In the company of Armstrong, Einstein and Jobs

My reading, like all other activities, takes form of a sine wave: there are times when I read feverishly, knocking off a book a week, and then there are times when I do not even read the newspaper. 
Well, the first four months of the year 2013 have been the crest of the wave, so far. Apart from just the number of books, the quality of the material has been outstanding. I plan to review some of these books in a couple of posts. 

In this post, the biographies. 
 

 

First Man: Written by James Hansen, this is the only authorized biography of Neil Armstrong, the first person to step on the Moon. Well-researched and written in an engaging manner, this biography reveals the human side of this reclusive man. It also clears a lot of myths, and false rumours that Armstrong chose not to respond to during his life time. A must-read book for all the fans and followers of the space programme.

Einstein: His life and Universe: There are a number of biographies written on this genius -- some of them very good ones indeed -- but the one written by Walter Isaacson is the best by a wide margin. I especially enjoyed the chapters that describe how Einstein came up with various thought experiments that led him on the way to the special and general theories of relativity.

Steve Jobs: Again by Walter Isaacson! Though I am a bit partial towards Bill Gates, I really enjoyed reading about Steve Jobs, one of the prominent visionaries of our times. It is a great fun to read about Jobs's wry remarks about his contemporaries and his equally poignant observations about innovations and ideas. 

[Biography] Einstein: The Life and Times

Adolf Hitler, the ultimate dictator, Mahatma Gandhi, the ultimate pacifist and Albert Einstein, the ultimate scientist…three people in world history, who, in spite of a huge number of books having been written about them, still continue to have an aura of mystery about them.
There could be some doubt whether Hitler was as evil incarnate as he is picturised to be ( yeah, there are people who nearly worship him), there could be a some doubt as to whether Gandhi’s principles are still applicable in these times, but there could be no doubt that Einstein’s genius has changed our perceptions of time and space for ever.

In fact, TIME magazine declared him the Person of Century in 2000. He ranks up there with Newton & Galileo. (Some people add Stephen Hawking to this elite club, but am not sure if that is a unanimous sentiment across the scientific community.)

Einstein: The Life and Times by Ronald W Clark fulfilled my long standing desire to read a well-researched biography of one of the greatest geniuses ever. It consists of almost 900 pages of small print and over two dozen photographs.

The biography begins with details about Einstein’s birth place, Ulm, and his grand-parents. Then it sketches the lives of his parents, before delving into young Albert’s childhood. He was in Berlin throughout the First World War, and witnessed the rise of Nazism. Hitler’s hatred of Jews forced him to relocate to America, where he worked at Princeton’s Institute of Advanced Studies throughout the later part of his life.

Author has drawn his material mainly from Einstein’s correspondence, which was quite extensive. Einstein regularly wrote long letters to his fellow physicists across Europe, in which he not only discussed problems in theoretical physics but also those that plagued the world of his times. Throughout the book, Einstein comes across as a person of the world, one who had the vision to foresee the nuclear race. His thoughts on various aspects of life such as politics, religion, and society have been extensively analysed.

Of course, to most of us, Einstein would remain the absent-minded scientist ( which he indeed was, when it came to remembering ‘trifles’ like his own telephone number or house address), one who often helped kids with their homework ( he once wrote to a young girl, “do not worry about your math problems; mine are much bigger”) and had a fine sense of humour ( he once autographed his portrait sketch as “ This well-sated pig you see, professor Einstein purports to be”). All these qualities only enhanced the aura around him, which remains intact till this day.

Indeed, today the word “Einstein” has almost become a synonym for “genius”.

Reading this biography not only helped me understand this man better, but also to appreciate his work and his views even more.

I came across this book in personal library of RVP; and the fact that I wouldn’t budge without taking it, made her donate it to me. Thank you!

[Biography] Einstein: His Life & Universe

Einstein: His Life & Universe
By Walter Isaacson

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.

More about the book can be read here:
http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Life-Universe-Walter-Isaacson/dp/0743264738