Einstein: His Life and Universe

Recently finished Isaacson?s Einstein: His Life and Universe. Based on newly available Einstein papers, it?s dishy and gossipy while still capturing the social climate, academic politics, and culture of war that impacted much of Einstein?s life. It?s well crafted and i particularly enjoyed early sections on Einstein?s struggles and breakthroughs. i would have liked more science, but Isaacson does do a good job making the case that Einstein?s philosophy of science grew organically from youthful sass, curiosity, focus, imagination, and obstinate contrarianism. Isaacson also shows the development of Einstein?s politics in a way that counters charges of na?vet? and/or aloofness. The politics don?t seem nearly as dated as they might: "In 1949 [Einstein] wrote an influential essay for the inaugural issue of the Monthly Review titled ?Why Socialism?? In it he argued that unrestrained capitalism produced great disparities of wealth, cycles of boom and depression, and festering levels of unemployment. The system encouraged selfishness instead of cooperation, and acquiring wealth rather than serving others. People were educated for careers rather than for a love of work and creativity. And political parties became corrupted by political contributions from owners of great capital. These problems could be avoided, Einstein argued in his article, through a socialist economy, if it guarded against tyranny and centralization of power. ?A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child,? he wrote. ?The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow-men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society.? He added, however, that planned economies faced the danger of becoming oppressive, bureaucratic, and tyrannical, as had happened in communist countries such as Russia. ?A planned economy may be accompanied by the complete enslavement of the individual,? he warned. It was therefore important for social democrats who believed in individual liberty to face two critical questions: ?How is it possible, in view of the far-reaching centralization of political and economic power, to prevent bureaucracy from becoming all-powerful and overweening? How can the rights of the individual be protected?? That is imperative ? to protect the rights of the individual ? was Einstein?s most fundamental political tenet. Individualism and freedom were necessary for creative art and science to flourish. Personally, politically, and professionally, he was repulsed by any restraints."

A great book about a great man written by one of the best writers of our time I highly recommend it.

The book wasn?t amazing, but the man certainly was. Don?t get me wrong; I really liked the book, and it is one I would recommend to all those readers who want to meet an intelligent, wonderful, honest, humble person. I am not calling him great for what he did for science, but for the kind of person he was. He will appeal to those of you who like non-conformists, people with imagination and curiosity. He is one of those few adults who manage to keep alive a child?s delight in the world around them.Now, there is a lot of physics in this book, and there are sections that went over my head. This annoyed me. Although it is not a criticism of the author, but rather a criticism of myself, IF the author had managed to make clear for me more of the scientific theories, I would have to call the book amazing. General and special relativity, gravitation and quantum mechanics they do all belong in this book, they should not be removed. I understand more than when I began, but I have far to go. Einstein saw and figured out his answers to the questions he was trying to solve through ?thought experiments?. He would imagine a physical happening in his head, be it an elevator in free-fall or a bug crawling around a branch, and he would ask himself what would happen and how does the bug see the world around him. These thought experiments are Einstein?s, not the author's, and they are the easiest way to understand the laws of physics which Einstein discovered. Others criticize how Einstein treated his family. He was who he was, and I don?t see him as worse than anybody else. He did love his family. All people do not express love in the same way. Is there humor in the book? Yes, mostly in some of the things Einstein said.You get history too. McCarthyism and Stalinism and Nazism. What role did he play? What was his role exactly in the development of atomic weapons, and more importantly how did he see the world afterwards. He thought there should be a world organization that controlled all atomic weapons. Was he na?ve? Could this have ever worked? All of this is discussed.Religion is discussed too. According to Einstein, it is the absence of miracles that proves the existence of divine providence. It is the laws of nature that so magnificently explain the world around us and that inspire awe. His belief in science was very close to his religiosity. They are one and the same thing.Einstein in a nutshell: creativity and imagination and curiosity require non-conformity which requires the nurturing of free minds which requires tolerance and finally humility. Einstein was a kind, unpretentious, humble man. I really, really liked this book. I wish I could speak with Einstein himself. Even though he was great he would have talked to me. He was never showy or saw himself as the extraordinary person that he was.Another interesting question: was he in his soul German or Swiss or American? I mean, in spirit. Or was he a citizen of the world? I listened to the audiobook narrated by Edward Herrmann. The narration was clear and at a perfect speed. The science sections were hard. For those of you who are reading this to better understand physics, maybe it is better to read the paper book, where it is easier to stop and THINK! Oh, I forgot to say this ? when Einstein got the Nobel Prize, which by the way was not for relativity, he explained his scientific theories over and over. When asked if others understood, most admitted they didn?t. This made me feel a lot better when I found myself becoming confused. I read the book to meet the man, and I really enjoyed it.

