I recently picked up a copy of Letters from an Astrophysicist by Neil deGrasse Tyson, so here are a few quick thoughts about it.

The book is slightly different from his usual work; there is no consistent topic but a collection of letters instead of a typical book. The letters are primarily responses to queries he has received over the years, with a few open letters thrown into the mix.

Each chapter of the book focuses on a particular theme, such as parenting, science denial or philosophy. The queries are shown in full or briefly summarised and accompany their response from Tyson.

The letters are all remarkably engaging. They are pointed and concise, providing a thoughtful response to the sender. Some are very short, others several pages long, but each makes an honest effort to answer the query or politely rebut a false claim. The way he writes is immediately familiar to anyone who has read his other books or heard him speak. As a fan of Startalk Radio, the book was a delightful read.

After I started the book, I found it hard to put down, each letter was interesting, and I read the whole thing in an afternoon. If you’re interested in science or want to think about the world more scientifically, this is well worth reading.