Black Hole Survival Guide

“[Levin’s] writing is clear and so colloquial that it sometimes seems as though she’s right there chatting with you, telling a story in a conversation so compelling that you hardly notice the complexity of the actual physics . . . Not only is Levin a brilliant physicist, she’s a gifted writer, sensitive to language and its nuances . . . [She is] an extravagant storyteller with a vivid imagination and an acute intellect who is willing to take you on a safe black hole trip, an exciting travel story enjoyed from your chair’s event horizon.”—Boston Globe

“In prose that revels in the immensity and dispassion of the barely known universe — and bolstered by Lia Halloran’s illustrations of strange celestial shapes and astronauts floating in inky voids — Levin makes space sound like a somewhat reasonable place.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Warm, smart prose inviting readers to share her fascination with these cosmic phenomena. Enhanced by wonderful artwork, Levin’s book glides through the universe, from relativity and quantum mechanics to the solar system, the Milky Way, and the Andromeda galaxy. Stirring imagination and curiosity about the mysteries of black holes, Levin makes a case that they are a fodder for fantasy”—The National Book Review

“Vivid . . . Readers couldn’t hope for a more fascinating intro to a family of cosmic objects whose existence promises still more wonders to be discovered.”—Publishers Weekly

“Armchair astronomers will find this a fascinating and illuminating read.”—Booklist

“A short, lively account of one of the oddest and most intriguing topics in astrophysics.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Engrossing . . . Levin describes the subject matter in an accessible writing style that is both entertaining and poetic . . . Recommended for nonscientists and those seeking to understand the cosmos better.“—Library Journal

“A comprehensible exploration of that which cannot be physically explored . . . a vibrant, illustrated text.”—Shelf Awareness

“This slender volume will get the reader quickly up to speed when it comes to black holes, without equations or torrents of jargon.”—The Space Review

“Beguiling . . . Levin writes authoritatively and evocatively with a warm, poetic voice . . . The 23 paintings that Halloran made to be interspersed among its pages add to the imagination-stirring allure . . . There are lighter parts too, and the surreality at play in the mix of the writing and the art gives Black Hole Survival Guide an idiosyncratic spirit.”—Art News