Houston, We Have Book Review, Over

If you’ve ever talked to someone intelligent, like really intelligent, you don’t have to know their background or have them brag about it. You can just tell by the way they talk. If I didn’t know anything about Carl Sagan, at the very least I could tell you that he’s actually, legitimately smart. The way he writes isn’t even to show off, it’s just that a book about astronomy and the real world implications of a message from outer space requires a certain kind of precision and intelligence, otherwise it would seem corny and unbelievable. But with this kind of intelligent writing, it comes off as realistic, and even possible.

Contact is a book about what would happen if humanity received a message from outer space. The person who first discovers the message and its origin, the star Vega, is Dr. Ellie Arroway. She’s passionate, smart, hard-nosed, and not afraid to get into an argument. As the book goes on, it is revealed that the message is blueprints to build a machine, a machine that ends up being a transportation system to the “Grand Central Station” of the galaxy. Only 5 people are permitted on the machine and on the trip, and it is decided, eventually, that Ellie, Vaygay, a Russian, and three other of the smartest people on the planet go. The machine takes them through various Einstein-Rosen bridges, or wormholes, to this grand central station, where the aliens have recreated an Earth beach for the Five to get acclimated. Eventually they find a door, just on the beach, and each go through, except Ellie. She is hesitant, and after a while, her long dead father appears, and starts talking to her. She quickly figures out that this is an alien that has taken on the form of her father in order to make her more comfortable. After asking some questions, she and the other four return to Earth, only to find that virtually no time has passed and their recording equipment showing nothing. The only thing they have are their memories.

The book also involves some political intrigue and philosophical discussions, and Sagan does a remarkable job weaving the different story pieces together. It’s worth reading for that alone, but I think the larger themes are equally important and interesting. The biggest themes that stood out to me were progress, optimism for the future, religion and science, and faith. The combination of religion and science is especially interesting because Sagan makes it more nuanced than what we are used to seeing, which is just people yelling at each other. Palmer Joss and Ellie (later on in the book) are actually willing to listen to each other, even if they have opposing viewpoints. Also, I’m sure it gets mentioned a lot, but the fact that Sagan puts Ellie into Joss’ shoes of having to explain a religious experience without proof is some great storytelling.

I’ll probably add more to this post later because I liked this book so much, but for now just know: it’s a riveting mix of science, science-fiction, political intrigue, and philosophy that is totally worth your time if you can get through some dense prose. 4.5/5, or Michael Jordan in Space Jam. You get to see the best player Earth has to offer dealing with a potential alien threat (listen this metaphor is the best I can do. Basketball and space rarely mix, ok?).

Also, the movie is really good too! A little different, but still worth watching.