Rating: 
Summary: A Glowing Example of Parabasis. Seinfeld Eat Your Heart Out
Review: Dr.Janna Levin, a physicist/mathematician/topologist, steps out of the halls of academe and her personal life, and takes center stage at The Riddle of the Universe Theater and shows herself to be a brilliant performer. She is a connecting link between the musings of Oswald Spengler, P. D. Ouspensky & Alfred Korzybski on one side and Sir James Jeans, Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington & George Gamow on the other. It's a pity that James R. Newman (THE WORLD OF MATHEMATICS)is not around to comment on her performance. Like David Lynch's movie, she admits that "The world (universe) is strange on top and wild at heart," but unlike an Edward Gorey character does not despair or lose her subtle sense of humor. Humor is an avis raris in cosmology, but here it shines like a dewdrop in a cesspool. Practicing eggheads will immediately realize that this book should be on the bookshelf next to Carroll's THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK along with the commentary upon it completed by F. C. S. Schiller in 1901.
Her professional modesty is refreshing. She does not stand in the "Chariot of the Intellect" and shout, BEHOLD THE DUST I'M RAISING! The unstated conclusion of her performance can be summarized as: To assert or deny one "shape" for the universe
is a mark of prejudice. The rational person will regard the question as open; but don't despair, a solution just might be on the horizon.
Rating: 
Summary: Encountering the universe
Review: Hats off to Janna Levin for such a profound and insightful work. Readers will surely fall in love with Levin's writing as she shares her ponderings and musings about the nature of the universe as a physicist and as a person.
Some readers like this reviewer, however, might stop and wonder if Levin goes too far in saying that nature abhors infinity.
Levin points out the possibility that the universe may be finite in size but unbounded in shape. If someone started flying their spaceship at one point in the universe they might, in principle, eventually come back to the same spot.
There is, however, another quite more profound and awesome way that the universe could be unbounded. Levin points out how the universe could be all there is. Thus, the universe is not simply unbounded in shape, having a finite volume and a beginning and an end in time like the earth.
The universe also is infinitely unbounded by having NOTHING outside of it. We see how the beginning of the universe is not simply a beginning of another thing, but also the beginning of TIME ITSELF.
Levin has done a great thing in helping humans to take a greater glimpse of the universe. Her insights help us to see that the universe could be limited in size, unbounded in shape, but also unbounded for the simple fact that nothing physical would exist outside of the universe.
This leads us human beings to greater levels of understanding and interest in encountering the universe, realizing how it may be limited in volume and time, but actually unbounded and unlimited simply because it is everything that physically exists.
Rating:
Summary: sparked my intrest in cosmology
Review: Janna Levin has a real talent for explaining some big ideas from physics in a clear and simple way. This book is at its best when she is doing so. Unfortunately, it's merely boring and annoying when she is agonizing over her wimpy boyfriend, the dreary British weather, the overcrowded London Tube, and so on. The transitions between the two threads are always abrupt and often contrived. It's as if two different authors wrote different books, then shuffled the pages together. If Levin had left out the schoolgirl-diary stuff this book would be half as long but twice as good.
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking, different
Review: Levin attempts to describe in lay terms a foundation for cosmology, including the big bang, finite-vs-infinite size of the universe, and geometrical shape of the universe. It is a formidible challenge given the nonmathematical approach. She writes her book as a compilation of letters to her mother, with supplemented diagrams that are nonmathematical. Her argument for a finite universe is persuasive. She also writes about her life as a physicist/mathematician/artist including her relationship with a boyfriend musician. They break up in the book, with him resurfacing as an "appendix" in the end.I met author Levin in a book signing event in Milwaukee and she updates us...she is married with a newborn. The book is well written, lucid with many personal touches. A female physicist is a rarity and subsequently, this book, with its emotional touches and relationship referrals, is distinct and unique. But this aspect is refreshing and not distracting to the reader. I recommend Levin's book as a refreshing "4" stars and my only criticism, mildly, is the short address of string theory and future predictions on astronomy research.
