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The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics Hardcover – July 7, 2008

by Leonard Susskind (Author)

136 customer reviews

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What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed it did-and in doing so put at risk everything we know about physics and the fundamental laws of the universe. Most scientists didn't recognize the import of Hawking's claims, but Leonard Susskind and Gerard t'Hooft realized the threat, and responded with a counterattack that changed the course of physics. THE BLACK HOLE WAR is the thrilling story of their united effort to reconcile Hawking's revolutionary theories of black holes with their own sense of reality-effort that would eventually result in Hawking admitting he was wrong, paying up, and Susskind and t'Hooft realizing that our world is a hologram projected from the outer boundaries of space.
A brilliant book about modern physics, quantum mechanics, the fate of stars and the deep mysteries of black holes, Leonard Susskind's account of the Black Hole War is mind-bending and exhilarating reading.

The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics

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Editorial Reviews

From Bookmarks Magazine

Cosmology has been sexy since Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, and Stephen Hawking stormed onto the scene three decades ago, popularizing science for the masses. In The Black Hole War, Susskind plays on our insatiable appetite for the gee-whiz moment, combining lucid explanations for some complex ideas with stories that tend to confirm the eccentricities of the highly intelligent. In fact, it’s the author’s knack for teaching and his conversational prose that make the book accessible and therefore appealing to a wide audience. And, of course, it’s never a bad idea to drop Hawking’s name in a book’s title. “Susskind explains this dizzying notion about as clearly as is probably possible,” George Johnson writes of the author’s theory—even if, in the end, we need “a lot more data” (New York Times Book Review).
Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

Review

'Entertaining...both lucid and enjoyable...Like the best teachers, Susskind makes it fun to learn. With a deft use of analogy and a flair for language, he tames the most ferocious concepts...He has come up with the best visual metaphor for the multidimensinality of string theory that I've yet come across, one that alone is worth the price of the book' - Los Angeles Times 'Susskind is very down to earth, an easy-going and entertaining guide through the most exciting frontiers of theoretical physics' - New Scientist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (July 7, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016403
ISBN-13: 978-0316016407
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 136 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #930,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #592 in Books > Science & Math > Physics > Mathematical Physics
- #804 in Books > Science & Math > Physics > Quantum Theory
- #987 in Books > Science & Math > Astronomy & Space Science > Cosmology

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Top customer reviews

Great physics reading

ByLEon June 1, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Very interesting! Still I had difficulty accepting the idea of the Hawking radiation. If the radiation happens at the event horizon, that surface exists relative to an observer at infinite distance. I guess that a closer observer will see an event horizon that is slightly closer to the black hole. Since the even horizon is a particle-antiparticle splitter, how could it be so relative to an observer. Would the hawking radiation depend on the observer? The closer observer would see the infinite observed event horizon as ordinary space, an because of that virtual particles would not split and radiate. May be I am "not even wrong."

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

The Struggle to Really Explain Black Holes

ByOrville B. Jenkinson May 23, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A fascinating recounting of the various Quantum theories attempting to account for the phenomena associated with Black Holes. Susskind provides a historical perspective as well as summing up the varieties of approach to the problem. I especially appreciated the good detailing of String Theory, which I was only vaguely familiar with.

He provides actual mathematical formulae and their variations that illustrate the problems and approaches he is discussing to a solution to the lose ends existing in our knowledge about the state of the universe and its workings. We learn a lot here also about the inner workings of procedures used in theoretical physics and the interpersonal dynamics involved.

This is posed in a personal context contrasting his view and approach to black holes with the analysis and theory proposed by Stephen Hawking. So he is explaining the factors and approaches involved from teh point of view of his understanding and theory of Quantum Physics. This provides important insights into the community dynamic of doing professional science. Some readers reacted to what they sensed as an egotistical streak in this book.

I am interested in the mechanics and concepts involved. I would suggest readers focus on the core content, and not get distracted with the personal testimonial aspects of the format. This was a refreshing, enlightening and rewarding volume. Exciting, even, I might say!

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

book: The Black Hole War

ByAmazon Customeron May 14, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

An engaging recounting of a contretemps that had spanned several decades, in the highest ivory towers of theoretical physics. I don't agree with the conclusion the protagonists came to, but the recounting is insightful as well as entertaining, nonetheless. It's about deciding which road to take in one's intellectual belief structure, when an apparent paradox sits at the fork of possible roads. That meta-physical situation should inform us all, physicist or not.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Great book for getting a non-quantitative understanding of current issues in physics.

ByJolly Joggeron August 19, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

My BS in physics is over forty years old. This was a great way to catch up. I had forgotten that string theory was beginning to play a big role in nuclear physics. When the book pointed out some of the things that were well proven about it at the nuclear scale, it reduced my scepticism about all the mathematical hard labor being devoted to string theory in order to understand what is happening at much higher energies. As usual, physicist have looked at very simplified special cases in order to make the math tractable and clarify basic processes. The book explains many of these clearly. It is also a reminder that the most advanced human minds barely have the capacity to begin unravelling quantum mechanics and cosmology at their limits, and a lot more humility would probably be appropriate!

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A book about how physics is made.

ByRICCARDO VENTURELLIon January 12, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

It is for anybody interested in new physics who have a good understanding of basic concepts.
The book, tracks back the steps of a conceptual controversy that ultimately led to important physics breakthrough.
In so doing the author shows the struggle of how new physics is produced.
It provides an understandable account of emerging physics concepts, a feat not as well accomplished by other books.
As a physicist myself I recommend it to physics students of any grade for they will see how the masters reason when facing the unknown. They will also find a consistent approach to many fresh ideas.
I enjoyed the book and learned from it.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

I found it 'an easy read', especially since it refers to very well-known ...

ByJohn Andersonon August 21, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Hard to define: this certainly teaches a lot, but at the same time is very personal, and almost has the characteristics of a novel! Having an interest in the physical sciences, and only limited knowledge of most of them, I found it 'an easy read', especially since it refers to very well-known characters.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Typo

ByDaniel Shultzon May 6, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I am loving this book so far.

I just want to point out a typo in the beginning of the book where he is going over scientific notation.

"The mass of an electron is vastly smaller. In fact, the mass of a single electron is about 9 × 10^231 kilograms."

The exponent should be negative. Not sure how to reach the publishers so hopefully they will see this, it could cause confusion for some readers.

11 comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Great book

ByHoshinGon March 9, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Very informative and easy to read. Learned a lot about physics

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most recent customer reviews

Very interesting presentation of the argument between two great physicists. Susskind helps make the sides clear

Very interesting presentation of the argument between two great physicists. Susskind helps make the sides clear. He wrote the book so he wins here. Lots of fun.

Published 13 days ago by Sam

Such a good read.

Ouch...my brain. Such a good read.

Published 2 months ago by Ryan Richardson

Historical dispute of very smart people

Perfectly narrated but the "war" thing was overwrought. More technical explanation to carry the battle was desired. More math and physics was desired.Read more

Published 4 months ago by R. Crolene

Three Stars

Wife's.

Published 5 months ago by Flint Lock

Five Stars

great

Published 5 months ago by Stephen M. Keller

Five Stars

great book

Published 7 months ago by Amazon Customer

I greatly enjoyed the accessibility of the complex ideas the author presented

Book was truly illuminating and thought provoking, extremely clear and well written. As someone with no technical or mathematical background, I greatly enjoyed the accessibility...Read more

Published 8 months ago by lis

Five Stars

Great deal, and a great book; so I bought Susskin's second book too.

Published 11 months ago by glen

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The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics Hardcover – July 7, 2008

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