How Andy Weir's Novel Project Hail Mary Helps Gain a Better Understanding of What it is Like to be Human and Aliens

How Andy Weir's Novel Project Hail Mary Helps Gain a Better Understanding of What it is Like to be Human and Aliens 

By: Robert Tu 

Imagine what would the extinction event of humans be. Project Hail Mary incorporates this hypothetical crisis in which human life is at stake. The world bands together to research astrophage, which sucks the energy out of the sun. The world comes up with a three-person suicide mission to save Earth in this futuristic setting, including science, logic, and aliens. Among the three include Ryland Grace. Math teacher and research extraordinaire. He wrote a paper on how water is not essential to life because planets with different environments do not need to value water like on Earth. I love how the book comes up with examples like that. Not an absurd idea, but it is realistic enough that you can believe it is possible. This aspect of the book helped me connect with the characters. As we navigate his absurd circumstance aboard the Hail Mary, you gain a new appreciation of the things you already have. The book is also inspiring because humans did not go to war or give up. The characters are also selfless and go on a suicide mission to save Earth. Or are they?

Throughout the book, we find Ryland has amnesia because part of the trip requires him to go into a coma so he would not die of age. The mission the Project Hail Mary is to blast off to a different planet because their sun, plagued with astrophage, is not dimming like Earth's. They send the team to research the star, but it is not a team anymore because the two other crewmembers died in comas. Ryland's memories get sprinkled throughout the pages during the time on the ship. He rediscovers himself and finds his morals for going on the mission are not what he thought. 

One of my favorite parts of the book is the example of technological advancements. They are not so out of this world (get it) that they are unreasonable but rather the author's wandering imagination of what the future could behold. I can tell from this book that Andy Weir is probably a nerd in math, science, physics, or something similar. For example, gravity in space is currently unheard of, but in the setting, the rocket generates gravity by centripetal force. The theory is that a centrifuge could produce gravity on Earth, which does not sound too farfetched. There is even a graph of it in the legend of the book. Small details like these help you get engrossed in the book because it shows that the author cares enough to spend time thinking about the tiny details. You might be wondering, when writing a book, you will probably have some commitment to what you write about, but I think you can tell between well thought of books from the plot.

Ryland eventually remembers that he did not voluntarily go on the mission but rather cleverly tricked into it. I think this shows what human nature is. You have those who throw everything away for this slim chance to escape this extinction event, and you have people like Ryland. This idea makes you imagine what role you would play in the story. I love the ending of this book. It is very satisfying, and if human nature makes you feel depressed, then remember that humans can do anything if we work together. Even in impossible chances, when the odds are so low that failure is almost factual, we still have to try.

 

The Surprising Effectiveness of Philipp Dettmer's "Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive"

Leo

     Philipp Dettmer is not a well-known author, but he is the CEO of the science-based YouTube channel "Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell." Amassing nearly 20 million subscribers and over 20 billion total views, his channel's success is often tied to the simplicity of its content. However, in late 2021, he published a book titled "Immune." This book takes a deep look into the immune system, which is an organization of body cells that keeps everyone protected from disease.

    One of the main contributing aspects that make this book so intriguing is the compact use of illustrations. They don't clog up the book, but they're placed in certain spots where the reader may need clarification or if a certain section is a little complex. The smart placement of these images take a solid amount of space, but still manages to put a lot of information in just a little over 300 pages. The book covers a range of topics, from the Complement System of proteins to phagocytes that fight on the front line all the way to lymph nodes, where B Cells release superweapons to turn the tides of an invasion. These are all vividly shown through the book's text and images.

    Not only do the images provide great representations to most topics, but the word choice is a key factor as well. If the reader has ever watched a Kurzgesagt video, they will be familiar with the tone of voice in the book. This brings a sense of familiarity with the reader, so it feels like they're talking with someone they know. This sense of familiarity is also brought upon by illustrations that match the animations on their YouTube channel. The book also contains some comedic relief, such as their description of neutrophils being "a chimp on cocaine wielding a machine gun." The constant sense of informality lets the reader get more comfortable learning alongside Dettmer. The simplicity that's decorated around the book also helps the reader understand things whether they know it or not.

    The text and images are two extremely important factors that make the book easier to read than other nonfiction books, but another aspect that is sometimes not even noticed is the abundance of footnotes. The footnotes are like further reading, where Dettmer either explains a concept, clarifies a concept, or even expands on a concept. These footnotes follow the balance between simplicity and complexity just like the rest of the book while also helping the reader understand old concepts or new ones.

    Many other aspects of the book apply similar rules to the previous 3 points and contributing to making the book feel unique. The comedic relief applied through the book makes it very intriguing to those looking to expand their knowledge while also having a good time. However, Dettmer admits that he is not an immunologist, but rather, merely someone with an interest in immunology. Like Wikipedia, Immune is not a credible source, but he provides reliable information in his book sources, found here. Dettmer's book is a great source of general information while he also makes it easy to read. The effectiveness of Philipp Dettmer's Immune is the reason it's one of the best nonfiction books for people looking for quick, easy to read information about the mysterious system that keeps you alive.

Philosophy of a Horse Whisperer

In Think Like a Horse: Lessons in Life, Leadership, and Empathy from an Unconventional Cowboy, author and horse whisperer Grant Golliher shares insights into how to be a better person through what he has learned in his many years of horse whispering. Each chapter is named with one of his philosophical guiding principles for horse rearing and in life, which he expands upon with anecdotes of experiences he has had with people and horses teaching him the lesson, or learning the lesson and putting it into practice.

            Golliher grew up in the western United States on a ranch with horses. Starting at a young age, he helped his parents take care of his family’s horses. In is young adult life, Golliher trained horses for polo and played some polo himself. Now, he is an accomplished horse whisperer who gives demonstrations to many types of people, including corporate executives and groups on applying his horse philosophy to make them better leaders and better people. Golliher and his second wife, Jane, own and operate the Diamond Cross Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

            In chapter seven, entitled “It’s Not About Today, It’s About the Rest of Her Life,” Golliher starts off the same way as all the other chapters, with a quote. This one is from Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address: “Nothing valuable can be lost by taking time.” Golliher illustrates this point with stories of horses who he had to teach boundaries and lessons so that they could be better off in the rest of their lives. Golliher talks about how the lesson is important, and how it can apply not just to training horses, but to people’s lives in how they treat other people.

            Throughout the book, Golliher shares important insights into how to be a better person through his main philosophical guiding principles. Each principle has a complete chapter dedicated to it, in which the principle is fully explained. Examples of how the principle has proven itself as important in horse whispering are used multiple times in each chapter, and the reader gains an extensive understanding of how the principle can apply to their life.

            Golliher does an exceptional job explaining the principles and why they are important. Think Like a Horse is a book that is not only interesting but can be beneficial to a person’s personal growth. Think Like a Horse is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in learning how to be a better leader, and a better person.

 

- Roxxy R.