This was a rare DNF for me. While I enjoy pop science books, The most accessible offer a mystical perfect balance between pop and science. I thought this one tilted a bit too far for comfort on the science side. Not saying it was not a god book, just that it was a bit too much for me to comfortably keep up with.

Trying to explain things like string theory with almost no mathematics is pretty well impossible, no matter how well-written. Even a lifelong sciencephile found This Way to the Universe: A Theoretical Physicist's Journey to the Edge of Reality by Michael Dine pretty dense. But reading anecdotes about famous scientists helps, although don’t be surprised if you get lost in the exponents along the way. Definitely not a quick or easy read. #Physics #netgalley

Fascinating and right up street. If you enjoying probing the nature of reality and our existence and don't mind awakening your inner existential dread then this is a must read for those who, like me, are intrigued by the universe and how we perceive both it and everything else around us. Highly recommended.

What a fascinating tour through the history of modern physics. It's presented in a really accessible way.

Basically if you love physics you will love this book. It details the different theories and the history of the same. If you haven’t recently done any physics then you would probably need more detailed descriptions to make it more comprehensible.

There is a story going around about Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time wherein his publisher told him that each equation included in his book would halve the book’s sales. Consequently, Hawking chose to include only Einstein’s equation from special relativity, E=mc^2. The book was beyond successful for any book about theoretical physics in its day (and I quite liked it when I read it, especially the special illustrated edition). Michael Dine has gone a similar route. This Way to the Universe bills itself as “comprehensible to anyone with a high-school level education, with almost no equations.” It mostly lives up to this expectation, though there are a few moments in the weeds. It’s not so much that this book really got me thinking about physics knowledge, but as a teacher I really started thinking about physics education, as well as physics as a discipline.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the eARC.

Dine eschews the chronological development of physics that is par for the course in these types of books. Though his treatment of the subject is loosely chronological, as it should be, he has chosen to focus more topically—he starts off, for example, talking about relativity before jumping back to provide some context with Newton. But as he dives into the world of quantum mechanics, he is never afraid to bring us forward a little bit to talk about new developments before taking us back to an earlier time as we move along to the next mystery. That might sound confusing, the way I explained it, but I assure you that it helps the reader understand connections between ideas that were developed decades apart and, when presented chronologically, feel disconnected.

As Dine explains how our thinking about the universe has changed, I pondered the audience for this book. This Way to the Universe is not a textbook per se—it’s not teaching physics. But it is also not quite a popular science book in the way I am used to; as the title aptly captures, Dine is taking us on a tour, as if he has invited us into a physics department for the day and we’re meeting all the principal players. It made me think about the fact that (from my limited recollection of high school physics at least—I never took it in university) it would be nice if we made physics students (perhaps all science students) read more narrative accounts of their discipline. Fewer textbooks and more contexts.

I particularly enjoyed that Dine was carefully aware of the legacy of sexism and colonialism in physics. He lauds Marie Curie and Emmy Noether while also pointing out how structural misogyny made their lives and careers more difficult, and he doesn’t hesitate to mention ongoing experiences of sexism with more recent women who have contributed to the field.

On a broader note, Dine does an excellent job of emphasizing the collaborative nature of science. This goes back to the topical approach he takes, which allows him to show how future theorists and experimenters built upon the theories and experiments of previous scientists. Though the usual suspects show up, Dine mentions more obscure people who nonetheless made significant contributions to the field. He helps paint the picture of physics as a discipline that advances more often through small contributions from a large number of people rather than brilliant theories spun by a couple of geniuses—those exist, but they are not the heartbeat of the field.

Finally, I respect that while Dine has certain biases and favourites when it comes to the frontrunners for a grand unified theory, he does his best to present an unbiased take on those candidates. Too often I read books where a physicist’s opinion is basically “my theory is the best and the other theories suck,” and I understand the need to be confident in one’s horse to get grant funding, but that’s not what I need as a layperson reading your book. I don’t want you to tell me that string theory is “almost there” and we just need another decade. Dine is honest about the limitations of our current theories and experiments, describes what is happening right now at the bleeding edge of physics, and makes it clear that there is still a lot we don’t know—but, excitingly, we have some inklings of how we might find out.

I come to this book steeped in general knowledge of physics from countless such books before this one. The more I learn, the more I am convinced I do not understand modern physics and possible cannot, not because I am not smart enough, but because I am too lazy to devote the time. Nevertheless, I appreciate Dine and others who take the time to try to explain their work as simply as possible to interested people like me, because it is valuable and important, and I might never understand it, but I am glad there are people out there who do. Or, as Dine puts it, understand parts of it.

I don’t think this is the best book to start your modern physics journey with. It is comprehensible to someone with a high-school education, yes, but if it has been a while since you learned about electromagnetism and atoms, you might want a more basic refresher before you dive into this book. Make it your second or third popular physics book, and you might be on the right track. But this is definitely a contender worth considering for its even writing, great treatment of the discipline as a whole, and careful explanations of what we know and what we don’t.

