, you-are-there narrative invites us to hitch a ride on a light beam, zoom through an atom, and plant our disembodied consciousness within the hellfire of the Big Bang.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Digs into the headier realms of special relativity, quantum mechanics, black hole physics, and string theory…Where Galfard really shines is in his crystal-clear explanation of quantum field theory.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“The deft and dazzling imagery makes difficult concepts accessible, streamlining the progression through topics and fulfilling Galfard’s promise to ‘not leave any readers behind.’”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“A lively imagination [is] the only portal necessary for general readers hungry for the intellectual excitement of astral and atomic exploration.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“A useful book for readers to visualize the complex ideas of modern physics.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Buckle your seatbelt! Narrator Ray Chase’s excited voice propels listeners through the cosmos…Chase’s voice sounds young and energetic, as if he’s bursting with momentous information he’s eager to reveal…This is a riveting listen.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2016
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About Christophe Galfard
Christophe Galfard holds a PhD in theoretical physics from Cambridge University. He is coauthor with Stephen Hawking and his daughter on their first YA book, George’s Secret Key to the Universe. In the past few years, he has given talks, and written a live show, about our universe attended by more than 130,000 people, of all ages and educational backgrounds.
About Ray Chase
Ray Chase graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in theater and a minor in cinema and television. He has since worked extensively as a voice-over artist. Among his dozens of audiobook narrations are Ian Douglas’ Heritage trilogy and Robert Olen Butler’s Christopher Marlowe Cobb thrillers.