Carl Sagan may have been one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. Then again, he may have been a relentless self-promoter who convinced everyone he was one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. Keay Davidson, science writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, aims to explain this complicated man in his biography. One thing is clear: Sagan was an extremely difficult man to love, a scientist whose passion for astronomy and biology was unparalleled, but who had little ability to express basic emotions to his wives and children. Davidson looks for reasons for this emotional distance in Sagan's childhood, when his relationship with his mother was intense and sometimes difficult. She encouraged her bright young son to be an "intellectual omnivore," to be passionate about knowledge, but she didn't give him the tools to relate to humans as individuals.

As his stellar science career developed, Sagan built a reputation as a leftist who believed that "science could serve liberal ideals," and as an arrogant man with an unshakable confidence in his own brain. Davidson writes that Sagan developed his famous skepticism as an undergraduate. Sagan suffered from a "troubling mix of intense emotion and stark rationalism," writes Davidson. He succeeded (mostly) in balancing passion with reason, a balance that made him a perfect popularizer of science, a trustworthy authority who preached that an open mind was the most valuable scientific tool. Davidson was influenced personally by Sagan's writings, and he sometimes works a little too hard at puncturing the myths surrounding Sagan, but this biography is one that deserves to be read by Sagan's fans and detractors alike. It's a compelling, very real assessment of an all-too-human god of science. --Therese Littleton


From Publishers Weekly
In a superbly researched biography of one of the 20the century's most influential yet controversial scientists, Davidson (coauthor, Wrinkles in Time) leaves no doubt about where he feels his subject stands. "What is a visionary?" he asks in the closing chapter. "Carl Sagan measured time in eons and space in light years; he maintained an interplanetary perspective." Though many of Davidson's anecdotes echo those in William Poundstone's Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos (reviewed above), he actively guides readers to conclusions, where Poundstone merely lays out the facts. Though not avoiding Sagan's many failings as a person, Davidson never allows his readers to lose sight of the grand visions, brilliant insights and brash speculations that inspired and educated Sagan's audiences. The book is at its strongest when it shows the inner Sagan through his most influential works: the Pulitzer Prize-winning Dragons of Eden; the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television series Cosmos; his SF novel Contact; and his scientific publications about the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus, the windblown dust responsible for "waves of darkening" on Mars and the threat of "nuclear winter" after a limited nuclear war on earth. The volume is weakest when, instead of holding Sagan responsible for his sometimes arrogant behavior, it offers excuses from pop psychology. Though nonscientific readers may find Davidson's biography sufficient, naturally skeptical scientific readers may find its conclusions too firm for comfort. They should read Poundstone first, then turn to Davidson to complete the picture. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Both of these books portray astronomer Carl Sagan as a man of immense paradoxes. A charismatic public persona, he could be arrogant and demanding in his personal life. Fiercely amibitious, he still had a powerful sense of civic duty. An outspoken defender of scientific methods, he was also a UFO enthusiast and obsessed with the possibility of extraterrestrial life. In some ways, each of these books represents a different side of the man. First, the similarities. Both authors are respected science popularizers. Both books are quite substantial, relying to a large degree on interviews with those who knew Sagan. Thus, there is considerable overlap between themAperhaps as much as 80 percent. Of the remaining, about 15 percent of Poundstone is totally unique material. His is the more exhaustive and detailed account, especially when discussing Sagan's original scientific work and influences. What Davidson may lack comparatively in content is more than made up for in style, though. While Poundstone plods in places, Davidson is lively, literary, and sometimes refreshingly speculative. Poundstone's version comes closer to being definitive and will probably have a longer shelf life, but Davidson's is more fun to read. Overall, Davidson's version seems truer to its subject, for with Sagan science and showmanship were inseparable. Let's split the difference and suggest that Poundstone's version is more appropriate for academic libraries, while Davidson's may find a larger audience in public libraries.AGregg Sapp, Univ. of Miami Lib., Coral Gables Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Another bio of the flamboyant astronomer and creator of Cosmos (see William Poundstone, p. 1391), from a veteran science writer (coauthor with George Smoot of Wrinkles in Time, 1993). Davidson credits Sagan's influential Intelligent Life in the Universe, a collaboration with Russian astronomer I.S. Shklovskii, with awakening his own interest in science. He recognizes Sagan as a great popularizer, one of the preeminent translators of scientific ideas into the vernacular of his day. At the same time, he clearly distrusts the myth that Sagan often seemed to personify, that of the scientist as a sort of modern high priest, omniscient and above the fray. In this spirit, the biography often seems to be recounting Sagan's career with an eye to undercutting that myth, if not necessarily the man himself. Thus the digs at Big Science, where political acumen counts for as much as research ability; the quotation of derogatory remarks from Sagan's former friends (e.g., Harold Blum, who called his prose style ``phony''); and hints that there were deep-seated irrational elements behind the cool surface of Sagan's science. Sagan was clearly a man who made enemies as easily as friends, and Davidson has sought out both camps. The resulting portrait is not so much a debunking of Sagan, however, as a highlighting of certain qualities that might have increased his popular appeal. The ``nuclear winter'' episode, in which Sagan and several colleagues argued that even a ``limited'' nuclear war might lead to the extermination of human life, showed Sagan as an eminent scientific expert, paradoxically arguing that the issues involved were too important to leave to the experts. Likewise, in many ways Sagan's constant advocacy of the search for life beyond Earththe central science-fictional dreamwas a key to the space program's becoming hard reality. In the end, Davidson argues, Sagan's influence in such matters may count for more than any of his books. A smoothly written, sometimes critical look at a leading scientific figure of our time. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A superbly researched biography of one of the twentieth century's most influential yet controversial scientists."


