We live in a universe that contains more than 100 billion galaxies, each of which has over 100 billion stars. We do not know exactly how many of these stars have planets orbiting around them, but it is certain that at least on one specific planet, life has developed. Moreover, this form of life has the ability and audacity to express theories about the origin of our vast universe.

Thousands of human generations have gazed into space, yet we have the privilege of belonging to the first generation that claims to possess a respectable, logical, and comprehensive description of the creation and evolution of the universe. The Big Bang model offers a elegant explanation for the origins of what we see in the night sky. A product of insatiable curiosity, incredible imagination, keen observation, and unwavering logic, it stands as one of the greatest achievements of the human spirit.

Even more admirable is that the Big Bang model can be understood by everyone. I was still a teenager when I first learned about the Big Bang, and I remember how impressed I was by its simplicity and beauty, as well as the fact that it relied on principles that, to a large extent, did not exceed the physics I was learning in school.

Just as Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection is fundamental and understandable to the most open-minded people, so too can the Big Bang model be explained in terms that non-specialists understand, without 'watering down' the central concepts of the theory. Modern scientists must go out and proclaim to the world that the Big Bang model pays homage to human curiosity and intellect.

And if someone from the audience poses the toughest question of all, 'What was there before the Big Bang?', then cosmologists should imitate the example of Saint Augustine: In his autobiography, Confessions, written around 400 AD, the philosopher and theologian Saint Augustine references an answer he heard when the theological equivalent of the question was posed: 'What was there before the Big Bang?' - What did God do before creating the universe? - Before creating Heaven and Earth, God made hell to send those who ask such questions there.

The term BIG BANG has proven to be a small and impressive title for the theory of creation, and it was indeed coined by its greatest critic! The book narrates the epic story of the most important scientific theory of all time. It has all the components of a scientific adventure, yet it has something more: true knowledge, scientific validity, clarity, twists, and... humor.