“Few books have created the kind of excitement the way this biography has. I read a short review of it in Sunday Express about three weeks ago, got curious and looked for more reviews on Internet. To say that people have liked this book would be a gross underestimation. It has been hailed as one of the best biographies ever written. Here is what The New Yorker has to say about it:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2007/04/02/070402crbo_books_updike
What makes it so special?
First of all, it is the biography of one of the greatest geniuses of all times. Few people inspire the kind of awe that Einstein does. So much so, that the name Einstein itself has become something of a synonym for “genius”. And understandably so! Photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, Special Theory of Relativity, General Theory of Relativity... each of these would have been enough to put him among the greatest scientists. However, he never seemed to be complacent of his achievements. Even during his last days, he was working on the Grand Unified Theory, a theory that would bring together General Relativity & Quantum Theory.
The name Walter Isaacson is familiar to me because of his interview of Bill Gates for Reader's Digest about a decade ago. At that time, Gates was fresh from the spectacular success of Windows 95, and he was crushing the competition in a ruthless way. There were two extreme reactions towards him: people either worshipped him as a visionary out to transform the world or some evil genius set out to rule the world. Isaacson's interview of Gates brought out a humane side of him and showed us all was Bill was as human as all of us, just a bit more competitive.
I am very much looking forward to reading this biography of Einstein.”
posted Saturday, October 13 2007