I found this book fascinating and interesting, yet a bit more of a difficult read than Mr. Isaacson's biography of Benjamin Franklin. However, the author does a good job reconciling the physics genius with the rascally young ideologue and later with the icon we all think of when we hear the name "Einstein".As in his other biographies, Isaacson brings forth wonderful little anecdotes through personal letters and stories which, I feel, let us separate the man from the myth and let us know what the man was truly like. The personal letters, quick wit and even tyrannical impulses let the reader understand this complex man as a man, not a pillar of the scientific community. Not only is the young Einstein a fascinating character, but the older one - the one who spent his life fighting authority only to become the authority - also comes alive.As for science, this book is neither here nor there. If you understand some of the physics then it will be a nice review, if you don't then you won't understand it after finishing reading either. But that's not the point of the book anyway.Personally I found the chapter about Einstein's religious beliefs fascinating and enlightening. If a few more people in the world feel like him, that science and religions are complimentary ("Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind") this world will be a more peaceful place.

Ok, even though I complained about the deification of Einstein in Albert Einstein: Creator andRebel, it's totally my tendency to idolize him. I know, I'm just a ball of contradictions. I appreciate that Isaacson was able to keep him human by reminding me that he had faults - significant ones.

I never thought Einstein would be a fan of single world power to prevent war among nations. While believed to be naive, I think it makes lots of sense.
Walter Isaacson at some point went a bit too far into scientific explanation of ideas and made the book like a physics lecture but I loved the book overall

Isaacson was the first to has access to the entirety of Albert Einstein personal papers and manuscripts (held captive by long-time assistant Helen Dukas), and has now produced the best biography of the greatest thinker of our age. Einstein's ability to harmonize disparate theories, to fully and unabashedly apply Ockham's Razor, to see the simple in the complex, was the cornerstone of his genius. He blended light, gravity, space, and time, and created a new science for the world to use. His journey from unemployed teacher to international celebrity to pacifist extraordinaire is now completely told by an amazing storyteller. An excellent read.

This another book that I have a hard time reviewing. Isaacson is an outstanding writer who certainly knows how to tell a story. However, I was simply not gripped by this one. Even with the layman's breakdown, I still had a hard time following much of the science explanations dealing with Einstein and his ideas. Also, I did not care at all for Einstein the person. I felt he was condescending toward women and terrible to women closest to him. He never even met his first child and was distant and incredibly selfish in his attitude toward his other children. I know he did great things in science and was a cultural icon for his time, but I could not get past how little he cared for his family.

Excellent! Isaacson portrays the life of the Albert Einstein in all his brilliance and warts. This biography, much like Isaacson's Franklin bio, is thoroughly engaging, incredibly researched and documented and a wonderful insight into arguably the greatest intellect of the 20th century.

This is a very well written in depth biography of one of the greatest thinkers who ever lived. Einstein by Walter Issacson is a great book. Because of the in depth subject matter on the theory of relativity and quantum theory the book at times can be very overwhelming to the non scientific reader. While I appreciated the detail on Einstein greatest theory's it did become difficult to follow. I more enjoyed reading about Einsteins relationships with women his wives and children and his fellow scientists. The book also covers his political, religious and social views. I found the book full of interesting facts about a great nan who is still so well known today. I would highly recommend this book for any science student or those who enjoy reading historical biographies.

This is a well written biography of the famous physicist. Unfortunately, the details of his family life are not as outstanding as his abilities as as scientist. Read in August, 2007

It's a little strange to read a biography of Albert Einstein, if only because he's such a larger-than-life figure that it seems as though we already know all about him. So I guess what I found most amusing about this book is just how accurate those preconceptions are. Genius? Check. Kind, charming, absent-minded professorial type? Check. Outsider and scientific rebel? Check.

Don't get me wrong, though. There's more to the man than the archetype, although the book doesn't dig too deeply. His distant relationships with friends and family, for example, are not something I ever would have imagined, although this makes sense when you think about it. It was also interesting to realize that aside from his miracle year of 1905 and his discovery of the general theory of relativity a decade or so later, he spent more time being wrong than right. On the one hand, this is just a consequence of being a scientist, but after changing physics in so many ways, it's more than a little disheartening to see the man refuse to accept the consequences of his theories: namely quantum mechanics. His quixotic quest for a unified field theory instead of participating in the debate over quantum physics seems like a great loss to scientific progress.

