Really good book. It will be helpful to have some science exposure, but if not, it's explained in such a way that you get the point without a PhD, and can continue the story.
A little heavy diving into religion vs science instead of the story, but for a book written 30 years before Covid and the science versus beliefs battles we see today, it was very prescient. It's still very relevant when considering the craziness and divisiveness we still see today.
Maybe we do need a message from the stars...