Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
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Book Reviews of Einstein: His Life and Universe
Book Review: Good, but not to the level of Isaacson's "Franklin"
Summary: 4 Stars
It is interesting to see that 4 years after Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life he chose to write about another rebel scientist in Albert Einstein. While the two men make a great compare/contrast it doesn't make it any easier for the author writing the books (NOTE: At no point during "Einstein" does Isaacson try to compare/contrast the two). While writing on Franklin most readers can grasp the scientific and political thoughts that are being discussed. This is not necessarily true of the readers of Einstein.
I need to offer a bit of a disclaimer - I am a degreed engineer who has taken multiple classes in quantum mechanics. However, there are times I had difficulty in grasping the concepts that Isaacson was presenting. While I believe that Isaacson did much research I did find that his approach to explaining the concepts to be a bit clumsy. Please do not take this as being overly negative - MOST people will look clumsy when trying to explain the theory of general relativity or the photoelectric effect. However, in "einstein" it made sections of the book very difficult to read much less comprehend. I have a lot of sympathy to the readers who have never been introduced to these concepts prior to reading "Einstein".
That is the negative - it can be a very difficult read at times (which is the reason for 4 stars instead of 5). On a positive note (and there are many more positives than negatives) Isaacson has presented us with a lovable yet humanly flawed Einstein. We are told of the passion and failures of his first marriage. We are shown great insights into the curious thought experiments that he performed to generate his great insights (such as a person who is accelerated downward at high acceleration doesn't know if it is "gravity" or another force that he is feeling) or the perceived changes in light on a passenger on a train compared to someone viewing from the train station.
Another insight that we rarely see is his opposition to nationalism and the loss of personal liberty. Einstein was a very outspoken critic of McCarthyism and he did not shy away from the controversy. In short, Einstein was a rebel for the conventional thought of science and that of politics. Isaacson is very skilled in showing these comparisons throughout Einstein's life.
While Isaacson's "Einstein" does not reach the level of "Franklin" in story-telling skill or scientific explanation it is still a must read for anyone curious in the development of modern thought in Physics...for everyone else... I hope you are up to the challenge. 4 stars.
4 stars.
Book Review: Smooth and compelling
Summary: 4 Stars
Having read many good reviews of this biography, and not knowing much about Einstein beyond media sound bites, I'd been looking forward to this read. And it was satisfying. Isaacson provides a steady, linear narrative in smooth prose that follows Einstein from a rather unexceptional childhood through an odd but extraordinary early career (working in a patent office and on the fringes of academia while also having very normal struggles to establish a marriage and family) to a prolonged and fascinating period of intellectual celebrity. It is a tribute to the flow of the biography that as a reader I consistently felt the simultaneous presence in Einstein's life of common foibles and uncommon genius. Einstein struggled to maintain close relationships with women and with his children, while simultaneously maintaining deep interpersonal respect and human concern. His career was both incredibly productive and somewhat circuitous--somehow it was interesting to learn that Einstein was not always right, and he was fairly well aware of that fact.
The biography's ability to portray Einstein as both normal and special made for good reading, but if anything may have erred to much on the side of emphasizing the normal. I'm glad the book didn't go into too much detail on the significance of Einstein's science--that would have lost me. But I did want to know exactly why his science is so significant. I already knew the theory of relativity was important, and I knew some of the famous formulas, and the biography makes clear that the theories were revolutionary to science. But I still don't really know why it all matter outside of physics. What are the real implications to people like me? The book's main thesis is that Einstein was a special scientist, and person, because he was able to go beyond the details and conceptualize new and powerful ways of understanding the world. But I was never entirely convinced that quality alone was distinct enough to merit his fame. So perhaps part of what made the second half of the book more interesting to me than the first was trying to figure this out--why exactly was Einstein such a celebrity as a scientist? His is unquestionably an interesting life that intersects with so much of importance to contemporary history--the rise of science, the changing face of Europe, America as an emerging power because it provided the sort of freedom that men like Einstein needed. But I still find myself wondering why Einstein alone has come to be associated with ultimate genius.
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: 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: Twentieth Century Icon
Summary: 4 Stars
Previous reviews have called this book a real page turner. That is very true... and you will have to turn a lot of pages to get to the end. I found myself looking forward to the end. I was exhausted. However, the portrait is well drawn and with a loving hand.
The book climaxed about half way through with the birth of the relativity theory (as did Einstein's life). After the great breakthroughs Einstein settled into a role of cultural icon without much additional scientific output. And the book likewise moves on to Einstein the activist celebrity.
I was fascinated to learn how Einstein epitomized and perhaps helped shape what is the modern humanist style celebrity. The usual stuff... lover of mankind but a jackass to his own family. But, you'll find yourself still liking the guy! He was the original.
And therein lies the saving grace of this huge book. You'll probably learn as much about the inner life of Einstein as you ever will... from a book. The author attemps to describe the multiple threads of circumstance and thought that went into Einstein's theories -- scientific, philosophic and personal. I think he is fairly successful at it.
If you wnat to learn more about Einstein the man and take a romp through the tumultuous fist half of the twentieth century try this book on for size. It's large but comfy.