Task 4 (Home)

My Favorite Book

Ever since my childhood, I've been interested in the universe,how it works, how it all began; in general, cosmology. One day I went to a bookstore to buy my text books and I stumbled upon this book named 'A Brief History of Time' by Stephen Hawking and I bought it. Who knew that this would turn out to be my favorite book.

A Brief History of Time
-Stephen Hawking

This is absolutely a magical book, both objectively and specifically for me. I first read it when I was about 12, and I have assumed ever since that I did not understand a thing and read it as a childish bluster. Fast forward nearly six years, senior year in high school, and I decided to give it a proper read. Much to my surprise I found that the book had infiltrated my brain! I remembered a huge number of the explanations, and the book resonated with the way I have thought about physics my entire academic career and I realized that this book was for me, more than I did back then.

As a primer to physics you really could not ask for anything better than this and specially when it comes to cosmology, this is possibly one of the best popular physics books that I have read. No wonder it’s the New York Times bestseller. It is a classic for a reason. It's a concise and understandable introduction to the field.

One peculiarity of the text is Hawking returning to the concept of God repeatedly. In some ways this feels like a conditional text, marking the passing of the public generation for whom the church has determined the order of all things, and the coming of the current, materialistic generation. Unlike other authors though, Hawking always does so in a way that feels quite respectful while also forcefully stating his scientific case. It's quite the accomplishment of writing, much like the rest of the work, which isn’t really a surprise.

I recommend everyone to read this book, it will pique your curiosity in cosmology, and you’ll know how amazing this whole thing is.