Einstein and the Time Machine (Flashes of Genius) - Softcover

Novelli, Luca

Softcover

ISBN 10: 161373865X ISBN 13: 9781613738658

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2017

Synopsis

Albert Einstein wasn’t afraid to think for himself. Working as a clerk in the patent office in Bern, Switzerland, he wrote papers with fantastical theories—that light is both a wave and a particle; that matter can become energy, and energy can become matter; that space can “bend,” and time is relative. His revolutionary theories turned the world of physics upside down, and earned him a Nobel Prize. Einstein and the Time Machine tells the story of one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, as well as the basics of his Theory of Relativity. 

About this title

About the Author

Luca Novelli is a writer, artist, and journalist whose books about science and nature have been translated around the world. In 2001 he received the League for the Environment Award, and in 2004 he won the Andersen Prize for popularizing science.

Reviews

Gr 3–5—Weaving a tale of physics and family, this biography of Albert Einstein presents a pithy overview of the genius's life while touching on its most potent moments. It is not, as the title would suggest, an examination of Einstein's theory of relativity but rather an exploration of the events of Einstein's life (though the theory does, of course, make an appearance). Growing up, marriage, discoveries, and disappointments are marked with emotion and humor through a first-person narrative. The Quentin Blake—esque illustrations are lighthearted and whimsical. Between chapters, Novelli offers some harder scientific explanations of the work Einstein produced through his life. The prose is at times clunky (like an adult talking to a child in a too-loud, too-slow voice), and the connection of the interchapter science summaries to the main text is not always clear, but the facts are all there, even if the tone sometimes underestimates the intelligence of readers. Especially moving is the reminder that this great scientist sought asylum in the United States during a tumultuous time in history, making the work appropriate for current events discussions. A "Relativity Dictionary" provides some excellent encyclopedic descriptions of terms and topics that pop up throughout the volume. VERDICT A good biographical purchase for libraries where Penguin's "Who Was?" series is popular.—Chelsea Woods, New Brunswick Free Public Library, NJ

Edition details

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 161373865X
• ISBN 13: 9781613738658
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112