Bill Nye's Bookshelf - Radical Reads (2024)

The educator, author, TV presenter and mechanical engineer best known as The Science Guy,Bill Nyehas been an outspoken advocate for science since donning his trademark lab coat and bowtieon screen in the early ’90s. Nye’s quirky humor and contagious enthusiasm made his show one of the most-watched educational programs on TV, inspiring generations of kids to keep curious about the natural world. His latest Netflix offering, Bill Nye Saves the World, brings together both experts and celebrities to carry on Nye’s lifelong work of making science exciting and accessible to the masses.

In addition to his TV work, Nye has authored two best-selling books on science (2014’sUndeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creationand 2015’sUnstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World)and has shared his own reading lists with New York-based bookstores Strand and One Grand. Spanning comedy, history, physics, sports, writing, and even poker theory, Nye’s bookshelf reflects theman’s endless quest to better understand our world, and ourselves.

Read on for Bill Nye’s favorite books, and check out his Masterclass on science and problem-solving for a deeper look at his approach to navigating information and tackling some of the planet’s biggest problems. Complement with the reading list of fellow science celebrator Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The Physics of Baseball byRobert Adair

“A book that provides us with words to live and play by.” -BN

Doyle Brunson’s Super System: A Course in Power Poker byDoyle Brunson

The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters bySean B. Carroll

Fundamentals of Modern Physics byRobert Martin Eisberg

“The Fundamentals of Modern Physics is just that. It has been said: ‘All science isphysics.’ When I learnedthefundamentalsofphysics, my viewoftheworld and life itself was changed forever.” -BN

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century byThomas L. Friedman

Seizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes, 1939-1943 byDavid Kahn

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch byJean Lee Latham

“It’s about a real-life American hero who pulls himself through life with genius and hard work. He inspired me as kid — he still does. I hope to makethemovie someday soon.” -BN

Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change byMichael Mann

The Hockey Stick and The Climate Wars byMichael Mann

“TheHockey Stickgraph changedtheway mostofus understoodthenatural historyof Earth. Ours is onlythesecond species known to be capableofchangingtheclimateof an entire planet. Intuitively, you’d think we’d have more awarenessofour influence than blue-green algae. Butthese days, I’m not so sure.” -BN

Born Standing Upby Steve Martin (also rec’d by Trevor Noah)

“This is the storyofmy hero. The guy who inspired me to do what I do now.” -BN

Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances byLeland Melvin

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II byLiza Mundy

Code Girls is the story of the remarkable women, including my mother, who served our country and helped shorten World War II. My mom is mentioned in the book.” -BN

Cry, the Beloved Country byAlan Paton

The Making of the Atomic Bomb byRichard Rhodes

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq byThomas E. Ricks

Cosmos byCarl Sagan

Cosmos is the storyofmy other hero, Carl Sagan. The other guy who inspired me to do what I do now.” -BN

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark byCarl Sagan

The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People byMichael Shermer

Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need byBlake Snyder

Angle of Repose byWallace Stegner

“It is about human stories intertwined, just like your life and mine.” -BN

Crossing to Safety byWallace Stegner

The Elements of Style byWilliam Strunk, Jr., Maira Kalman and E.B. White

“This is my guide. I accept that I’ll never write anything as good astheintroductory essay by E.B. White. It’s brilliant. As a guy, who isoften asked to read aloud from radio scripts and teleprompter, I am a fanoftheserial comma. Red, white, and blue comes out properly. Red, white and blue, seldom does.” -BN

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry byNeil deGrasse Tyson

Hillbilly Elegy byJ.D. Vance

Hillbilly Elegy providesthereader with insight into howtheUnited States got into its current mess. People with strong andoften inconsistent values feel disenfranchised andoften don’t act intheir own best interest. I hope J.D. Vance’s story will help us learn to work together and improvethequalityoflife for all our citizens.” -BN

Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA byTim Weiner

(via One Grand Books & Strand Books)

Related Reading Lists

Tags: bill nye carl sagan steve martin

Categories: Scientists

Bill Nye's Bookshelf - Radical Reads (2024)

FAQs

Did Bill Nye make a book? ›

Nye has written over a dozen books in his career, including: Bill Nye the Science Guy's Big Blast of Science (1993) Bill Nye the Science Guy's Consider the Following: A Way Cool Set of Science Questions, Answers, and Ideas to Ponder (1995) Bill Nye the Science Guy's Big Blue Ocean (1999)

Did Sza date Bill Nye? ›

Popular science educator Bill Nye never dated SZA, but when her hit song “Kill Bill” came out, it became a joke rumor that he was the cheating paramour who gets murdered in the story. The jokes took off with a viral tweet from December 2022 featuring pics of the two stars together.

What does Bill Nye think of Elon Musk? ›

Reddit user DavidSPumkins asked the science guy what he thought about Elon Musk, CEO of electric energy company Tesla and space rocket firm SpaceX. As you may expect, Nye is a big fan. “He and [his] companies are shaking things up in a great way,” he responded. And the two geek tycoons have met before, too.

Did Bill Nye go to Harvard? ›

“he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University. While at Cornell, Bill was a student of Carl Sagan's astronomy class. Bill Nye's career began in Seattle when he worked for Boeing taking a part in their training films.

What is Bill Nye's book about? ›

Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap into Radical Curiosity and Solve Any ProblemEverything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inn…

Is Bill Nye the Science Guy a real scientist? ›

Bill Nye is a scientist, engineer, comedian, and inventor. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University where he studied under Carl Sagan. He worked on the 747 as an engineer at Boeing before creating and hosting his much-loved Emmy award-winning PBS show Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Did Tyler the Creator write Bill Nye? ›

Tyler The Creator Wrote The Theme Song For Bill Nye's New Netflix Series.

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