The Sky Is Not the Limit

Neil De Grasse Tyson is the face of Astrophysics in America. He's also the author of several books about astronomy and the director on the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. On top of all that, he hosts Nova Science Now. The Sky Is Not the Limit is a memoir where Tyson chronicles his burgeoning interest in all thing astronomy as a kid to his rise to to a very prestigious position at the Hayden Planetarium.

For the most part, the book is pretty interesting and well written. Tyson certainly has a talent for writing and communicating scientific ideas to the lay person. The book is not heavy on science, but the science that is included is easily understood. Most of the book focuses on Tyson's experiences falling in love with science, Astronomy in particular.

The subtitle for the book is: Adventures of and Urban Astrophysicist. It's certainly an applicable title, as Tyson has lived pretty much his entire life in New York City. From that subtitle, I had wrongly assumed that he'd grown up in a poorer neighborhood. Shame on me for the assumption. As it turns out, Tyson grew up in a relatively well off family, not that he was swimming in cash. It was this upbringing that provided him with landmark experiences such as attending an Astronomy camp in New Mexico and joining an Astronomy Cruise while in high school. Tyson even relates some of his experiences with racial prejudice and the assumptions that a black student couldn't pursue Astrophysics.

As I mentioned, the book is interesting and enjoyable, although the first half of chapter one wasn't that exciting. I almost regretted picking out the book and even considered putting it down. It wasn't so much that it was horribly written, but more that the target audience appeared to be for the junior high age. While I still feel the book is appropriate for that age group, I found it to be reasonable for any age group. In fact, I would recommend this book to anybody, even if you're not interested in Astronomy. I think the book is inspiring and can encourage younger folks to pursue their interests and get passionate about something. I think it can even inspire older adults to renew forgotten interests (I still regret not taking that Astronomy class in college).

The coolest story comes from Tyson's experience applying for college. He'd applied to and been accepted to Cornell and Harvard. At that time, Carl Sagan was teaching at Cornell and invited Tyson to come for a campus visit. Sagan even offered to let Tyson stay at his house, in the event he had trouble getting home after the visit. That left and impression on Tyson and though he ultimately chose Harvard, he's endeavored to follow the example that Sagan provided in being personable with fans and students of Astronomy.

The long and short, it's a worthy read. It's the kind of book I'll encourage my kids to read when they hit junior high and they are trying to figure out what they are interested in.