I remember being about nine years old and sitting with the son of family friends, discussing if there was life in outer space somewhere. We were both sure there was. Sixty some years later, science has yet to pin down a definitive answer to the question, but I don’t expect to be visited by War of the World type Martians or the giant robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still. What can we expect? And would alien life be recognizable to us any more than we could recognize it?

My world began as a small town, but it grew to encompass the whole globe, then reached into the cosmos, with new planets to explore in whatever way possible.
from Alien Earths by D.r Lisa Kaltenegger

Alien Earths shares Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger’s quest to discover life in the cosmos. She asks important questions. What is life? What is a habitable world? How does one look for life in the cosmos? She explains the concepts with illustrations geared to the non-scientist.

The author also addresses the difficult environment female scientists face their entire life, counselors and educators and peers entrenched in the belief that women are incapable of making a career in the natural sciences.

Are we alone in the universe? ANd if not, how do we find other life-forms? To me, these are two of the most intriguing questions in science.
from Alien Worlds by Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger

Descriptions of alien worlds and the mysteries of life and the universe spur the imagination. We are taken across the known universe as she imagines the environments of other planets.

“If someone has found us already,” she ends, considering how we have impacted our planet for the worse, “I wonder what they think of us.”

Thanks to the publisher for a free book. ( )

Alien Earths by Lisa Kaltenegger is an informative and very accessible introduction to the current state of the search for exoplanets and life in the universe.

Like every science book written for a broad general readership there is a frame which allows for the relatively jargon-free explanations. In this case much of the frame consists of the author's experience as a student, professor, and researcher. This lets her inform us without lecturing to us, since she is telling us how these topics are addressed in a classroom or research situation.

Even with several courses (mostly MOOCs with just a couple very long ago IRL courses) under my belt I found the refresher course elements engaging and the new information exciting. This is not, nor is it intended to be, exhaustive or comprehensive, but it offers any reader with an interest a solid understanding of what approaches, both new and old, go into the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

The big takeaway from the book is the fact that this search has to be interdisciplinary and not only looking outward. Understanding how our planet changed over time is essential to understanding what we might see when we look at distant planets. Might it be progressing toward an atmosphere like ours? Might it already be past where we are? And what are the factors that contribute to these scenarios? If you think this is or even should be just another book about astrophysics, you're both mistaken and completely missed the point of the book.

Highly recommended for readers wanting to know where we stand in this area. As long as you're not overly (and disingenuously) concerned with a few grammar errors (especially in an advanced review copy, for goodness sake) or have your insecurities triggered by mention of major universities, you will find a lot to enjoy here.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )