The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred

Review "The Disordered Cosmos is the type of book that compels us to shatter our preconceptions about science, scientists, and academia."--Physics Today"[A] wide-ranging book that is both a scientific explainer and an argument that unjust power structures shape the world of physics."--Vox"The Disordered Cosmos is a fierce reminder that science does not exist in a vacuum; rather, it is a practice firmly rooted in humanity--and access to the night sky is perhaps the most fundamental human right of all. The book is a love letter to the wondrous universe we call home, and an urge to think critically about how we explore its depths."--Smithsonian Magazine"Particle cosmologist Prescod-Weinstein's debut is a dazzling introduction to particle physics. In wonder-filled prose, she describes quantum mechanics, string theory, and gravity. She also takes a trenchant stand against the inequalities that run rampant in the field, making a moving plea that the cosmos be accessible to all."--Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2021 - Nonfiction"Prescod-Weinstein delves into the culture of the mainstream scientific community, and how it has influenced the progress of science...with this book she achieves an astonishing blend of scientific depth and an intricate understanding of the interplay between science and society."--Physics World"The Disordered Cosmos, more than most other science books, is an urgently needed call for justice. It is brave, passionate and angry, and rightly so. If the book and documentary A Brief History of Time were influential in making a wider public accept and celebrate disabled scientists, Prescod-Weinstein's book will hopefully do the same for people of colour and other marginalized groups."--Nature Astronomy"Her book is a tour of particles like quarks and leptons, as well as the axions that Prescod-Weinstein specializes in, but it also explores the various structural oppressions that affect who gets to study and discover them -- and even who gets to name those discoveries."--CNN"The Disordered Cosmos is equal parts critical analysis, personal essay, and popular science...Prescod-Weinstein not only narrates her struggle to become a cosmologist, she advocates for all peoples whom physicists have undervalued...Prescod-Weinstein's most vital work, in the end, is the emancipation of Black and brown children who still cannot see their futures in the stars."?--Undark"In this one-of-a-kind book, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein simultaneously discusses her love of physics while placing that love in tension with science as a discipline that is deeply marred by racism...the author shows us that the field of science can do amazing things, but also, if placed in the wrong hands, can be deeply damaging to people of color."--Book Riot"We live in a golden age of science books that artfully escape their usual bounds -- merging astrophysics with poetry, biology with philosophy -- and still The Disordered Cosmos stands apart for its interweaving of history and its righteous argument that we can do better."--The Philadelphia Inquirer"Physics and astronomy are often seen as abstract and universal, but this wide-ranging corrective, by a particle cosmologist, emphasizes the fact that they are also 'a human, social enterprise, ' shaped by the same racism and sexism that plague society as a whole."--The New Yorker"In this eye-opening book Prescod-Weinstein describes her work studying particle physics, dark matter and cosmology, as well as how that work is affected by being a 'queer agender Black woman' in physics. She has faced abuse most of her colleagues have not--told by advisers she was not smart enough to be a physicist and subjected to racism and even physical assault from fellow researchers. Somehow her awe at the cosmos remained intact, and it illuminates this fascinating tour of the universe, from cosmic inflation to the physics of melanin."--Scientific American"Part introduction to quantum mechanics and cosmology, part memoir, and p