The Pluto Files

The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet

By Neil deGrasse Tyson

3 ½ Covers out of Five

The Pluto Files is a very interesting look at the scientific and cultural history of the former planet.  It is easy to see why Neil deGrasse Tyson is an ambassador of science who can make astronomy cool through numerous appearances on The Daily Show or helping to locate Superman’s home planet of Krypton.  He has a very easy going style that allows him to explain all the scientific facts without being bogged down by it.  The fact the he has such a topic as Pluto also helps accessibility.

Tyson traces the rise and fall of Pluto as a planet and the surrounding controversy of his downgrade to a dwarf planet.  But he pays particular attention to why Pluto is so beloved by Americans, so much so that New Mexico has declared Pluto to still be a planet.  These sorts of tidbits and cultural history make it so 

there is something for everyone in the book.

Where I found Tyson falter is when he gives himself a key role in the controversy.  Not to say that he didn’t have a role, but the lack of objectivity strains the credulity of his arguments.  And while covering the breadth of the topic, the author doesn’t reach the depths that are possible.

Nevertheless, The Pluto Files is fun and informative (“chock full of edutainment,” as the cover of one issue of the comic book Bone would have put it).  And as a way to get someone interested in astronomy, it does its job.