PositiveChristian Science MonitorThe anthology, which covers a mix of history and physics, is organized into 17 related essays that explore the seeming paradoxes inherent in an ineffably large cosmos. Through vignettes and journal entries, Lightman offers observations in a tone that is edifying and companionable – a bonus for those of us who are not theoretical physicists like the author ... In particular, Lightman’s colorful similes – strewn like Easter eggs throughout the essays – offer greater understanding ... The small human details Lightman includes about his interviewees are also delightful ... But there are moments when the mix of intimate reflection and cosmic material feels unbalanced. The middle of the collection enters the doldrums when Lightman’s essays give too much attention to his personal life and lose a sense of galactic wonder ... The occasional repetition of words and ideas also trip up the collection ... Lightman also references the same passage of John Milton’s Paradise Lost more than once ... Still, curious readers will likely find ample room to marvel at peculiarities of the universe.
Amanda Frost
RaveChristian Science MonitorFrost’s history is a sobering chronicle of the U.S. government’s attempts – both successful and unsuccessful – to expatriate its citizens, and in so doing, define itself by exclusion. And she demonstrates that those efforts have mirrored the country’s contemporaneous racial, political, and social anxieties ... Frost provides plenty of historical context, detailing cases from the Dred Scott decision – in which the Supreme Court ruled that Black Americans could not claim U.S. citizenship – to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the mass deportation of Mexican-Americans during the 1950s ... At just under 200 pages, Frost’s compendium threads history, debate, and lively detail into the stories of individual Americans who fought to verify their citizenship or exercise their full rights ... At times, Frost’s writing can sound like a textbook. Despite this occasional didactic tone, the book is an excellent primer on the importance of creating robust institutions that can check the formation of racist policies.
