Science

The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy

The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy

  • Downloads：5639
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-06 03:19:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Moiya McTier
  • ISBN：B09N3FS9DP
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Ady ，

I am disappointed because this sounded so interesting。 I am not a scientist， but I enjoy science books。 The concept of the Milky Way writing an autobiography sounded creative and fun to me。 But， to me， this read like a children’s book。 The whole “you humans” thing was repetitive。 It felt like a running joke that a ten year old is telling over and over and thinks gets funnier each time。

Yukari Watanabe ，

3。5 stars。Moiya McTier is an interesting person and I'd love to get to know her more。 However， she inserted herself to the Milky Way way too much。 I have had a conversation with the Milky Way since I was very little and I have my own relationship with it。 McTier changed my Milky Way's personality which was not very pleasant。 3。5 stars。Moiya McTier is an interesting person and I'd love to get to know her more。 However， she inserted herself to the Milky Way way too much。 I have had a conversation with the Milky Way since I was very little and I have my own relationship with it。 McTier changed my Milky Way's personality which was not very pleasant。 。。。more

Lynda Coker ，

What a fun and interesting way to learn about our Galaxy， The Milky Way。 Told from the viewpoint of the galaxy itself， this narrative is humorous， while breaking down difficult scientific facts and figures in a way that makes it easy to grasp。 From the Big Bang till now， we're given a report on how， when， and where things developed in our universe。 At least， as much information as the galaxy itself can relate。 Very well written。 I would highly recommend this book， especially for not-so-brainy pe What a fun and interesting way to learn about our Galaxy， The Milky Way。 Told from the viewpoint of the galaxy itself， this narrative is humorous， while breaking down difficult scientific facts and figures in a way that makes it easy to grasp。 From the Big Bang till now， we're given a report on how， when， and where things developed in our universe。 At least， as much information as the galaxy itself can relate。 Very well written。 I would highly recommend this book， especially for not-so-brainy people like myself who really love learning about astronomy。I thank the Hachette Book Group for this complimentary copy。 My review and opinions are my own。 。。。more

Liz Jansen ，

The concept of combining astrophysics and folklore to tell the story of the Milky Way sounded intriguing and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book。 I was deeply disappointed。 The two don’t work together。 It’s heavy on astrophysics and given the sheer volume of examples and numbers in millions and billions throughout the book it was difficult to stay engaged。 I do believe there’s an opportunity to present the story of the Milky Way using a creative non-fiction/folklore approach such that t The concept of combining astrophysics and folklore to tell the story of the Milky Way sounded intriguing and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book。 I was deeply disappointed。 The two don’t work together。 It’s heavy on astrophysics and given the sheer volume of examples and numbers in millions and billions throughout the book it was difficult to stay engaged。 I do believe there’s an opportunity to present the story of the Milky Way using a creative non-fiction/folklore approach such that the reader would grasp the magnitude of the astrological significance but the two approaches fall flat when they’re mixed。 If there was one point that came through loud and clear is that our role in the grand scheme of things is quite miniscule。 。。。more

Keely ，

3。7 This was so different and fun！ It's written through the POV of the milky way which makes it very different and fun to read。 The Milky Way is smart， sarcastic and occasionally condescending towards humans。 But that is to be expected。 If something conscious had existed for billions of years， I'd imagine them to be condescending as we haven't existed for a very long time when you really think about it。 I enjoyed this and had a lot of fun with it all。 I reccomend it if the book interests you。 3。7 This was so different and fun！ It's written through the POV of the milky way which makes it very different and fun to read。 The Milky Way is smart， sarcastic and occasionally condescending towards humans。 But that is to be expected。 If something conscious had existed for billions of years， I'd imagine them to be condescending as we haven't existed for a very long time when you really think about it。 I enjoyed this and had a lot of fun with it all。 I reccomend it if the book interests you。 。。。more