A welcome addition to the 'popular science' genre, This Way To The Universe is an enjoyable and and occasionally challenging exploration of the current 'hot topics' in theoretical physics.

Brilliantly written summary of the major physics contributions and how they fit into our puzzle of understanding the universe. Written in a fashion that it is accessible to the average reader, this cosmology cliff notes will bring you up to speed to be able to talk with your more scientifically-oriented acquaintances. The cleverly titled last chapter would have even Einstein chuckling. Well-researched with references in the notes to guide those interested to further reading on the topic. Great book for a scientifically-inclined high school graduate or anyone curious about what really makes the world go round.

A light, supportive guide to basic physics for the layman. This book makes the joy of physics accessible to all. It was a nice reminder of the wonder I felt as a child when I first became interested in STEM.

DISCLAIMER: I have a B.S and an M.S. in interdisciplinary and theoretical physics (go blue!), so maybe take my opinion of the comprehension level of this book with a grain of salt. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy!

Beautiful presentation, topic written about passionately, but easily accessible writing. Enjoyable read, easy handsell title! Looking forward to stocking it!

I always thought physics would be fun if not for the endless math, and this book by UC Santa Cruz professor and a theoretical physicist Michael Dine does just that. He goes on a condensed journey through physics, Newtonian to quantum, with names and theories and quarks and dark matter and the Big Bang all addressed here.

And if you thought that physics divorced from math is easy, think again. This is not a light and easy read although it’s certainly engaging. I would not advise it if you don’t have any even passing knowledge of the subject, but if you wanted a better grasp of the things you may have learned a bit but forgot, it’s a book for you. I got through it slowly, but I do feel that at least for a while I have a slightly better understanding of that fascinating and scarily complex stuff.

Rounded up to 4 stars.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This Way to the Universe is an absolutely fascinating look at all aspects of our universe. From the smallest of particles to the largest of concepts, Michael Dine's excitement about each subtopic really shines in what a fellow reviewer labeled "a physics textbook for the rest of us." Readers will need at least a basic knowledge of science and physics but don't necessarily need to be an expert to enjoy this book.

I learned some mind-blowing facts about the relation of space and time, like gravitational redshift, which is when "in a gravitational field, near a massive star, for example, time runs more slowly." Full of statistics and equations, I really loved how much this book made me just sit and ponder. For example, astronomers have discovered almost 4000 planets in our observable universe, which is about 13 billion light-years across. The nearest of these planets to our sun is Proxima Centauri, *just* 4.2 light-years away (1 light year = about 6 trillion miles.)

Dine exemplifies the infiniteness of space with scientific statements that sound metaphorical, like "We are not merely an unimaginably small speck in a gigantic universe, but what we think of as the universe is itself just a tiny speck in a universe of universes." To further give readers an idea of what to expect from This Way to the Universe, I've included the table of contents in my full blog post

Curious about physics but hate all the math? Same here. This Way to the Universe provides a dense and diverse look into the subject written in plain English, mostly.

From quantum physics to astrophysics, most questions are answered here. However, don’t expect an easy read. I would describe it as a mountain read—the opposite of a light beach read. But, if you take your time, you can learn a lot.

If you are already interested in physics, or just how the world around you works, give This Way to the Universe a try. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for the advance copy of This Way to The Universe.

Overall this is written wonderfully. Michael Dine did a wonderful job, this will be very accessible even for those who know very little about physics. It was engaging and fun to read.

The background of how physics got to where it is now was very well done, I took physics and chemistry in university years ago and was happy for not only a review but to also learn something new outside of the theories all these men and women worked on. And that’s nothing on all the new theories and names I learned from this book. I got a better grasp on a number of theories I was always curious about, like the String Theory, and I would easily recommend this to someone who wants to learn about physics.

My only critic will be about the very first pages. The very beginning was a little disheartening because of Covid-19, it may turn away readers who are tired of reading about it in the news or once the pandemic ends and people will not be looking for reminders. I’m only pointing it out because I read to escape and I know many who lost family and friends to covid. BUT, I can’t say it was a bad example to explain the power of 10s.

Once again, thank you so much for the opportunity.

I love reading about physics. Granted, most times I find the language a bit challenging and I resort to endless research, but I enjoy reading and learning nonetheless.

This Way to The Universe by Michael Dine was surprisingly easy to read. It is a physics "textbook-like" without all the heavy jargon. It is easy to follow even without prior knowledge. I'll admit, I still did a bit of research learning, but mostly out of curiosity on various subjects.

The book sheds light on the fundamentals of physics, as well as as Newtonian mechanics, quantum mechanics, dark matter, nuclear physics and so on. If you ever wanted to read physics or curious about cosmology or astrophysics, then you will enjoy this book.

