The Farm at the Center of the Universe

by Guillermo González, Jonathan Witt

Why did Isaac’s father have to die so young? Isaac’s older cousin Charlie—a science teacher—says he knows why. Nature is pitiless. There's no God. No afterlife. Just atoms in the void and the struggle for survival. Charlie says a week at their grandparents’ farm, seeing animals get killed and eaten, will prove it. But at the farm, both of them get more than they bargained for. And soon Isaac finds himself caught in a battle of wits between two men, and facing a choice he alone can make.

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

Guillermo Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Ball State University.

He received his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1993 from the University of Washington. He has done post-doctoral work at the University of Texas, Austin and at the University of Washington and has received fellowships, grants and awards from such institutions as NASA, the University of Washington, Sigma Xi (scientific research society) and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Gonzalez has extensive experience in observing and analyzing data from ground-based observatories, including work at McDonald Observatory, Apache Point Observatory and Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. He has also published over sixty articles in refereed astronomy and astrophysical journals including Astronomy and Astrophysics, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Astrophysical Journal and Solar Physics. His current research interest in astrobiology focuses on the "Galactic Habitable Zone" and captured the October 2001 cover story of Scientific American.

Another area of his research is focused on analyzing and interpreting ground-based photometric and spectroscopic observations of low and intermediate mass stars in relation to current theories concerning the late stages of stellar evolution and the formation and evolution of planetary systems.

Reviews

[Miquela · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3 kids (8,10, 14) voted: 4, 4.5, and 5 stars, so this is a 4.5 star review. A bit of a disclaimer, my kids are passionate about science, and this book is heavy on the science and light on the story, but that did not stop them from asking me to read or to read another chapter after I had decided to stop. Science, nature, and life on a farm, this was a shoe-in.

My eldest observed that she would have enjoyed a book that gave her more time to digest the concepts and information before laying on another thing to think about. The book is pretty much a crash course in Intelligent Design, and my kids already have a base from our science discussions and watching Long Story Short on YouTube. (pretty sure Goodreads doesn't allow links, but here goes: https://www.youtube.com/@LongStorySho...)

As a parent and story-lover, I agreed with her assessment that the book could have been more impactful if it had consisted of more than a series of conversations. I am a sucker for spending time with characters living their lives and having to make decisions and grow in knowledge when they bump up against others or obstacles.

So a word to the authors: More, please, but take your time with the story!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a fantastic addition to a homeschool or personal library.

The pros: A good, cogent explanation of many of the lines of evidence for intelligent design, presented in a way that I think will be accessible for most kids. The arguments are definitely the star here, and there isn’t much plot; but even so, grounding the arguments in a story makes them more relatable and interesting. This book is absolutely packed full of scientific information that’s fascinating — including some bonus fun facts that aren’t directly related to the evidences for intelligent design — and it’s just so full of the JOY of discovery and the FUN that science can be! I really enjoyed reading it. As someone who’s studied intelligent design and read widely on the subject, there were arguments here I hadn’t heard before that really made me stop and think.

I also appreciated that the atheist character was not just a straw man caricature of atheists. There was probably a moment or two where he felt pretty thin, but as a whole I felt like his position and objections were expressed strongly and compellingly. They are not just easily overcome, though of course they are considered critically and, I think, effectively countered. For the most part, all the debate is done lovingly and with genuine care for the other person.

Cons: Yes, this book is largely just a vehicle for expressing intelligent design arguments to kids in an interesting way. There isn’t much plot to speak of; there aren’t high stakes. The situation is a little contrived to make the conversations happen (and how much time did Grandpa spend at night planning out the object lessons for the next day?? #goals). At times, there is a bit of friendly mockery toward the atheist character that eventually pushes him to a place of frustration, and I didn’t love how his story wrapped up. (I would have liked to see a reconciliation there.) But the characters are not just one-dimensional, and there is a genuine warmth and relatability in the family relationships that I appreciated.

I think this book skews a little young for YA, and I would probably recommend it for the beginning of the Logic stage, when kids are just becoming interested in asking the big questions about faith and life. Depending on the kid, this would probably be late elementary or early middle school. The science concepts are advanced (though explained very clearly and understandably), but the story/presentation are a little simple and the main character acts more like a child in that age range, at least in my opinion. I think a child with an interest in science would dig into it eagerly at a younger age than a child who’s not as science-minded. But I also think there’s a lot here that could ignite interest in science for those who haven’t yet caught that bug!

Note: The arguments made here do in a couple of places assume an Old-Earth timeline for Earth’s development (the origin/timeline of fossil fuels being laid down is one I can think of), though nowhere is an Old-Earth argument explicitly made. Strongly YE families probably would want to have additional conversations about those elements. But it also makes this a particularly wonderful resource for neutral or OE families.

[Andrew Cheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guillermo González's The Farm at the Center of the Universe is an intriguing storybook about discovering the various places God's work can be seen in the universe. The book follows the story of a boy named Isaac who goes with his older cousin Charlie to their grandparents' farm. Being a science teacher, Charlie doesn't believe in the story of creation proposed by Christianity. His grandfather, however, has many ideas, compelling arguments, and even experiments set up to explore the wonders of creation.

Throughout the book, González uses experiments and observations to explain scientific concepts in a fun narrative style. González also uses Charlie as a way to present potential counterpoints that the reader may be asking themselves. The book is written in a manner that is accessible to younger readers, even in elementary school.

I enjoyed González's narrative writing style; watching Isaac discover new things about the universe was a satisfying loop that kept me reading. The debate sections of the book nearly quoted some of the counterpoints I was bringing up and responded satisfactorily. Despite this, I feel like the scientific concepts were a little too complicated for the elementary school level the book's writing was on. The writing level was especially apparent with the repeated use of "said" for dialogue. Despite this, the book goes over concepts such as cell biology, even going into the specifics of the bacteria flagellum motor, which I never learned in high school biology.

Overall, González's The Farm at the Center of the Universe is a relaxing storybook for someone who wants to explore more about the intricacies of nature and the universe, and the idea of intelligent design. While the scientific concepts presented in the book may be too complicated for an elementary school reader, the story manages to present the arguments compellingly and come to a satisfying conclusion as well.

[Pamela Mogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did Isaac's father have to die so young? Isaac's older cousin Charlie--a science teacher--says he knows why. Nature is pitiless. There's no God. No afterlife. Just atoms in the void and the struggle for survival. Both of them are traveling to their grandparent's farm where Isaac will come under the gentle tutelage of another scientist--his grandfather, who sets Isaac on a course of discoveries that point to a very different and hopeful conclusion.

This is a wonderful, gentle story that serves as an introduction to the concepts and evidences for Intelligent Design in a very natural story of a young teen discovering the natural world's clues to the answers of the big questions of life. Appropriate for pre-teens through high school but also a good introduction for adults who are not familiar with Intelligent Design and not ready for a textbook.

[Gary Mullennix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to understand and useful

Imagine you’ve a youngster, a child or grandchild and you get to spend some evenings together not around the TV or IPad. Let’s say a wide range of topics arise around science or religion arise. You’ll have been happy you read this. Certainly, you’ll be comfortable discussing why there is more than evolution to delve into.

[Glen Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read for an elementary school age

It was very preachy and I wouldn’t call it a master piece of literature but I think a child in elementary school would enjoy it. It would certainly provoke some thought and thoughtful questions I imagine.

[Abigail Whitcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good blend of story telling and Christian Creation Science.

[Elena Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. But it was a little confusing and hard to picture. It has a lot of science stuff. I really loved this book though. And it has a very good message behind it.