Stacie ，

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for an early， gifted copy of this unique book。 Before I even started reading， I looked up the author and boom， instant crush。 After reading the book， the crush remains。In order to impart information about the Milky Way， Moiya McTier writes this book as if the Milky Way is a person telling us their story。 The Milky Way is incredibly smart， blisteringly sarcastic and at times outright condescending。 McTier mentions in her acknowledgements that she based the Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for an early， gifted copy of this unique book。 Before I even started reading， I looked up the author and boom， instant crush。 After reading the book， the crush remains。In order to impart information about the Milky Way， Moiya McTier writes this book as if the Milky Way is a person telling us their story。 The Milky Way is incredibly smart， blisteringly sarcastic and at times outright condescending。 McTier mentions in her acknowledgements that she based the voice of the Milky Way on her cat Kosmo and I totally see it。I learned a lot from the book and mostly enjoyed the storytelling。 I found the condescending talk a little grating from time to time and found myself wanting to hear the author talk more about folklore and mythology than space。 Oops？All in all， it was a fun and interesting read。 Not something I would have picked up ordinarily but I am glad I did。 。。。more

kristin ，

I feel like this would be a good book for a younger teenager who is just getting into space jazz。 It read as kind of cringy to me， a 33 year old adult who would've totally been an astrophysicist in an alternate timeline where I didn’t have to take Calc I three times in order to pass。 😂 I feel like this would be a good book for a younger teenager who is just getting into space jazz。 It read as kind of cringy to me， a 33 year old adult who would've totally been an astrophysicist in an alternate timeline where I didn’t have to take Calc I three times in order to pass。 😂 。。。more

vincentasusual ，

Spoken in the perspective of the Milky Way， it's creative。 But it doesn't escape from the constant facts delivering that makes it boring at times， so I didn't finish it。 In my opinion， learning facts about the space and the natural world have to be accompanied by visual cues to be more inspiring and more digestible， especially watching a documentary。 Spoken in the perspective of the Milky Way， it's creative。 But it doesn't escape from the constant facts delivering that makes it boring at times， so I didn't finish it。 In my opinion， learning facts about the space and the natural world have to be accompanied by visual cues to be more inspiring and more digestible， especially watching a documentary。 。。。more

R。 ，

While I applaud the author’s trodding the less traveled path， this novel/nonfiction format did not work for me。 Perhaps I’m too set in my ways。 While I enjoyed the science， I found the characterization of the galaxy to be an intrusion。 There was something irritating about it， but I just couldn’t define it。 I finally hit on it when I read the postscript with its acknowledgments。 With all respect to Kosmo， I’m just not a cat person。

Tamara Agha-Jaffar ，

In The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy， Moiya McTier combines her Ph。D。 in astrophysics with her knowledge and love of mythology to write an autobiography of the Milky Way。 Speaking in the first-person voice， the Milky Way announces it wants to tell its own story instead of relying on others to speak on its behalf。 Accordingly， it describes its origins， its structure， its size， its changes over time， the birth and death of its stars， its neighbors， its enormous black hole， its likes an In The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy， Moiya McTier combines her Ph。D。 in astrophysics with her knowledge and love of mythology to write an autobiography of the Milky Way。 Speaking in the first-person voice， the Milky Way announces it wants to tell its own story instead of relying on others to speak on its behalf。 Accordingly， it describes its origins， its structure， its size， its changes over time， the birth and death of its stars， its neighbors， its enormous black hole， its likes and dislikes， and its ultimate demise。 The language is conversational， but the science is detailed and extremely complex。 It is quite the challenge to wrap one’s head around the billions of years of our galaxy’s existence; the billions of stars it encompasses; the magnitude of what is in our galaxy and beyond; and the distances measured in difficult-to-fathom light years。 The Milky Way describes our ancestors’ attempts to explain its presence through mythology， as well as the pivotal role it has played in advancing human culture and civilization。 It explains astronomical discoveries of the past through to the present and shows how discoveries and calculations， building on each other， are constantly revised as new knowledge and information becomes available。 And it reminds us of how much we have yet to learn。The measurements， concepts， and terminology can be baffling for anyone with even a rudimentary background in astrophysics。 Dr。 McTier tries to demystify the complex educational content by peppering her discussion with references to popular movies and entertainment figures， adopting an irreverent tone， injecting an upbeat humor， and ridiculing human foibles。 Her sardonic humor works up to a point， but some may find its excessive use tiresome after a while。 Any attempt to demystify science and to inject us with a dose of humility by reminding us of our barely-a-dot existence in the vastness of space is well-deserving of accolades。 Kudos to Dr。 McTier for having the courage to communicate what we have learned so far about the Milky Way in a fresh， highly original， accessible， and entertaining manner。 Although much of the scientific information may be challenging to digest， there is still plenty to glean about the nature of our galaxy from her effort。 We are just an infinitesimal dot in the universe， but thanks to Dr。 McTier， those of us who have no prior knowledge of astrophysics have a better understanding of just how infinitesimal we really are。 Recommended。My book reviews are also available at www。tamaraaghajaffar。com 。。。more