Library Journal
"Lively, literary, and sometimes refreshingly speculative... fun to read."


Scientific American
"Excellent... Davidson acts as a keen critic to Sagan's works and their vast uncertainties."


Donna Shirley, manager of the Pathfinder mission and author of Managing Martians
"A richly detailed biography of perhaps the all-time master of popularizing science. The book is full of reminiscences from both his friends and detractors, and meticulous in explaining the science that made him famous."


Michael Shermer, author of Why People Believe Weird Things
"A great read -- Carl's life was even grander than I thought.... Buy this book immediately. You won't be able to put it down... The humanization of Carl Sagan makes him an even greater man than he was in myth and legend."


The Observatory, August 2000
"...an extremely useful guide to the history of space science."


Book Description
The first biography of the most famous scientist of our time... Carl Sagan was one of the greatest scientists of this century -- the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Whether he was seeking life on Mars or visiting Timothy Leary in prison, searching for radio messages from distant space or protesting nuclear weapons, prophesying some of the most exciting discoveries of modern science, filming the most successful PBS series of all time, or turning down invitations to dine at the Reagan White House, Sagan was always fascinating -- an enthralling, complex, contradictory prophet of the Space Age. Based on interviews with Sagan's family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan, his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis, and his three sons, as well as exclusive access to many personal papers, this captivating life story offers remarkable insight into one of the most influential, provocative, and beloved figures of our time.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of his time - the leading visionary of the Space Age. He was also a highly controversial figure who inspired wildly opposed opinions. His enthusiasm and eloquence about the wonders of space, the marvels of the human brain, and the mysteries of life captured the imagination of millions. Yet one scientist was so enraged by Sagan's scientific pronouncements that he compared him to the Black Plague, and William F. Buckley, Jr. likened him to circus huckster P. T. Barnum.. "Sagan's life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional roller coaster. Whether he was searching for life on Mars or visiting Timothy Leary in prison, prophesying exciting scientific discoveries or getting arrested for protesting nuclear weapons, debating the existence of UFOs or advocating the creative benefits of smoking marijuana, Carl Sagan was a fascinating, charismatic, and complex man full of contradictions.. "His TV series Cosmos awed hundreds of millions around the world, and his bestseller The Dragons of Eden won the Pulitzer Prize. Yet the value of his scientific work was often called into question. His Ph.D. dissertation narrowly escaped rejection, he was denied tenure at Harvard, and in the twilight of his life, he was denied membership in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.. "In this insightful and evenhanded biography, science journalist Keay Davidson reveals for the first time the man behind the famous image - the storm of contradictions and passions that animated this enigmatic and entrancing man who remained, at heart, the five-year-old Brooklyn boy who looked up at the stars and asked: What are they?.

SYNOPSIS

Absolutely fascinating. Davidson has done a remarkable job . . . proves that, for better or worse, scientists can be more human than most humans!" -Sir Arthur C. Clarke "Carl was fond of saying, 'Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.' This is a fascinating book about an extraordinary man-and the evidence is in the reading."-Johnny Carson "Carl Sagan was more than just a scientist. He was a public figure and a personality. Keay Davidson has produced a thoughtful, intimate portrait of the man behind the TV image."-Prof. Lawrence M. Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek "A richly detailed biography of perhaps the all-time master of popularizing science. The book is full of reminiscences from both his friends and detractors, and meticulous in exploring the science that made Sagan famous."-Donna Shirley , Manager, Mars Exploration at Jet Propulsion

Laboratory and author of Managing Martians "A marvelous and compelling biography. In Davidson's masterful portrait, Sagan's brilliance as a scholar, popularizer, and opponent of nuclear weapons is revealed as clearly as his turbulent emotional life. It will likely remain the definitive biography for years to come." -Prof. Ronald E. Doel, author of Solar System Astronomy in America

FROM THE CRITICS

Philip Morrison

Davidsona San Francisco writeris a skeptic to the claims of science and acts as a keen critic to Sagan's works and their vast uncertainties. Commonplaces those science skeptics accept without examination are often flawed more than the imperfectly tested tentatives of science. —Scientific American

Yorkshire Post

Davidson gets underneath the skin to expose the personal, emotional and intimate details of Sagan's life, showing him both as a scientist, husband, lover and father. Brilliant.

Observatory

Davidson writes superbly, and this biography is extremely hard to put down. Seventy pages of notes, a detailed biography, and a thorough index also makes this book an extremely useful guide to the history of space science.

Publishers Weekly

In a superbly researched biography of one of the 20the century's most influential yet controversial scientists, Davidson (coauthor, Wrinkles in Time) leaves no doubt about where he feels his subject stands. "What is a visionary?" he asks in the closing chapter. "Carl Sagan measured time in eons and space in light years; he maintained an interplanetary perspective." Though many of Davidson's anecdotes echo those in William Poundstone's Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos (reviewed above), he actively guides readers to conclusions, where Poundstone merely lays out the facts. Though not avoiding Sagan's many failings as a person, Davidson never allows his readers to lose sight of the grand visions, brilliant insights and brash speculations that inspired and educated Sagan's audiences. The book is at its strongest when it shows the inner Sagan through his most influential works: the Pulitzer Prize-winning Dragons of Eden; the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television series Cosmos; his SF novel Contact; and his scientific publications about the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus, the windblown dust responsible for "waves of darkening" on Mars and the threat of "nuclear winter" after a limited nuclear war on earth. The volume is weakest when, instead of holding Sagan responsible for his sometimes arrogant behavior, it offers excuses from pop psychology. Though nonscientific readers may find Davidson's biography sufficient, naturally skeptical scientific readers may find its conclusions too firm for comfort. They should read Poundstone first, then turn to Davidson to complete the picture. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal