Beyond Contact: Exploring Our Search for Extraterrestrial Life, a translation of the 2012 book Comment se Comporter Face Aux Etraterrestres? by Swiss author Philippe Barraud, delves into the age-old question of whether or not we are alone in the universe. This essay explores the human fascination with the heavens and recapitulates how scientists have framed the issue of extraterrestrial intelligence over the years. Barraud exposes the limitations of their analyses and lays out a convincing argument that the question is simply unanswerable. He concludes the book by tackling, with humor and rationality, the touchy issue of what to do should we find we’re not alone out there. In this English version, translator Mary Parlange has captured the energy and intelligent wit of the original text in a highly readable, fast-paced work that will have you staring up at the nighttime sky with a new sense of wonder.