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking, different
Review: Levin attempts to describe in lay terms a foundation for cosmology, including the big bang, finite-vs-infinite size of the universe, and geometrical shape of the universe. It is a formidible challenge given the nonmathematical approach. She writes her book as a compilation of letters to her mother, with supplemented diagrams that are nonmathematical. Her argument for a finite universe is persuasive. She also writes about her life as a physicist/mathematician/artist including her relationship with a boyfriend musician. They break up in the book, with him resurfacing as an "appendix" in the end. I met author Levin in a book signing event in Milwaukee and she updates us...she is married with a newborn. The book is well written, lucid with many personal touches. A female physicist is a rarity and subsequently, this book, with its emotional touches and relationship referrals, is distinct and unique. But this aspect is refreshing and not distracting to the reader. I recommend Levin's book as a refreshing "4" stars and my only criticism, mildly, is the short address of string theory and future predictions on astronomy research.
Rating:
Summary: nothing quite like it
Review: Our universe appears to stretch at least ten billion light years across. As far as the eye can see, there is no visible bound to spacetime. Still the universe may not be infinite. It may be more natural for space to be topologically compact (i.e. closed, bounded, and therefore finite) and multiconnected. [1] There was once a cultural prejudice that the Earth was flat and unconnected, so much so that explorers were feared to have fallen off the edge. The assumption that space must be infinite may represent a similar bias. Just as most have realized that our planet is compact, we may someday learn that the entire universe is likewise compact and connected. This is the crux of Janna Levin's book. A conjecture which she, Scannapieco, and Silk had made even earlier in February 1998 [2]. The global geometry of the universe, as Levin explains, can lead to distinctive pattern formation by the normal modes of vibration of the universe in the microwave sky, or even in the distribution of luminous galaxies. The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) offers the best site to seek out patterning. When light from the Big Bang last scattered off hot matter, small temperature fluctuations left birthmarks in the radiation. These hot and cold spots in the primordial radiation may be randomly distributed in an infinite universe, but if the universe possesses a compact topology then distinctive patterns can be generated. This, the author expounds, as she did earlier in July 1988, using the mathematical biology of how the leopard got its spots [3]. With the scheduled launching of the Planck Surveyor in the near future, Levin expects any hidden geometric patterns of the hot and cold spots in the CMB will be more clearly discerned. Perhaps then it will take us a step closer to answering a question like Levin's mother had asked of her: What is a universe? Levin's memoir offers a uniquely rare glimpse into the life a highly educated woman and scientist. Her career centers around objects of cosmic awe, beauty, and possbilities (real or theorectical) but void of emotions. Objects she can see with her eyes and mind but never tactilely. Paradoxically, she shares her life with a man having only a junior high school education. At both work and at home she wants to feel the sun. Apropos of Levin's search for love and cosmic truth are these metaphoric words by Millay: "Where you used to be there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in daytime, and falling into at night." [1] General relativity and big bang theories allow space to have a topology. As Levin explains, "Topology is any aspect of the shape that does not change when the curvature is varied" (p.119). If space is so connected as Levin argues, then one could find 'straight' lines that connect two points in space. A two-dimensional analogue of this would be a compact torus or a Klein bottle (p.127) Levin's two earlier pivotal works were not cited in the book: [2] "Is The Universe Infinite Or Is It Just Really Big?" by Janna Levin, Evan Scannapieco and Joseph Silk. arXiv:astro-ph/9802021 v1 2 Feb 1998. [3] pp. 174-177. See also "How the Universe Got Its Spots" by Janna Levin, Evan Scannapieco, Giancarlo de Gasperis, Joseph Silk, and John D. Barrow. arXiv:astro-ph/9807206 v1 20 Jul 1998
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of my recent reads
Review: Recently upon being asked what kind of books I like I gave the very ineloquent answer of "books by smart people who can write well." A better answer may have been "books like How the Universe Got Its Spots."
