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Eating the Sun: Small Musings on a Vast Universe

by Ella Frances Sanders
Penguin. Apr. 2019. 160p. illus. ISBN 9780143133162. $17; ebk. ISBN 9780525504948. SCI
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In this latest work, Sanders (The Illustrated Book of Sayings) randomly arranges more than 50 brief essays on life and physical sciences topics, each illustrated in her distinctive style. The author's existing fan base may welcome her foray into new subject material and lengthier pieces, especially as she has not abandoned her trademark arch commentary. However, the pervasive anthropomorphizing, unsupported generalizations (such as asserting that dying stars hurl 40,000 tons of material toward us annually despite researchers' disagreement about the quantity), quirky prose (all physicists are "brilliant" while their astronomer disciplinary cousins earn fewer accolades), and unquestioning credulity in this title may annoy general popular science audiences. More traditionally appealing alternatives include works from Brian Cox's Wonders of… or Jerry Dennis's "The Wonders of Nature" series.
VERDICT Readers seeking an atypical beach read for their vacations may enjoy this playful work.
Reviewed by Nancy R. Curtis, Univ. of Maine Lib., Orono , Apr 01, 2019
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