Book Title:  The Quirks & Quarks Guide to Space
Author: Jim Lebans
Publishing Company:  McClelland & Stewart (click here ); CBC Radio One
Year:  February 19th 2008
# of Pages: 240
ISBN:  978-0-7710-5003-9
$22.99 Canada
$18.95 U.S. 

5 Stars

Reviewer:  Deborah Ground Buckner (Kansas City Correspondent - USA)  

Being in the U.S., I am unfamiliar with Quirks & Quarks, the CBC Radio One science program heard Saturdays at noon.  But if The Quirks & Quarks Guide to Space:  42 Questions (and Answers) About Life, the Universe, and Everything, is representative, I will soon be searching for broadcasts.  The 42 in the subtitle is in homage to Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its explanation that "42" is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.  Since we introduced Hitchhiker to my children at an early age, we have had an ongoing game of spotting 42 everywhere.

Guide to Space provides fascinating-and funny-answers to 42 space-related questions.  For example, "What do you do with a used space station?" explains the problems of debris in space, particularly when it falls out of orbit.  "The surviving parts are, unsurprisingly, the heaviest and densest parts-which makes them the most dangerous bits-and they post a risk to people on the ground.  . . . So until you hear more, keep an eye on the sky, and keep your head down."  Or, the comforting answer to the question, "What will happen when an asteroid hits?" isn't all that comforting:  "The chance that you'll die as the result of an asteroid striking Earth isn't huge, but it's higher than you might think."  Or, an explanation of the "Big Bang Theory" that starts, "In the beginning (you know we had to start like this)."

Each question, with its accompanying answer, takes only a few pages, making this an easy book to pick up now and then just to read a few of the answers.  It's the kind of book that will be carried open to friends or family members with the instruction, "Just read this paragraph right here."   

If you know someone who is too serious a space junkie, this is a satisfying book of information guaranteed to lighten things up a bit.  For the Hitchhiker, Star Wars, and Star Trek fans in your life, this book will appeal to imagination and sense of humor while also offering some interesting and informative insights.  In either case, it is a direct hit!