Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is one of the most gripping books I have read on the subject. Written by Neil deGrasse Tyson, this book is true to its name. It is perfect for “all those who are too busy to read fat books, yet nonetheless seek a conduit to the cosmos,” as the author himself has said. The book takes us on an unforgettable journey of the universe, stopping by stars and galaxies, and eventually reaching the edge of it all. It explains some of the most profound concepts of astrophysics in a simple and interesting manner, making it impossible to put down. 

The first chapter, “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” is the story of how our universe was born. Tyson has explained every phase of our universe’s life, right from when it was a hot and dense spinning gas cloud to what it is today. Fourteen billion years in 17 pages, with no compromise when it comes to detail. That is what I call amazing writing. The universe was initially a soup of matter and antimatter particles coming together and destroying each other. But a little asymmetry caused matter to outweigh antimatter, allowing objects to form. Initially, the universe was hot enough for the fundamental particles (quarks, leptons, etc.) to exist independently, but were eventually forced to come together and form protons and neutrons, leading to atoms, molecules, and so on. 

The laws of physics are universal. Tyson has devoted the next chapter to this very thought. Knowing that the phenomena we experience every day are the same everywhere in the universe helps us connect to the subject better. This book focuses on specific topics crucial to our understanding of the universe (or at least, our trying to understand the universe), such as gravitational waves, the electromagnetic spectrum, the ever-favorite dark matter and dark energy, and many more. These topics are explained in a fundamental manner. So, anyone and everyone can understand this book with no previous background. 

Exoplanets, aliens, life beyond earth are topics that always arouse our interest. This book is our passport to journey beyond the Milky Way, to Earth-like planets orbiting Earth-like stars. The author has discussed in detail the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and how new technology has enabled us to find innumerable planets outside our galaxy.

Even though we have come such a long way in our search for meaning in life, the universe is full of new surprises. This book introduces us to the amazing world of astrophysics, and shows us how many more secrets there are yet to be unraveled. Tyson concludes by putting the cosmos into perspective: the Earth is nothing but a tiny speck in an unimaginable universe. This book truly humbled me and made me realize the unfathomable power of the universe. It is one of my favorite books, and I highly recommend it to anyone yearning for a glimpse into the magical universe.