On a personal note, I was amused to find myself in complete agreement with Einstein on this matter. Despite all the evidence, I just can't convince myself to accept the non-causal universe mandated by quantum physics. I know I should just accept the findings of all the much more intelligent scientists who've concluded that we live in a world determined by probabilities rather than strict cause-and-effect mechanics, but I just can't convince myself to do it.

Loved the story as well as the reader’s voice. Due to the topic it was slightly tricky to follow the details at times. It is a book that requires focus when listening.

Quite the good bio. Strange that so many people who know so little about him, blame him for so much. Sad really. The read slowed down at times. Not sure if that was pacing or if it was my time constrictions. I did not know much about Mr. Einstein's personal world prior to reading this and it was a solid read...enjoyable.

After achieving nearly mythical status as a genius this book brings Einstein back to down to human level. A complete biography from the beginning to the end of his life. The author shows us his humble beginnings as a child to his never-ending quest on his death bed to solve the riddles of the universe.

An engaging and easy to read book on Einstein, but it had insufficient treatment of his scientific work, and had way too many details on his personal life. As I'm new to biographies, maybe that's how all biographies go.

At times I struggled with this book. Apparently Albert Einstein knew how to explain his theories in a simple way, Walter Isaacson doesn't know how to do that. Add to that the fact that I'm notoriously bad at anything scientific and you will see the problem.Notwithstanding the obvious struggle, I did think this is a very interesting book. Before I bought this book I didn't know much (I should say: I knew nothing really) about Albert Einstein. All I had ever heard was the reputation that he was a difficult man, without emotion, scruffy, untidy. When I saw him on tv, I thought that couldn't be right. His eyes were too soft, friendly. That's when I decided I wanted to know more and this biography proves me right. He comes across as a very friendly and sweet person. Apparently he wasn't always an easy man, but who is? :-)After all, I think he was a fascinating man and I'm glad I read this book.

A great read. Some parts were too heavy with physics, so I skipped through them. Isaacson writes so well, he helps you really get to know Einstein. He seems like someone who would be great to out to dinner with.

Great book that makes you understand why Einstein was as icon. It was three books in one. It was a biography, overview of his physics theories (in layman?s language) and impacts of being Jewish in Germany during world war one & two. What really surprised me was that he struggled to get a professorship as well as his impact on the world stage away from physics. He was a remarkable person for his accomplishments in physics and beyond and this book brought his story and the times in which he lived to life.

Einstein was an amazing character and this book gets right into his life. If never ceases to amaze me that so much of the experimentation of Einstein was done in his imagination. He conducted and tested his theories in thought experiments. Titled "His Life and Universe", the book places his many discoveries in the context of his private life and the circumstances of the society in which he was living. The stories of his struggles with racism and nazi opposition are prior to WW2 are engaging. If you are like me and have trouble following the scientific stuff this book can be hard going. It is also very long. I was hoping it would contain some of the many quotes that are attributed to E. There were none.The book is really helpful in getting the Einstein the Man - and is worth the read for that reason alone.

An excellent read. Enjoyable, thought provoking, touching and inspiring.At six hundred odd pages including a comprehensive index and sources list this is not a quick read. Nevertheless, once I had started I did not consider the size of it until I reached the end, and then it was only in disappointment that I had finished already.Sumptuous detail about the man and the times in which he lived. Human, frail even naive but with a fiercely glowing flame of character and strong basic principles of goodness. So we get a fascinating view of a thoughtful and fundamentally peaceful man, living as best he can through a confused and violent period of history, with fame piled on to his shoulders together with the weight of the expectation of the easy and regular dispensation of wisdom in any area of human concern.Some of the stranger aspects of his life, that I had previously read about, certainly seemed to make more sense when viewed in the totality of his life even though total empathy is impossible from the written word alone.I also found this inspiring as someone trying to learn about science, and as a father.Go read it.

