How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

By: Mike Brown

Narrated by: Ryan Gesell

The solar system most of us grew up with included nine planets, with Mercury closest to the sun and Pluto at the outer edge. Then, in 2005, astronomer Mike Brown made the discovery of a lifetime: a tenth planet, Eris, slightly bigger than Pluto. But instead of its resulting in one more planet being added to our solar system, Brown’s find ignited a firestorm of controversy that riled the usually sedate world of astronomy and launched him into the public eye. The debate culminated in the demotion of Pluto from real planet to the newly coined category of “dwarf” planet. Suddenly Brown was receiving hate mail from schoolchildren and being bombarded by TV reporters—all because of the discovery he had spent years searching for and a lifetime dreaming about.

Filled with both humor and drama, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is Mike Brown’s engaging first-person account of the most tumultuous year in modern astronomy—which he inadvertently caused. As it guides readers through important scientific concepts and inspires us to think more deeply about our place in the cosmos, it is also an entertaining and enlightening personal story: While Brown sought to expand our understanding of the vast nature of space, his own life was changed in the most immediate, human ways by love, birth, and death. A heartfelt and personal perspective on the demotion of everyone’s favorite farflung planet, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is the book for anyone, young or old, who has ever dreamed of exploring the universe—and who among us hasn’t?

Who knew astronomy was so exciting?

I usually listen to books while I am hiking, or doing work around my house. Perhaps this is why there was an unusually long lag - months in fact - between when I started this title and when I ended it. I started it one night when I was just surfing the web. Perhaps this also says a bit about the first quarter or so of the book. Clearly I didn't feel a compulsion to continue immediately after Mike sets up his life and his work.
Then I took a long hike, and decided it was the perfect time to finish this book.
It really was.
It seems my previous stopping point had been right before things got interesting. It wasn't just about discovering new large bodies orbiting our sun (can't call them planets anymore). I learned about the politics of naming celestial bodies and about Inuit creation myth in the process. I discovered what happens when a number-oriented scientist becomes a father and applies the scientific method to taking care of a baby. (I even looked at the website when I got home). I got so worked up about an apparent theft of intellectual property that I could scarcely wait to get down the mountain and tell my husband what happened. When NASA's pic of the day allowed the user to zoom in to beyond microscopic level and then zoom out to past our universe (theoretically speaking), I was proud to say I knew what Sedna and Eris were.
And I agree with why Pluto was killed as a planet. Maybe you will too.

Great lovely entertaining book.

Science and wit. This is a great entertaining read. The narrator's voice provides the perfect tone. It made my drive go by so quickly!

Great listen. Ryan Gesell is a good narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you feel sorry for Pluto, is will explain why you shouldn't. If you grew up with Pluto, this will explain how it got away - for decades - being classified as a planet. The author writes at the average-astronomy-hobbiest level, which makes it an easy listen. I first thought there were too many family stories, but the stories do give the reader a good time line of events - rather than a just a list of dates. In the end, those readers still feeling sorry for Pluto's demotion can rejoice in the fact that it's title may have changed but it's place in our universe hasn't.

Would you be willing to try another book from Mike Brown? Why or why not?

Yes. If Ryan Gesell narrates I know it will be a good/ easy listen.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Mike Brown Loves the Universe . . .

What made the experience of listening to How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming the most enjoyable?

Mike Brown loves the universe. He is also obsessive, modest to a fault, smart and has a wickedly dry sense of humor. This book grabbed me by my imagination and my heart and mind followed. Brown wove his personal story with the astronomical story giving it more resonance (I love the idea of naming a celestial body after one’s wife or daughter). What I really enjoyed were the machinations of the academic community and the side-story of the Spanish astronomer who “stole” his discovery. I know the academic world is as cut-throat, backstabbing and gossipy as Hollywood but it’s fun to hear juicy details: the glacial pace of the astronomical committees, the apparent lack of common sense in developing standards, and the rush to publish. The book is entertaining and enlightening (Who knew what a center of mass is? I do now.) As for Pluto, well “What's in a name? That which we call a planet
by any other name would spin as sweet.

Making science personal

This was a very enjoyable - the science context was approachable (as a non-astronomer) and was presented in a way that captures the spirit and adventure of scientific inquiry. Although I don't normally find personal stories very compelling, in this case, I thought it lent just the right flavor to the book.