Tony ，

a sweet and cheeky version of astrophysics for the average person who isn’t even remotely familiar with the science of the cosmos。 moiya mctier created a fun way， by no means wholly encompassing of the details of this science， to learn about our galaxy。 an enjoyable book。

Petra Cyborg - there's no rust on me！ ，

I can't imagine the Milky Way personalised and telling their own story and being a solid pop-science book。 All the reviews （all freebies） are what you'd expect， except for one from someone who says they know more than the average person about astronomy。 They find the book interesting， but at times condescending and snarky。 That's stern criticism for an ARC and to be taken seriously。 I always take freebie criticism seriously， unless it's to do with a badly-behaving author， and generally don't bot I can't imagine the Milky Way personalised and telling their own story and being a solid pop-science book。 All the reviews （all freebies） are what you'd expect， except for one from someone who says they know more than the average person about astronomy。 They find the book interesting， but at times condescending and snarky。 That's stern criticism for an ARC and to be taken seriously。 I always take freebie criticism seriously， unless it's to do with a badly-behaving author， and generally don't bother reading gushing 4/5 ARC reviews unless they are from a friend， then I take them just as seriously。So， to order or not to order， that is the question。 Hmmm 。。。more

Sarah ，

The personality that Moiya McTier has injected into the entity that is the Milky Way is brilliant。 A perfectly sassy and logical galaxy with just the right amount of condescension。

Megan Tripaldi ，

Well this was unexpected！ I never thought I’d find a book on astrophysics told from the perspective of a galaxy。 What a fun read。

Sophie ，

A sassy， opinionated personification of the Milky Way telling it’s life story？ Genius。 And so much fun。 This is a great way to engage people with science and astrophysics， especially with the mythology and folklore that’s woven into the book。 Brilliant！

Eden ，

My cheeks are so warm after finishing this one。 RTC。

Andrea Wenger ，

This book tells the story of the Milky Way in "autobiographical" form。 It's smart， savvy， and easy to read。 If you like science books with a heavy dose of snark， you might want to give this one a try。Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This book tells the story of the Milky Way in "autobiographical" form。 It's smart， savvy， and easy to read。 If you like science books with a heavy dose of snark， you might want to give this one a try。Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 。。。more

KitStitches ，

Have you ever wanted to get dommed by the universe？ Have you ever felt an overwhelming urge to ship her with Andromeda？ Have you looked at your own black holes of despair and felt alone？ Moiya McTier has crafted what you are searching for。 I needed this。

