How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

#593
Title: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming
Author: Mike Brown 
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Year:  2010
256 pages
Audiobook

A science memoir by the guy who helped demote Pluto from planet to dwarf planet by discovering, among other celestial bodies, the dwarf planet Eris. This is important stuff for those of us who as children memorized the order of the planets without benefit of mnemonics (e.g., Heinlein's "Mother very thoughtfully made a jelly sandwich under no protest"). Here's your new one, reported by Brown: "Many Very Educated Men Just Screwed Up Nature."

The book went quickly and was accessible without being fluffy. It covers Brown's professional history and discoveries plus his personal and family life. I'd have liked to know more about the funding structure behind the sort of inquiry Brown describes, since the description is pretty thin and glossed over. The use of giant telescopes and the granting of tenure don't come from nowhere.