⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

Thank you to NetGalley and author Prabha Karan for the opportunity to read Who Banged the Big Bang!. This is my honest review of the ARC, and I truly appreciate it.

🧠 Expectations vs. Reality 🧠
When I picked up this book, I anticipated a deep dive into the origins of the universe - cosmology, the Big Bang, and perhaps some scientific or metaphysical interpretations of creation. Instead, the first 30% focused almost entirely on the human body and mind, which felt more like an extension of the author’s previous work Cherish or Perish. While the material was detailed, I struggled to see how it connected meaningfully to the concept of the universe’s birth. And also 90% of the book is about human body, intellect, soul, yoga and religion perhaps. That's how it felt in general.

🌌 My thoughts during the reading 🌌
The book raises intriguing questions about the eternity of the soul and reincarnation, shifting the focus from cosmic creation to spiritual continuity. There’s a recurring idea that the universe existed in a “non-manifest” state before the Big Bang and may return to that form again, suggesting an endless cycle of transformation. While thought-provoking, these ideas felt more philosophical than scientific, and their speculative nature made them difficult to fully grasp or evaluate.

One of the central themes is the comparison between the human body and the universe. This was a novel concept for me, but I found the analogy hard to accept. The scale, energy, and complexity of the universe seem vastly different from those of the human body, making the comparison feel uneven. The book frequently returns to discussions of chakras, levels of consciousness, and bodily elements, which again seemed disconnected from the cosmological focus I was expecting.

The idea that consciousness is eternal and somehow equivalent to the universe is explored, but I found it difficult to reconcile. The question of what happens after death is, of course, deeply rhetorical and unknowable, but the book leans heavily into spiritual interpretations that may not resonate with all readers.

The strong religious undertones throughout the book—linking the universe’s creation to divine intention—ultimately made the reading experience less meaningful for me. While I understand the intention to build a unified theory of man and cosmos, the spiritual framework felt too dominant and overshadowed the scientific curiosity I was hoping for.

🧠 Final thoughts 🧠
Who Banged the Big Bang! offers a unique and ambitious attempt to connect human existence with cosmic origins. However, the heavy emphasis on metaphysical and spiritual themes, along with repeated detours into human anatomy and consciousness, made it difficult for me to stay engaged with the central premise. Readers interested in philosophical and spiritual interpretations of the universe may find this book compelling, but those seeking a more scientific or cosmological approach might feel misled.

This one is far out there- and is more metaphysical than scientific. I did not expect to find trans-scientific analysis to be...so very wordy. Didn't finish.

If you enjoy the exploration of scientific theory then this book will definitely be an interesting read for you. Not only is it interesting but educational and stimulating. Asking and answering questions many of us have had for most of our lives regarding what happened before the Big Bang, what happened, during, the after, the results, what this means for the universe and us, and beyond.

The writing still is clinical but intelligent and educational and does not lack cultivating interest or giving the knowledge of things you may have always been curious about. The theories and information given are informative and give a new insight that hasn't been covered by many other authors and scientists.

I enjoy reading about scientific theory because I am a very science based person by nature. So this was all in all very interesting read for me that gave me answers to previously unanswered questions I had regarding the Big Bang and all the theories behind and intertwined with it.

All together I recommend this book to any science minded individuals, because it's quite knowledgeable and interesting with factual and intellectual information given.