Black Hole Survival Guide

By: Janna Levin

Narrated by: Janna Levin

From the acclaimed author of Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space--an authoritative and accessible guide to the most alluring and challenging phenomena of contemporary science.

Through her writing, astrophysicist Janna Levin has focused on making the science she studies not just comprehensible but also, and perhaps more important, intriguing to the nonscientist. In this book, she helps us to understand and find delight in the black hole--perhaps the most opaque theoretical construct ever imagined by physicists. Levin takes us on an evocative exploration of black holes, provoking us to imagine the visceral experience of a black hole encounter. She reveals the influence of black holes as they populate the universe, sculpt galaxies, and even infuse the whole expanse of reality that we inhabit. Lively, engaging, and utterly unique, Black Hole Survival Guide is not just informative--it is, as well, a wonderful read from first to last.

Critic reviews

"[Levin’s] writing is clear and so colloquial that it sometimes seems as though she’s right there chatting with you, telling a story in a conversation so compelling that you hardly notice the complexity of the actual physics . . . Not only is Levin a brilliant physicist, she’s a gifted writer, sensitive to language and its nuances . . . [She is] an extravagant storyteller with a vivid imagination and an acute intellect who is willing to take you on a safe black hole trip, an exciting travel story enjoyed from your chair’s event horizon.”—Boston Globe

"In prose that revels in the immensity and dispassion of the barely known universe — and bolstered by Lia Halloran’s illustrations of strange celestial shapes and astronauts floating in inky voids — Levin makes space sound like a somewhat reasonable place."—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Warm, smart prose inviting readers to share her fascination with these cosmic phenomena. Enhanced by wonderful artwork, Levin’s book glides through the universe, from relativity and quantum mechanics to the solar system, the Milky Way, and the Andromeda galaxy. Stirring imagination and curiosity about the mysteries of black holes, Levin makes a case that they are a fodder for fantasy”—The National Book Review

"Vivid . . . Readers couldn’t hope for a more fascinating intro to a family of cosmic objects whose existence promises still more wonders to be discovered."—Publishers Weekly

"Armchair astronomers will find this a fascinating and illuminating read."—Booklist

"A short, lively account of one of the oddest and most intriguing topics in astrophysics."—Kirkus Reviews

"Engrossing . . . Levin describes the subject matter in an accessible writing style that is both entertaining and poetic . . . Recommended for nonscientists and those seeking to understand the cosmos better."—Library Journal

"A comprehensible exploration of that which cannot be physically explored . . . a vibrant, illustrated text."—Shelf Awareness

"This slender volume will get the reader quickly up to speed when it comes to black holes, without equations or torrents of jargon."—The Space Review

“Beguiling . . . Levin writes authoritatively and evocatively with a warm, poetic voice . . . The 23 paintings that Halloran made to be interspersed among its pages add to the imagination-stirring allure . . . There are lighter parts too, and the surreality at play in the mix of the writing and the art gives Black Hole Survival Guide an idiosyncratic spirit.”—Art News

Great Book

This is one of the best books I have ever listened too, or read. If you are a nerd like me, you will love it also.

Astounding and Hypnotizing

I have never heard of the end of our solar system described in such an elegant, and beautiful way. Spoil alert, no one survives the black hole .

I don't know why I can only write 50 characters

Nowadays, I get to know newly discovered physical phenomena by reading books as well as reading academic papers. When it comes to the frontier of modern-day scientific exploration, I'm not able to do experiments just by myself, you see, and I got to get to know newly discovered physical phenomena by some other means. So, this book is just something that those of us who would like to get to know about black holes will need. I'm also glad that this book distinguishes which parts are established objective truths and which parts are still matters of frontiers of scientific exploration and therefore are just opinions.

exactly what I expected

I can listen to this woman talk about black holes for hours and hours... excellent introduction to these astrophysical phenomena.

Seems longer than it is

I like this one and learned more about black holes. They are of special interest to me. Even though it is so short, I listened over about 3-4 days, perhaps that's why it seemed longer. It was good and narration by the author was great. I listened at 0.9x speed to have more time to understand the material. (I do this with many books.)