Origins: The Lives and Worlds of Modern Cosmologists

I received this book as a gift. I wish I had bought it years ago! I'm an amateur astronomer. This book gives the reader the opportunity to hear the world's most reknowned professional astronomers address the universal questions which we all share: Whence came the universe? Whither goes it? The book opens with a brief overview of current cosmological theories and observations. It then poses the same set of fascinating questions to each of 27 working astronomers; both observational and theoretical. They give the reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with the current models. If the "great questions" interest you, I promise you will learn a lot and gain much to ponder for a long time!