Bailey ，

The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moya McTier tells the story of the Milky Way in a unique and playful structure。 Instead of an academic attempting to inform the reader about scientific concepts and ancient myths and legends about the Milky Way， Moya McTier writes as if the Milky Way is telling their own story — thus， an autobiography。 Honestly， the Milky Way is kind of bitchy — but in the best way possible。 Some readers may find the Galaxy’s arrogance tiring after a few chapters， The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moya McTier tells the story of the Milky Way in a unique and playful structure。 Instead of an academic attempting to inform the reader about scientific concepts and ancient myths and legends about the Milky Way， Moya McTier writes as if the Milky Way is telling their own story — thus， an autobiography。 Honestly， the Milky Way is kind of bitchy — but in the best way possible。 Some readers may find the Galaxy’s arrogance tiring after a few chapters， but I couldn’t get enough。 The pretentious tone was funny and playful， and I was more interested in learning the dense， scientific details of this book that I might have otherwise skipped through。 The Milky Way keeps is relatable for us mere mortals， often name-dropping celebrities like Beyonce and referencing popular media like Rick and Morty。McTier’s passion for our universe and the ancient legends surrounding it is evident。 For the most part， her scientific explanations are clear， accessible， and interesting。 As someone who loves looking at the stars but hates the science and math involved in astronomy， this was a huge win for me。 With that said， some concepts were confusing， and I found myself rereading several passages before I truly understood what was being discussed。 McTier included plenty of ancient stories and myths， but she really only scratched the surface of the folklore aspect。 I wish she had included more discussion of the legends！ I learned a lot about the night sky， both in a scientific sense as well as how our ancestors viewed the night sky。 I also appreciate that Moya McTier taught me that a parsec is not， in fact， a unit of time （I’m looking at you， Han Solo）。 This quick read will have you developing a greater appreciation for the stars， and you’ll even laugh along the way as well。 Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for this ARC！ 。。。more

Kris Tyler ，

*I received this book as an ARC from work #booksellerlifeI have mixed feelings on this book。 As a person who knows slightly more than an average layman about astronomy， I found the content interesting and easy to follow。 There were parts that I found so over simplified， that I had to stop and think about it。 There were a few references that were not so simplified， i。e。， distances （parsecs。。） and abbreviations。 The overall， the idea of the narrator being the Galaxy itself was different， fun twist *I received this book as an ARC from work #booksellerlifeI have mixed feelings on this book。 As a person who knows slightly more than an average layman about astronomy， I found the content interesting and easy to follow。 There were parts that I found so over simplified， that I had to stop and think about it。 There were a few references that were not so simplified， i。e。， distances （parsecs。。） and abbreviations。 The overall， the idea of the narrator being the Galaxy itself was different， fun twist on an often dry subject。 The execution was so-so。 The wittiness of the narrator was enjoyable。 Until it wasn't。 The tone got overly snarky to the point of condescending。 Yes， I get that the Galaxy is represented as omnipotent， but sometimes the put downs were a bit unneeded to get the point across。 The bits of folklore and mythology added to the plusses of this book。 Finally， it was a good book。 Better suited to a "newer to the subject" audience。 Perhaps even a high school or YA reader interested in astronomy would be an ideal audience。 。。。more

Carmen ，

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book。The way this book is written is deeply enjoyable。 The narrator is the Milky Way which I found to be a different form of science communication。 Almost immediately， it gave me the same vibes as the Tears in the Rain speech from Blade Runner 。However， there were moments when the writing made the science hard to understand。 At those moments， I wish there were illustrations with labels so I could understand what the Milky Way was tellin Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book。The way this book is written is deeply enjoyable。 The narrator is the Milky Way which I found to be a different form of science communication。 Almost immediately， it gave me the same vibes as the Tears in the Rain speech from Blade Runner 。However， there were moments when the writing made the science hard to understand。 At those moments， I wish there were illustrations with labels so I could understand what the Milky Way was telling us。I found myself enjoying the folklore sections/chapters over the science ones。 I found myself liking the folklore bits over the science bits。 I know it’s supposed to be more science-based storytelling， but folklore makes my heart sing。 I think the writing style lends more toward storytelling （folklore） than science communication。 If the author decided to write another book with its focus being on folklore， I would LOVE to read that。Even though I avoid audiobooks， it would be really interesting to see how that version would work with this。 It would almost sound like a fairy tale with the right voice actor。 。。。more

