
Why Do We Exist?
The Nine Realms of Universe that Make You Possible
Ballantine Books Inc. (Publisher)
Published on 21. April 2026
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-9848-1912-3 (ISBN)
Description
A boundary-breaking astrophysicist reimagines the universe—and our place within it—in this audacious journey through the Nine Realms of the cosmos.
“This book explains the universe and then quietly explains you. Which is unfair, because I was just trying to read about space. . . . Smart, funny, and unexpectedly moving.”—Sarah Silverman, comedian
The universe gave rise to everything: stars and cells, minds and memories, purpose and pain. But it doesn’t care about us. It follows its own rules. And now, according to Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, we finally understand enough about those rules to ask the big questions like we mean it: Why do we exist? Are we alone? How did we get here? What comes next? And—perhaps most urgently—is there reason to hope?
Heck yeah, there is!
Dr. Oluseyi is no ordinary scientist. A former street kid turned world-renowned cosmologist, he realized something bold: The story of existence can be told as a passage through nine interwoven realms—each revealing a new layer of cosmic truth.
There’s the Middle Realm, where we live; the Realm of Life, where organisms flourish across the vastness of space; the Cosmological Realm, where galaxies dance and collide; the Dark Realm, dominated by unseen energy and invisible forces; the Quantum Realm, where reality defies intuition; the Temporal Realm, where time begins, flows, and perhaps ends; the Multiverse Realm, where our universe may be one among many; the Realm Beyond Horizons, where observation breaks down; and the Realm of Imagination, where insight, curiosity, and creativity shape our understanding of it all.
In Why Do We Exist?, Dr. Oluseyi cracks open these realms with clarity, humor, and radical honesty, bridging cutting-edge physics, personal narrative, and philosophy. The result is a blueprint for understanding reality itself and a surprising case for human potential in an indifferent cosmos.
This isn’t just a science book. It’s a survival manual for the universally curious.
“This book explains the universe and then quietly explains you. Which is unfair, because I was just trying to read about space. . . . Smart, funny, and unexpectedly moving.”—Sarah Silverman, comedian
The universe gave rise to everything: stars and cells, minds and memories, purpose and pain. But it doesn’t care about us. It follows its own rules. And now, according to Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, we finally understand enough about those rules to ask the big questions like we mean it: Why do we exist? Are we alone? How did we get here? What comes next? And—perhaps most urgently—is there reason to hope?
Heck yeah, there is!
Dr. Oluseyi is no ordinary scientist. A former street kid turned world-renowned cosmologist, he realized something bold: The story of existence can be told as a passage through nine interwoven realms—each revealing a new layer of cosmic truth.
There’s the Middle Realm, where we live; the Realm of Life, where organisms flourish across the vastness of space; the Cosmological Realm, where galaxies dance and collide; the Dark Realm, dominated by unseen energy and invisible forces; the Quantum Realm, where reality defies intuition; the Temporal Realm, where time begins, flows, and perhaps ends; the Multiverse Realm, where our universe may be one among many; the Realm Beyond Horizons, where observation breaks down; and the Realm of Imagination, where insight, curiosity, and creativity shape our understanding of it all.
In Why Do We Exist?, Dr. Oluseyi cracks open these realms with clarity, humor, and radical honesty, bridging cutting-edge physics, personal narrative, and philosophy. The result is a blueprint for understanding reality itself and a surprising case for human potential in an indifferent cosmos.
This isn’t just a science book. It’s a survival manual for the universally curious.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Random House USA Inc
Illustrations
23 BLACK AND WHITE DRAWINGS T/O
Dimensions
Height: 146 mm
Width: 218 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-9848-1912-3 (9781984819123)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2026
Ballantine Books
€16.99
Available for download
Persons
Hakeem Oluseyi with Nils Johnson-Shelton