This entertaining and accessible book is like having a conversation with a beloved professor. Providing an overview of the topics at the cutting edge of modern physics—such as the Big Bang, dark matter, and the Higgs boson—it's full of gentle humor and personal anecdotes that contextualize the research, theories, and discoveries. A must-read for anyone interested in the topic.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

3.5, rounded up. This book does an excellent job of providing context for prominent figures and theories in theoretical physics (and a few related fields). A lot of the discoveries that make headlines are rooted in decades of little epiphanies and Dine does a good job of weaving through those various landmarks. Fine’s own relation to the field comes through often in the text, sometimes less helpfully than other times. Although the author does try to make complex information more palatable, this would still likely be quite dense for the average reader. I would recommend a physical copy so one could go back and reference the concepts and details of each idea as needed. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the e-ARC.

‘This Way to the Universe’ is a history of theoretical physics taken, I gather, from some of Dine’s own lectures on the subject. He covers a wide range of topics and theories, and walks through the progression and development of each, which made for a fascinating read. He often has humorous, or grounding, asides to add to the history: discussions from his car pools, the personalities behind some famous scientific figures, his own despair at realising string theory might actually be worth studying.

As someone who actively tries to keep up with physics and astronomy, this was a fascinating read. A little dense in places, but overall fairly well balanced. The book’s chapters are structured well, drawing the reader through the theories as they develop over the decades. Informative and well-written, I would recommend this.

As a habitual reader of popular physics/astronomy, I always look forward to see what each author has to say, what twist they bring to the subject. Dine, a physicist in the thick of it, brings a very welcome balance to this exploration of fundamental physics. A theorist interested in experiment; a string theorist who sees and acknowledges its flaws; these are welcome approaches to a genre in which wild claims and pure abstraction can sometimes get away from grounded reality. Dine is also what cannot be termed other than "amiable," good-naturedly describing some of the actual reality of being a working physicist, which I found charming and interesting.

I would caution the total physics novice from starting with this book. It can be a bit dense and very occasionally technical. But overall, I heartily welcome it to the literature and recommend it to those curious about the cutting edge of physics.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4507463534?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This Way to the Universe: A Theoretical Physicist’s Journey Into Reality is Michael Dine’s worthy contribution to the popular physics/cosmology bookshelf, though readers may have to work a little harder at this one than similar books. That extra work is worth it though for this up-to-date and engaging exploration of modern science.

Dine moves between the very large and very small, covering particle theory, quantum theory, the Standard Model, dark energy and dark matter, gravity waves, the expansion of the universe, time’s arrow, Einstein’s various theories, the Big Bang, black holes, the Higgs Boson, string theory, and more. It’s about as comprehensive a book as one could want. And for the most part as lucid as one would want as well. Though as noted, not quite as easy to follow as similar books I’ve read. Dine doesn’t throw much math at the reader, or equations, but the depth and terms and concepts can get a bit hard to follow in spots (it is theoretical physics after all), and I found myself doing a lot more backing up and rereading than typical, in particular with the discussion of breaking symmetries.

Some of that I think is that Dine will often give numbers where other authors might give generalities, for instance, noting one particle might have 200 times the mass of another whereas someone else might simply say is much heavier. Similarly, Dine may offer more details/terms than others, as when he notes there are three types of muons, and while others would simply say the difference is in their charges (one positive, one negative, one neutral), Dine goes the extra step and gives their symbols as well. It’s not so much that these add a lot of confusion, but they do increase the density of the work and give readers more to remember or hold in their heads, which may explain in part why this text seems a little more difficult (and to be clear, it is only a little; no one should be fearful of the math or science here).

Dine brings his own experience in here, sometimes in self-deprecating manner, and one of my favorite aspects of the book is how Dine is not so proud that he won’t admit prior error or the difficulty even for him of his profession, as when he notes about another research team’s results that “Many — including me — were skeptical that this measurement was telling us anything interesting” and later, “For skeptics like me, this was a lot to swallow.” The results turned out to be correct though. Nor is Dine afraid to be skeptical of his own chosen area of string theory, happy to note both its exhilarating potential but also its many criticisms. At another point he describes trying to figure out how the LIGO gravity wave detection experiment worked: “I wandered the halls of my department, asking questions about how this was done. No one could give me a complete answer. I had to pore through papers and articles online (and, at the risk of my professional pride, I acknowledge watching an assortment of YouTube videos) to sort it all out.” Not only does this sort of thing make our tour guide much more relatable, but it also emphasizes how science works — painstaking experimentation combined with hypotheses subjected to rigorous examination and challenge with an acceptance that being wrong is not “failure” but instead merely another step in the process, one that forecloses certain paths and opens up others.

Dine doesn’t quite have the winning stylistic voice of some of these popular science works, such as Harry Cliff’s How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch: In Search of the Recipe for Our Universe, but there is a voice there, a sense of personality and an interesting, likable one at that. And if you have to work a bit harder, or might feel a little lost here and there, neither of those cause any major issue, making this an easy book to recommend for those wanting a better understanding of what we know about how our world and the universe works, as well as what we don’t know about those things.