Kelly ，

Moiya McTier utilizes her unique loves of astrophysics and folklore to tell the story of the Milky Way in sassy， snarky tones that make what can be a difficult subject to understand relatable to the casual space geek。 I can't remember ever laughing while reading an astronomy book， and there were points during this book where I howled with laughter。 McTier both anthropomorphizes the galaxy and its companions， including a long-festering distaste for Larry （aka the Large Magellanic Cloud）， the disc Moiya McTier utilizes her unique loves of astrophysics and folklore to tell the story of the Milky Way in sassy， snarky tones that make what can be a difficult subject to understand relatable to the casual space geek。 I can't remember ever laughing while reading an astronomy book， and there were points during this book where I howled with laughter。 McTier both anthropomorphizes the galaxy and its companions， including a long-festering distaste for Larry （aka the Large Magellanic Cloud）， the discomfort and shame of Sarge （aka the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy） and an adoration for Andromeda， while simultaneously pointing out how self-absorbed and puny humans can be。 McTier covers not just the science of the universe and the Milky Way， but also delves into astronomical discoveries over time， and the mythologies that early civilizations had about the galaxy and night sky， making the story feel even more comprehensive in nature。 Readers should take note that while this may look like a fiction book， it is non-fiction。 As someone who has always had a love for astronomy and outer space， this is a perfect book for the fun， conversational way it conveys information about space。 If you love the idea of space but find textbooks intimidating， this book is for you。 If you're a teenager and want to read a book about space that namechecks Beyonce and "those hunky brothers from Australia" this book is for you。 If you're uptight and think all books about astronomy should be dry， boring and only readable by people with a doctorate in astronomy or astrophysics this book probably isn't for you - but it wasn't meant to be， you stick-in-the-local neighborhood Larry！ I absolutely loved this fresh， fun take on the Milky Way， the universe and physics in general。 A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more

Dan ，

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of this biography and history on The Milky Way Galaxy。Everything has a story， a past a present， an uncertain future， and everything wants a chance to share that story。 Finding both a chronicler well that can be a problem， but who knew that the place we all call home has such a fascinating tale to share。 A tumultuous past， a more calm present， except for those humans and a future that looks cold and lonely My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of this biography and history on The Milky Way Galaxy。Everything has a story， a past a present， an uncertain future， and everything wants a chance to share that story。 Finding both a chronicler well that can be a problem， but who knew that the place we all call home has such a fascinating tale to share。 A tumultuous past， a more calm present， except for those humans and a future that looks cold and lonely until the end。 Doctor Moiya McTier in her book The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy lets the galaxy itself tell the story of its life， its science and inevitable end， in a story both funny profound and educational。 The book begins with a bit about Dr。 McTier， a life that actually sounds as interesting as the galaxy the Doctor is planning to tell。 Dr。 McTier tells of her upbringing ， the stars she saw and th knowledge that a future in the stars was much better than a life in a small not that exciting small town。 From there readers are introduced to The Milky Way， the creation and formation， and a semi- chronological history follows。 Humans appear， and discussions follow using myths and folklore， on how people thought the world came about。 Finally ending with the probable end of The Milky Way， and what might happen after that。 The book is written differently than most science books， which I am sure that some people will have a problem with。 I enjoyed it， though it did take me a chapter or two to go with the flow。 The science and especially the math was well explained， the narrative moved well and most questions， when there is an answer， as science can try but can't promise to answer everything， are answered and again make sense。 Plus the book is funny。 I like the idea of a quipy galaxy， and an intelligent one also is nice to contemplate。 The writing is very conversational， not teachy and you can feel the enjoyment that Doctor McTier has for the subject， and loves to share with others。 A science book that doesn't read like a science book， and for what seems like a joke idea， is probably one of the more thoughtful and interesting books that I have read this year。 I wanted to quote and read parts to my nephews as points are raised that I never thought of， or to be honest probably understood。 A book that leaves the reader with a good feeling， that maybe everything will be ok， or that maybe all this talk about an uncaring universe might be true， but this galaxy The Milky Way cares and is always willing to listen。 As long as we listen too。 。。。more

Thomas Lambe ，

Many thanks for the ARC of this new work。 This was very well done。 Slightly different from my normal reads but that is a good thing。