Janna Levin is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University and Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works, a centre for art and innovation in Brooklyn. She has contributed to the understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions and gravitational waves. She was the first scientist-in-residence at the Ruskin School of Fine Art and Drawing at Oxford University with an award from NESTA, and was a Guggenheim fellow. Her previous books are How the Universe Got Its Spots, a novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, which won the PEN/Bingham prize, and Black Hole Blues, the first book to describe the detection of gravitational waves in 2016. She has also appeared at TED and contributes to numerous radio and television programmes.
Astonishing ... a splendid book that I recommend to anyone with an interest in the power of human imagination * Wall Street Journal (on Black Hole Blues) * Spectacular ... a near-perfect balance of science, storytelling and insight * New Statesman (on Black Hole Blues) * Gripping, heartbreaking, brilliant * Sunday Times (on Black Hole Blues) * Wonderful ... Janna Levin has a talent for explaining mind-boggling concepts ... the language is conversational and, in places, rather poetic ... Perhaps the book's greatest draw is the book's survival guide element ... This book will really get you thinking, scratching your head, and eventually understanding the nature of black holes * BBC Sky at Night Magazine * Astrophysics at its sexiest ... Just like its subject this book is a seemingly miraculous compression of a vast amount of material into an implausibly small space. It's packed with revelations ... hugely enjoyable * Sunday Times *