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The Pluto Files: The Rise And Fall Of America's Favorite Planet (2014)

by Neil deGrasse Tyson(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0393350363 (ISBN13: 9780393350364)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: I was in the "When I was a kid, Pluto was a planet!" camp, and was surprised and dismayed to learn Prof. Tyson was instrumental in the reclassification. Still, I read it with interest and an open mind. Tyson begins with background about Pluto, its properties, and its discovery. He then moves into the controversy that evolved when the Hayden Planetarium remade their exhibit without Pluto among the other planets, igniting a debate that went back and forth for many years between scientists and the public. Tyson does present both sides, but his own position is pretty clear, and the whole book has an undertone of defensiveness.I did enjoy reading this book and I learned quite a lot. I must admit my own beliefs changed. Most of the love for Pluto is based on two things: (1) ther... moree is no precise, agreed-upon definition of a "planet" and (2) American public sentiment. I did not realize that Pluto has more qualities in common with comets and asteroids than with other planets and, as is stated several times in the book, if it were discovered today, Pluto would never be classified as a planet. Underlying all of this debate is this question: do scientists serve science or serve the public? Is Pluto's popularity enough to merit its planethood?While the tone was sometimes defensive and perhaps even a bit haughty, this book provides an interesting exploration of a complex and unnecessary (but valuable) controversy.
review 2: Absolutely great! I bought this went I went to see Neil deGrasse Tyson speak and i was pleased to see his sense of humor that I loved in his talk was well represented in the book as well. The science was easy to understand without being too simplistic and becoming boring. The book charts the story of Pluto from discovery to demotion in an amusing and informative way. It has a wealth of primary sources including photographs, charts, and letters from angry school children which work together to create a full picture of the controversy around the classification of Pluto. less

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