SUBJECT: 4.5/5 RESEARCH: 3.5/5 OVERALL: 3.5/5
My Musings
To be very honest, I do not read a lot of books on science and technology. Every now and then I do take out time to read a chapter or two to my five-year-old daughter (from the many books that she owns).
But in recent years, I do not recall having picked up an adult nonfiction science and technology book except Atul Jalan’s Where Will Man Take Us? which I found delightfully illuminating. The next book that I picked up was Matt McCarthy’s Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic, but unfortunately, I couldn’t come around to finish it.
Surprisingly, it is a young boy of twelve who has inspired me to pick up science and technology books yet again, and I now plan to get back to that much-neglected science TBR pile. Read on to know more about debut author Dhrubajyoti Chakraborty’s book Jupiter Unknown Facts.
An effort that needs to be appreciated
For most children, lockdown 2020 was an avenue for unlimited entertainment. Video games, mobile entertainment, media overload, the kids had numerous things that kept them busy. Many were thankful for the temporary respite from their studies. But not Dhrubajyoti Chakraborty.
Somewhere in the empty lanes of Siliguri, West Bengal, a young boy of twelve years was devoting his time to studying his favorite things. He was busy reading and researching for a book that he would soon be penning.
It took the young lad two months and eleven days of meticulous research to finally start writing the book. It further took him a month to complete it.
The many things that we learn about
The book gives us a lot of information about Jupiter including its appearance, size, nomenclature, physical features, position in the night sky, orbit, diameter, circumference, surface temperature, etc.
In addition to such information about Jupiter, the book also tells us its history in terms of its discovery by humans. We also get to read about the legendary astronomer Galileo Galilei, as well as information about both Greek and Roman mythology.
The book also talks about the history of the many explorations and missions carried out by humans to gather information about the planet.
An interesting trivia that enraptured me is about the so-called red spot that appears on Jupiter. The spot is actually a storm that has been raging for more than 300 years and is as big as three Earths put together.
The unexpected bonus
Given the name, one would expect information about Jupiter the planet. However, we also see information regarding the legendary astronomer Galileo Galilei. This is not in the form of just a passive mention but much detailed than the reader would have expected. We get to know of Galileo’s first brush with the telescope. We learn about his monetary endeavors with manufacturing telescopes, and also his fateful decision to turn his telescope towards the outer sky. This glorious moment redefined our understanding of the universe and the Earth. We also learn about the many books that he published in his life.
Beautiful Illustrations that complement the text
Jupiter Unknown Facts is full of useful and interesting illustrations and pictures that help the reader to retain as much information as possible. These pictures are also quite versatile. From the picture of the ancient god from which the planet derives its name to comparative images that give us some perspective about its massive size, many pictures complement the text. Another illustration worth mentioning is that of Jupiter’s Aurora which is of a stunning electric blue color.
What did I like?
Towards the end, Jupiter Unknown Facts leaves one with a long list of questions (twenty-six to be precise) that would inspire you to do a little bit of your own research.
What could have been better?
The use of an all-caps font instead of a regular font makes the book a difficult read. As a reader, it takes some time to get used to the idea of it, but even then, the reading pleasure is considerably reduced. I also don’t understand the utility or purpose of it.
What I didn’t like?
There are a lot of issues with the language and the grammar aspect of the book. Even though the information is quite helpful, the inadequacies of the language do dampen the reading pleasure. There are also spelling mistakes that are hard to ignore. For example, ‘giant’ is spelled as ‘gaint’, ‘period’ is spelled as ‘perioud’, ‘astronomers’ as ‘astronomars’, ‘sulfur’ as ‘sulfar’, ‘elements’ as ‘eliments’, etc.
I also found a factual error in the book. This is in the preface where the author mentions that Jupiter is a neighboring planet of ours, when in fact it is Mars, Mercury, and Venus that are considered as our neighbors.
In the end
In the end, Jupiter Unknown Facts is a book meant for those young readers who have a fascination for space, and the planets. It’s a decent book by a twelve-year-old boy who has inspired many with his novel endeavors.
Pick the book if
- Books about space, the Solar System, and planets interest you.
- You are interested in learning about Jupiter.
- You are also interested in knowing about the legendary astronomer Galileo Galilei.
- You are a kid who enjoys reading short reads.
Skip the book if
- You can’t stand editing and grammatical mistakes.
Buy the book using the link below.
