Reader Score
81%
81% of readers
recommend this book
Critic Reviews
Great
Based on 5 reviews on
Ed Yong is a science journalist at The Atlantic.
While I’m at it, here are other books I’ve read early and highly recommend: - Saving Time by Jenny Odell (Mar 7) - The Possibility of Life by Jaime Green (Apr 18) - Period by Kate Clancy (Apr 18) - Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper (May 9)
"Is humanity alone in the universe, or does intelligent life exist somewhere in space? … Jaime Green’s The Possibility of Life chronicles the way humanity has sought life in space, both in the past and the present."
"…beneath all that scientific history, Green locates a rich bedrock of philosophical and literary inquiry... Packed with wonder, humanity, and hope, The Possibility of Life will leave you grateful for life on Earth, even as you dream of first contact."
"Brilliant."--Bustle
"Jaime Green's The Possibility of Life takes the reader on an utterly gripping, endlessly surprising voyage from the "hopeful monsters" of early multicellular organisms to the records of human existence hurtling beyond the edge of our solar system. Green's voice is rigorous, curious, tender, and often rightfully bemused. She is the best company I could imagine for this journey to the limits of what we can imagine, and a thrilling ruminator on what these acts of imagination might teach us about ourselves."--Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author of The Empathy Exams
"Ostensibly a book about aliens, The Possibility of Life is really a treatise about how we think about the world--and the ways in which our discoveries fuel our imaginations, and vice versa. Thoughtful, witty, and profound, Jaime Green has crafted a dazzling feat of imagination and synthesis that had me hooked from the first page."--Ed Yong, New York Times bestselling author of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
"A fascinating and thoughtful reminder of the fact that we may not be alone. Highly recommended."--Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author of Annihilation
"Jaime Green's The Possibility of Life is both a delight and a marvel, widening the imagined potential of life on Earth, in the cosmos, and in our art and stories. Every page of this book makes our shared universe feel larger and more interesting than ever before, a true gift of fascinating science and engrossing storytelling." --Matt Bell, author of Appleseed
"Jaime Green casts her gaze deep into the universe for the possibilities of extraterrestrial life but, at the same time, looks deep into us, too, into our humanity and our history and into why we even want to look for that life in the first place. What results is an accessible, weird, funny and ultimately illuminating look into the search for life beyond our world."--Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Aftermath and Wanderers
"The Possibility of Life left me dizzy with awe and brimming with hope. Jaime Green elegantly uncorks our tiny patch of the universe and takes us on a tour of our best and worst approximations of aliens--unearthly heptapods, a manipulative ocean, and blue humanoids--and explains why the most likely aliens may be more like a platypus than a Klingon. Although The Possibility of Life asks us to fathom the unfathomable, Green is a steadfast, witty, and charming guide through this cosmic murk. I found myself yearning for a signal in the cosmos and acutely reminded me of how all life on Earth is already more than enough."--Sabrina Imbler, author of How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures