Einstein: His Life and Universe
by Walter Isaacson
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Book Reviews of Einstein: His Life and Universe
Book Review: Great Science, Great History, Great Biography!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
First I read Isaacson's "Benjamin Franklin." Then I attended a lecture and book signing in New Orleans where the author delivered a wonderful lecture on Einstein after which he autographed my book. After that, how could I not read it?
Walter Isaacson is a brilliant man and a superb biographer! He truly understands Einstein's science and presents it in a way that is understandable to us mortals (well, almost). Any failures to understand the science though were totally mine....not the author's, and I certainly gained a much improved understanding of relativity, general relativity, quantum mechanics, etc. from having read this book. (Actually, I was reminded why I changed my intended college major from physics to other arenas during my freshman year.) I also gained a new knowledge of and appreciation for the other scientific luminaries of the early twentieth century as well as for the politics of scientific academia.
Beyond the science, Isaacson thoroughly explains Einstein the man. It is interesting to see how Einstein's early struggles to enter academia actually allowed him to think unconventionally and to develop the groundbreaking theories that made him famous. The book explores how his deep feelings for mankind could coexist in a personality that struggled with close personal relationships as well as how such an amazing scientific mind could sometimes be simplistic and naive in geo-political matters. Einstein's transition from pacifist to reluctant advocate of armament was also instructive. The perspectives of twentieth century history, Einstein's "rock star" status, his role in advocating the nuclear bomb, his religious views, his sense of being Jewish, his relationships with his family and peers and many other aspects of his life and personality are all covered well and entertainingly.
Who would think a biography of a scientist could be so interesting? While the actual science is sometimes a bit ponderous, it is necessary for the story, and Isaacson presents it well. The rest reads like a novel and, at several points near the end, is actually laugh out loud funny. I cannot recommend this book enough!!!
Book Review: Great Read! Puts E=mc^2 to life!
Summary: 4 Stars
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson is an exceptional book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The book is an easy read but throughout the book it seems to jump around a lot and seems choppy at times because of the constant change in what is talked about. It is really good though because it allows a glimpse into the personal life of Einstein while still focusing on what made him a genius.
Going into the book I did not know much about Albert Einstein but the general "facts" that you almost always here as a kid growing up. I had always imagined Einstein as a person who was a loner and basically had no friends. That is all but the truth. I learned that Einstein did have friends, but in particular, he had very close friends. He selected his friends with great care. Also this book dispelled the legend that Einstein failed math as a child, but in fact he excelled at it. As a child he would obtain books from a medical student his family fed and would pick them apart and learn on his own, thus putting him far ahead in school in things like math and science.
Throughout his entire life he had an utter disdain for authority. That is how he was able to question the modern (during his time) findings of science and develop his own. Also, the experiments he performed through out his life were not the physical kind done in labs (which in fact he did not like to do in school because of the steps you had to follow) but rather performed them in his mind. That was really cool to find out. Also, Albert had a love of his life, though it never really worked out in the end.
Einstein's whole life was going against the grain and showing that not everything that may be truth right now necessarily is, but you need to work it out for yourself. Also, it shows that if you put your mind to something (literally in his case) then you can accomplish great things. After all, Einstein did drop out of high school, but went on to college
Again this is a great read and very interesting. It puts to life the equation E=mc2 by bringing to life the man behind it.
Book Review: HIS ENDLESS CURIOSITY
Summary: 5 Stars
Isn't it amazing what a person can accomplish with quiet "thought experiments" while looking out the window from a job that does not absorb all of the intellect and imagination? It is also interesting that some of Einstein's best work was accomplished early in his career when he was struggling economically and involved in a tumultuous marriage? Perhaps it shows that a great intellect can function by detaching itself from the noise of daily life. Perhaps the subconscious mind is the source of the greatest thoughts.