Janna Levin represents that rare mix I find so enjoyable to read. First off yes she is smart... very smart! One would have to be that smart to present such a full understanding of these topics of cosmology as she does. Secondly she does indeed write well. By this I do not just mean that she can string two sentences but that she really has an artist's perspective on the science that is her live. It is this approach that allows Levin to weave the stories of her personal and professional lives together so adeptly.
Rating:
Summary: All of a sudden I realized how big our universe might be
Review: The author is an astrophysicist and has all the right credentials in the scientific world to perpetrate her theories on the nature of the universe. However, she has targeted this book to a broader audience. Had I not seen her promote her book in a local bookstore I might not have had my interest piqued. Also, my book discussion book selected this as its monthly choice and I was determined to read it even though, at first glance, some of the scientific diagrams seemed impossible to me as I have no background whatsoever in this area. Wisely, though, the book is constructed as a diary of her personal life as well as explanations of her work in a letter format. She actually wrote these letters to her mother, and therefore I thought her descriptions would be simple. They weren't. However, by pushing myself to read every word, even though much of the theory was difficult, I made a discovery. All of a sudden I was introduced to concepts that I had never heard of before, no less understand. Although I'll never remember the details, I learned about Einstein and the theory of relativity, how the topology of the earth makes it a lot more complex than a perfect sphere and what the concept of "infinite" really means. And, most important, I realized just how big our universe must be and how we humans are just a tiny part of it. As this is probably the only book I will ever read about the world of physics, I must thank the author for taking me on a journey to new and unexpected places in the small universe that is my own personal mind. The book is not an easy read, but for anyone willing to explore new frontiers, I definitely recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: All of a sudden I realized how big our universe might be
Review: The author is an astrophysicist and has all the right credentials in the scientific world to perpetrate her theories on the nature of the universe. However, she has targeted this book to a broader audience. Had I not seen her promote her book in a local bookstore I might not have had my interest piqued. Also, my book discussion book selected this as its monthly choice and I was determined to read it even though, at first glance, some of the scientific diagrams seemed impossible to me as I have no background whatsoever in this area. Wisely, though, the book is constructed as a diary of her personal life as well as explanations of her work in a letter format. She actually wrote these letters to her mother, and therefore I thought her descriptions would be simple. They weren't. However, by pushing myself to read every word, even though much of the theory was difficult, I made a discovery. All of a sudden I was introduced to concepts that I had never heard of before, no less understand. Although I'll never remember the details, I learned about Einstein and the theory of relativity, how the topology of the earth makes it a lot more complex than a perfect sphere and what the concept of "infinite" really means. And, most important, I realized just how big our universe must be and how we humans are just a tiny part of it. As this is probably the only book I will ever read about the world of physics, I must thank the author for taking me on a journey to new and unexpected places in the small universe that is my own personal mind. The book is not an easy read, but for anyone willing to explore new frontiers, I definitely recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Lucid and funny
Review: This book is engrossing on two levels: it presents science in a manner that is intellectually invigorating but it also compels as personal narrative. The author, a young and highly successful astrophysicist, gives a sharp and accessible account of current theories of the evolution, substance and topology of the universe and, using vivid imagery, presents an intriguing case for regarding it as finite. This crystal-clear instruction is interspersed with a diary which demonstrates how even the most scholarly pursuits are conducted against a backdrop of domestic relations and material considerations. If this sounds risky, it isn't. The author is eloquent, observant and witty. I write as an arts specialist with a professional commitment to bringing science to artists and the wider public and am an avid, often critical, reader of 'popular' science books. I find the science writing extremely lucid and the thread of personal preoccupation ingenious on a number of levels - giving the reader's brain a rest just when it was beginning to protest and forming a tersely-told story all on its own, inversely heightened by the science. Since when has a physics book been funny? Janna Levin is a scientist from a refreshingly unpretentious new generation and writes for her contemporaries but also for anyone in the wider public with intelligence and a natural curiosity for matter - and matters - great and small.
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