Books like The Glass Universe — picked by fans

I’ve always enjoyed reading true stories of how people survive some of the most abominable situations.

After reading Endurance, I strive to be like Shackleton under pressure. Here’s a man that not only leads by example, but who refuses to quit when all hope is lost.

In Endurance, Shackleton had one purpose that was much bigger than himself. It was to bring every man home alive from a journey that should have ended in the complete annihilation of his crew. When he finally hears the tolling of the bell on the island, tears filled my eyes. 

Shackleton shows what happens when a man’s purpose becomes bigger than himself. It reminds me that the strongest kind of inner change often occurs when responsibility outweighs fear.  A story every person should read.

Kaya Clark is the wild child I longed to be growing up. Although her family story is tragic and well-explored, how she inhabits her world of nature and allows it to inhabit her is stunning. Once again, she is a young woman who is an outcast who manages to rise above her limitations and those placed on her by society. 

Beyond the incredible storytelling and intriguing plot lines, I was mesmerized by the natural world of the North Carolina marshes, being as much a main character as Kaya herself. The intricate details of the lushness and cruelty of the natural world were incredible. In looking back at my favorite novels, one of the commonalities is the writing’s ability to come alive in my head and to take up a permanent space as much as my own lived memories. This novel is one of those.

This was an amazing collection of facts and myths about predicting the weather. There is a superb range of dates and anecdotes, which made me really think about how people may use the events of the past to predict what might happen in the future.

I thought it was amazing that he included some discussion of earthquakes, and I was impressed about where he sought his information, often being contacted by members of the public about things he had not mentioned in his radio show. I think this is a great book to dip into during a year, seeing how the weather on one date might foresee the conditions on another. Fascinating. 

I love old technology, and lighthouses epitomize this. This book does two things. It brings to life the sheer hardship of building massive structures in what appear to be impossible places. Often, the engineers and builders had to battle the environment, and sometimes animals could help predict when catastrophe might be about to strike.

The book also tells the story of an amazing family who were instrumental in putting lights around our coasts. This saved, and still saves, thousands of lives. Reading such amazing stories as these shows the tenacity of those involved, and I think I can teach us a lot about becoming successful in the modern world, too. 

Thanks to spectrum analysis, the development of improved photographic capabilities, and the construction of powerful new mountaintop telescopes, early 20th century astronomers were able to ask and seek answers to an entirely new range of intriguing questions about the nature and structure of the celestial realm. But the inability to resolve all nebulae into stars left them with a nagging mystery to untangle:  are these luminous clouds relatively nearby embryonic solar systems, or extremely distant aggregates of countless stars? 

In The Expanding Universe, author Robert Smith ably transforms archival material into a lively narrative of the dramatic twists and turns -- the disappointing failures, dead-ends, careless errors, contentious controversies, welcome surprises, and successes -- of the decades-long international effort to find answers to this perplexing quandary.

I love books full of facts and figures, and for astronomers, this is one of the best. Now in its fourth edition (the first appeared in 2005), Universe (subtitled The Definitive Visual Guide) harnesses a team of expert writers with Dorling Kindersley’s designers, editors, and researchers to produce a sumptuously illustrated review of the Universe from the Earth to the Big Bang, including extensive sections on the night sky and how to view it. Dorling Kindersley’s books are natural successors to the great Reader’s Digest reference books of my childhood. If you want an encyclopedia of the Universe, this is the one to have.

While scientists know a great deal about the matter around us, it turns out that ordinary matter is a mere 5% of the matter and energy of the universe. A full 95% is of an unknown type. A substance called dark matter makes up 25% of the energy budget of the universe, while dark energy makes up the remaining 70%. This book focuses on the unknown 95% of the universe. No person will understand the rules that govern the universe, without a thorough understanding of these as-yet-undiscovered substances.

I love science and this book specializes in astronomy. Nichols helps kids get excited about the night sky, planets, and much more. She shows them how to make their own telescope and uses a microwave and a chocolate bar to teach them about the speed of light. A great dip into a wonderful topic.

This book makes me feel like I am discovering the clues that will lead to solving some of the big questions of our existence. Fred Watson is very good at explaining mind-blowing cosmic science, and I enjoyed his wit and sense of humor. 

This book is about the resilience of our planet Earth. It discusses the science behind cosmic phenomena and explains new technology and applied physics. It made me feel that all may not be lost due to our environmental destruction. My favorite section is about the research contributions made around the globe by citizen scientists and amateur astronomers and the challenges posed by the advent of space tourism.

I found this book compelling because Noon and De Napoli, both Indigenous astronomers, combine their Western scientific knowledge with First Nations cultural knowledge. I was particularly moved by reading about their different but connected personal journeys. Despite prejudice and disadvantage, each was determined to pursue tertiary education and careers in Western astronomy and maintain and communicate the sky knowledge systems of Aboriginal communities.  They unite in presenting astronomy as land and sky together in one cosmology. 

I liked this book because it felt very personal. The occasional, justified critique of Australian society and historical events makes it authentic. I often paused to absorb and reflect. This is part of a six-book series called First Knowledges, and I plan to read the other five.