Contrary to our tendency to consider Einstein only for his brain, Isaacson's book focuses on the humanity of the Professor, including his struggles, failures, odd quirks and ideas, and endless curiosity. In an age of mindless entertainment, how much we need people with minds that are vitally interested in peeling away the next layer of mystery enveloping the universe! If Einstein had one passion, it was just to understand how the entire mechanism of creation works from the sub-atomic to the inter-galactic. If Einstein had one unique talent, it was his irreverence for conventional thinking and a special ability to see and visualize from an entirely new viewpoint. His unconventionality ultimately made him successful and endearing.
Isaacson's biography is well-worth reading and then sharing with a friend who also has a spark of curiosity about the man and his place in scientific and popular history. Einstein was a man of peace who loved sailing and music, yet in many chapters of his life peace eluded him due to events beyond his control. We can sympathize with Einstein when his last great quest for a unified field theory continued to elude him and his health failed him while equations continued to flow from his pen. I hope his life story will encourage a new generation of thinkers to follow imaginations and never lose their curiosity. Coauthor of ARROWS THROUGH TIME: A Time Travel Tale of Adventure, Courage, and Faith.
Book Review: Balanced and Interesting Treatment
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an excellent biography. The author clearly is very fond of Einstein, and his thesis is that Einstein, and his genius, were defined by his inclination to flout convention and resist authority. But those attitudes are presented gently, as Einstein "putters" and resists, and does not dominate or overpower the objective presentation of information. In short, the author has a point of view, but he uses it to create a theme without letting it dominate or control the story.
I started the book simply because I wanted to know more about Einstein, and I was right to do so! While Einstein remains an icon, even this middle-aged professor did not have a full sense of the central role of Einstein in the social history of the first-half of the 20th Century. He was REALLY big --- Muhammad Ali big --- for a period of decades. The book does an excellent job of showing how Einstein became so prominent (he courted the press and guided his image, not to mention his genius) and the significant role public policy played in the second half of his life.
I also liked the way the book handled Einstein's science, his personal life, and his public life outside of science. Chapters handle each of these areas one at time, rather than following strict chronological order. So we might learn what happened with his science in 1920-25, and only later learn what was happening in his personal life at that time. With careful guidance and signposts from the author, that keep us from getting confused on the timing, I found this a very productive way to tell the story. I also thought the science explanations were good for this layman. If you hate science, this book will be problematc. Otherwise, though, the explantions actually made me feel I understood what, say, relativity was about, though if you asked me to explain it minutes later, I could not have.
All in all, an intresting and educational read.
Book Review: Remember...he's a rebel!
Summary: 3 Stars
One of the biggest problems with this biography is its length. I agree that 550 pages isn't excessive for the most iconic intellectual of the 20th century, but the book is plagued by the constant repetition of information that was already given, presumably for emphasis. This wouldn't be a problem if there were an enormous number of characters, or if the facts were of special interest, but often the information has already been clearly articulated and was of obvious importance when it was first mentioned. Thus a book about one of the most important men in 20th century science becomes about 75 pages too long at a paltry 550 pages. By comparison Martin Gilbert's biography of Winston Churchill is over 1000 pages long (the short version) and every page is captivating and relevant. Nevertheless, the book does provide a serviceable account of Einstein's life, despite a few flaws that only become onerous as one slogs towards the conclusion.
Another irritating habit of the author's is the repeated interludes where he ruminates on the qualities which contributed to Einstein's revolutionary achievements in theoretical physics, which serve mainly to disrupt the narrative flow and are for the most part uninteresting. Many of these could be summed up if the author just wrote 'Remember, he's a rebel!' every fifty pages or so. Isaacson also seems to glide through the second world war, only giving the most cursory attention to Einstein's opinions on the bloodiest conflict of the century and the near extermination of Einstein's European brethren. I don't think it's overly presumptuous to expect that Einstein's reaction to the most infamous atrocity in modern history might merit a few more pages.
I think I'll stop here before I make this book sound worse than it actually is. As mentioned before it is for the most part interesting, despite bloating. Three and a half stars, rounded down to 3 for spite.