I watched the Fox/NatGeo series first before reading this book, but the series follows the book very closely (although the chapters/episodes are in a slightly different order). Anyone who is a fan of the original Cosmos series or of Carl Sagan should read this. Not only is it a love letter to Carl, but also a challenge to the anti-intellectual movement that has gathered so much steam in recent years. Science and technology can either save us or destroy us - it is up to We The People to decide our fate.