I had a mild interest in reading about Einstein, but frankly put off reading this biography for the simple reason that it seemed thicker than my interest. But what a wonderful read it is. Isaacson does a graceful job of keeping the pace moving, and an estimable job of explaining the science without letting it bog down the story.And, quite simply, Einstein is also a fascinating person to read about. Highly recommended.

plenty in here for physicists, other scientists, and general readers - his life, his science, his times. I suppose he was man of the century for a reason. it's plenty readable, and there are some great quotes included. shame he had such a poor family life. I did enjoy the epilogue about his brain and its wanderings through the years - wish we had a better idea of what to do with it!

What were personal qualities of the greatest scientist of the twentieth century that differentiated him from his contemporaries? I have read a lot of books about Albert Einstein, who was one of my childhood heroes (along with the Lone Ranger). We had a lot in common - the violin and physics, although he was said to enjoy music practice more than I did, and he was said to be tolerant of kids who liked science. I never got to meet my hero; he died when I was 15. None of those books that I have read about him, until this one by Walter Isaacson, satisfactorily addressed the the questions about the person behind the scientist that I longed to have answered. Even the author admits (on NPR) that there may be better popular books about Einstein's science, for example Abraham Pais' "Subtle is the Lord", but Walter Isaacson was the first writer to get access to Einstein's voluminous archive of personal correspondence. With that, he was able to put together the most intimate history available. The results are not all sweetness. Einstein was a pretty awful family man, and he had a sizable ego (although he tried to appear modest in public). Isaacson does a good job with the science, too. Despite not being a scientist himself, he acknowledges the help of some excellent physicists (including Brian Greene, Lawrence Krass, Douglas Stone, Murray Gell-Mann, David Mermin, and Gerald Holton, among others). With advisors like those, you can't go far wrong, and Isaacson doesn't. This is a book for you and your students.

Isaacson assembles a biography with enough details to make a high school English student puke, but it creates a complete picture of one of the world's most famous scientists. Einstein's charisma is clearly illustrated in this text, from personal relationships to his obsessive pursuit to explain the universe. It took me 6 weeks to read partly because I'm a slow reader, partly because the book is heavy, but mostly because I enjoyed the ride. I'm no physics major but managed to comprehend many of Isaacson's presentations of Einstein's theories and thought experiments, most of which I've forgotten by now. By and far, it was most satisfying to look inside his personal life, how he married his cousin (you read that right), never wore socks, was truly absent-minded, and was still working on his theories on his deathbed.

I was a little intimidated at first by this book because of the nature of the subject. My fear was that it would be too scientific. While there is a great deal about the great things that Einstein did, I found it to also have a great deal about his personal side. It was well written, kept me engaged throughout. There were some times where the science got a little too deep, but not too much. I have suggested it to friends.

An excellent biography of an extraordinary person. Mr. Isaacson's book about Dr. Einstein is well researched, well written, and takes us well beyond the science and the physicist. Mr. Isaacson describes Einstein's life, as well as the political and scientific culture he lived in. At times the science was a bit daunting (I read "Einstein for Dummies", which helped; other reviewers said they skipped those parts), but at other times, the book was actually quite humourous and portrayed a very real human being. I guess the best thing I can say about this book is how it inspired me to read "Einstein for Dummies", Einstein's own book "Relativity", and to re-read "Driving Mr. Albert" in which a reporter tracks down the pathologist who stole Dr. Einstein's brain, and after many years, decided to return it to the family.

As someone who only rarely reads biographies, I didn't expect to like this very much. Indeed, it wasn't the kind of plot-filled novel that I tend to like, which is why I only give it 3 stars. However, for a person who enjoys biography, I can recommend this book pretty highly. It was told in a not strictly sequential fashion (appropriate for the discoverer of relativity), and occasionally repeated itself on bits that had already been mentioned out of time order, but this was only jarring in a couple of instances. In general, though, it was full of interesting information on the man's life and his physics. Being a physicist myself, I can attest that the descriptions of the science included in the book are basically accurate, if somewhat simplified (as you might expect); but I have no idea how helpful they are for a layman's understanding of the physics, since I have the unfair advantage of already knowing what the theories say. ;)

Aside from a few painful descriptions of relativity theory and quantum physics, I absolutely loved this book. Though complex and imperfect, Einstein was both a genius and a true hero to humanity. HIghly, highly recommended. (I can hardly wait to read "Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain.")

To the unscientific, this book is readable. It does discuss his discoveries, but in a way you should be able to at least grasp some meaning from them.It isn't all science. It explores his personal and political life, and the events of rather interesting times that buffeted him, and helped shape his politics.All and all, a great read, about a very fascinating man, warts and all. Did not regret reading one single page of the book