WalterIsaacson’sEinsteinmeetsCraigBrown’s99GlimpsesofPrincessMargaret,inthisinnovativebiographyofthefamousphysicisttoldinninety-ninedazzlingvignettes.MostofuswouldagreethatAlbertEinstein’snameissynonymouswith“genius“andthathislikenessisoftenusedasashorthandforallscientists,appearingeverywherefromcartoonstotextbooks.Hehasbecomemoremyththanman.Thatbeingthecase,howbesttocapturehisessence?InEinsteininTimeandSpace,talentedyoungsciencejournalistSamuelGraydonanswersthatquestionwithanilluminatingmosaic--99intriguinglydifferentparticlesthatcumulativelyrevealEinstein’scontradictoryandmultitudinousnature.Glimpsedamongtheseshards:aslackerwhofailedeverysubjectbutmath,ajobseekerwhocouldn’tgethired,alothariowhocourtedmanywomen,andacharmerwhowasthelifeoftheparty.Asbrilliantashewasinconsistent,EinsteinwassimultaneouslyanavidsupporteroftheNAACPandthefightforcivilrightsandsomeonecapableofgreatprejudice.Hewaslovedbymany,knownbyfew,andinspirationaltoagenerationofyoungphysicists.GraydonrevealseverycornerofEinstein’sworld:thefalsereportingthatrocketedEinsteintofamenearlyovernight,hiseffectonpeoplehemetmerelyinpassing,eventheremarkableposthumousjourneyofthefamedphysicist’sbrain.Entertaining,comforting,bolstering,andshocking,EinsteininTimeandSpaceistheuniquestoryofamanwhoredefinedhowweviewouruniverseandourplacewithinit.
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