Fear of a Black Universe

Recipient of the American Humanist Association’s Isaac Asimov Science Award

One of the Best Science Books of 2021

"The rabbit hole gets wrestled here. An old school saying applies: the more you know, the more you don’t know. Dance along this read into the unknown and find out that this book may be the best ever answer to ‘What is soul?'"

"A whirlwind ride through the nature of reality, modern physics and the true meaning of being an outsider."

“The book reminds me of Hawking’s A Brief History of Time—very brief and very ambitious. It covers an enormous amount of material and offers insights not only into physics but how we do physics and who we are as physicists.”

"This beautiful and surprising book will leave readers wanting to learn more about the author and his mind-bending ideas. .... Lush with ideas and bold in its analysis of the status quo, this book reorients our view of science and the universe." (Starred review.)
 

"Theoretical physicist Alexander searches the far reaches of the cosmos while addressing the experiences of marginalized people in STEM fields in his refreshing survey....The result is both an excellent work of advocacy and a welcoming introduction to physics." (Starred review.)

“In studying dark matter and dark energy, cosmologist Stephon Alexander advocates a bold, “outsider” approach.”

“Captivating… Alexander raises one provocative question after the next.” 

“Alexander blends anecdote and vignette with a whistle stop tour of topical, controversial and unresolved problems in modern cosmology… Fear of a Black Universe makes a convincing case that we need greater diversity in worldview, mindset and culture.”

“[A] timely reminder of the need to hear a wider variety of voices in physics.”

“Readers with a strong background in physics and an appetite for connecting the physical world to sociological and metaphysical questions will find much to appreciate in this book.”

“Stephon Alexander has done it again - his new book Fear of a Black Universe opens many dimensions - it’s an endlessly stimulating, hyper complex overview, by a deeply musical scientist and mathematician. From Public Enemy’s classic “Fear of a Black Planet” hip hop album and things like how what happened before the Big Bang, on over to how consciousness itself is woven into the fabric of space-time, this book will blow your mind. In Fear of a Black Universe we can see a clear lineage in the way that Stephon Alexander draws a kinetic, and hyper eclectic tapestry woven from the threads of physics, high end mathematical thinking, and the inclusive languages of urban African American culture’s engagement with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and fields as diverse as string theory, dark matter, and dark energy. A must read for anyone who thinks of physics and music as being inseparable. This book really pushes the envelope!”

“Einstein famously remarked that mystery is the source of all true art and science. This book explores some of the biggest mysteries of all: dark matter, dark energy, origin of the Universe, and origin of life -- in ways that are unconventional and enthralling, yet down to Earth. We go on a journey with a brave adventurer for whom physics is a passionate pursuit of beauty and truth. And his passion shines through on every page.”

"An expansive and poetic account of not just the theory of physics, but the dreamy processes that lead to its creation, and the opposing forces that support and hinder its progress."
 

"Read this book and you'll feel awe at the grandeur and the remaining mysteries of our world, but you'll also get a hit of the human side of physics.  Science is made of people, and is for people; this book revives the humanist project that launched science in the first place." 

"Very few Black theoretical physicists have risen to the top level of professorships and research appointments at Ivy League Universities.  Stephon Alexander is one of those few, having succeeded by means of very hard work, a formidable intelligence, and a prolific creativity.  He also needed vast amounts of stubborn persistence and character to overcome gracefully the effects of what can only be called prejudice, both conscious and unconscious.  In this courageous and provocative book, Alexander recounts his personal story, while offering  a hopeful perspective for our future.  Discussing the origins of his boldest ideas, from his practice as a professional jazz musician to his  explorations of Jungian psychology, is especially inspiring." 

"Stephon Alexander, a professor of physics at Brown University and the 2020 president of the National Society of Black Physicists, dives headfirst into the mysteries of our universe. Fear of a Black Universe not only unpacks the poetry of theoretical physics but also critiques the glaring homogeneity of the field. Alexander merges the personal with the scientific in this compelling guide."

“One of the key science books of the fall.”

"[A] brief yet undiluted history of the most groundbreaking discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the universe, peering into the unlit horizons of its future . . .pulsating with the quiet power of pariahood, symphonic with the same outsiderdom that made Blake and Beethoven who they were, thinking in ways orthogonal to the common tracks and playing with forms of not-thinking that vivify the dead-ends of thought."