Our Moon, Rebecca Boyle
Our Moon, Rebecca Boyle
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Our Moon
How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are

Author: Rebecca Boyle

Narrator: Rebecca Lowman

Unabridged: 12 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/16/2024

Synopsis

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A riveting feat of science writing that recasts that most familiar of celestial objects into something eerily extraordinary, pivotal to our history, and awesome in the original sense of the word.”—Ed Yong, New York Times bestselling author of An Immense World

FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE • A NEW YORKER AND SMITHSONIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

Many of us know that the Moon pulls on our oceans, driving the tides, but did you know that it smells like gunpowder? Or that it was essential to the development of science and religion? Acclaimed journalist Rebecca Boyle takes readers on a dazzling tour to reveal the intimate role that our 4.51-billion-year-old companion has played in our biological and cultural evolution.

Our Moon’s gravity stabilized Earth’s orbit—and its climate. It drew nutrients to the surface of the primordial ocean, where they fostered the evolution of complex life. The Moon continues to influence animal migration and reproduction, plants’ movements, and, possibly, the flow of the very blood in our veins.

While the Sun helped prehistoric hunters and gatherers mark daily time, early civilizations used the phases of the Moon to count months and years, allowing them to plan farther ahead. Mesopotamian priests recorded the Moon’s position in order to make predictions, and, in the process, created the earliest known empirical, scientific observations. In Our Moon, Boyle introduces us to ancient astronomers and major figures of the scientific revolution, including Johannes Kepler and his influential lunar science fiction.

Our relationship to the Moon changed when Apollo astronauts landed on it in 1969, and it’s about to change again. As governments and billionaires aim to turn a profit from its resources, Rebecca Boyle shows us that the Moon belongs to everybody, and nobody at all.

About The Author

Rebecca Boyle is a contributing editor at Scientific American, a contributing writer for Quanta Magazine and The Atlantic, and a frequent contributor at the New York Times, Popular Science, Smithsonian Air & Space, and many other publications. She is a member of the group science blog, The Last Word on Nothing. Boyle was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is the recipient of numerous writing awards throughout her career. Her work has been anthologized three times in The Best American Science & Nature Writing. Boyle is a former newspaper reporter, a former Space Camp attendee, and a lifelong Moon enthusiast.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Amy on October 29, 2023

Thanks to NetGalley and Random. House for an ARC of this book. I teach high school astronomy and am always looking for books to read with my students or to give me up to date information on class topics. This book exceeded all of my hopes for those purposes. There was a lot of new science on the for......more

Goodreads review by Boudewijn on February 11, 2025

In Our Moon Rebecca Boyle shares her feelings about our moon ("our silvery sister"). I say feelings, as this is more a book about mankind's, pardon me, humankind's relationship with the moon than a scientific approach. I liked the parts where she discussed the likely origin of the Moon, the lunar ca......more

Goodreads review by None on March 30, 2024

Ancient civilizations sailed the lunar seas of time, navigating humanity towards structured systems like agriculture and spirituality. As Galileo faced the astronomical fallout for challenging Earth's starring role, the moon had already distanced itself from celestial devotion, leaving people to moo......more

Goodreads review by Ula on January 26, 2024

There has been a recent trend of writing non-fiction books that look at history from the perspective of a particular phenomenon. While it often gives an interesting insight into well-known facts, it has its caveats. In this case, the result is a bit chaotic. The book starts with geology, describing......more

Goodreads review by Caroline on June 12, 2023

An absolutely amazing and well-written book about our moon, what it’s like, what it does, and how we have interacted with it from Earth.......more

Quotes

“I learned more about the Moon by reading this book than I have in a lifetime of study. Replete with fascinating insights into the Moon’s origins and history, but more than that, what it has meant to us, the people of Earth, Our Moon is a must-read for anyone who has looked up at the Moon in wonder.”—Chris Hadfield, astronaut, bestselling author of The Apollo Murders and The Defector

“An excellent exploration of how the moon has shaped life on Earth . . . [Rebecca] Boyle’s dexterous blend of science and cultural history is elevated by her spry prose. This illuminates.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Epic in scope—and almost poetic in its narrative beauty—Our Moon will change how you think about our planet, the Moon, and ourselves.”—Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish

“Glinting with intriguing facts and fascinating connections, Our Moon reveals the astoundingly intimate relations between the closest heavenly body, the Earth, and all life as we know it. Boyle’s writing shines, shifting through time and space, science and sentiment—a luminous read.”—Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred

“In telling the tale of Earth’s oldest companion, Boyle offers an absorbing account of the human experience. Deftly written with a poet’s precision and scientific sensibility, Our Moon establishes Boyle as one of the preeminent nature writers of our time.”—David W. Brown, author of The Mission

“With a remarkable command of planetary science and human history, Boyle provides a sweeping, lyrical account of our cosmic neighbor.”—Peter Brannen, author of The Ends of the World

“This vivid and moving exploration of the Moon’s impact shows how influential the pockmarked orb has always been. Past and present collide, and science and storytelling become one, as Boyle draws Earth’s nearest neighbor closer to its inhabitants.”—Sarah Scoles, author of Making Contact

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