| Publication Overview School Librarian vol. 54 no. 1 Spring 2006
At first appearance it may seem too cumbersome for a pupil, and a librarian or teacher may be reluctant to recommend it, That is, until you read it! This is a thoroughly grounded biography of Einstein, a major figure of the 20th century whose presence and theory will live on for another hundred years.
It is the kind of book that a sixth former or adult would probably read straight through, but it could be used in a non-fiction quiz for a younger age group. This book appeals to anyone interested in the universe, science or physics, or who is curious about the life of someone famous.
The book is split in two, the first section dealing with 'The Physicist' and hence ideal reading for coursework or project work with reasonably short chapters, concisely written with clear explanations. Some of Einstein’s concepts are difficult to comprehend and it could be helped with more illustrative diagrams. The second half 'The Man' acts as a taster for the curious among us who want to know about 'The Most Famous Man in the World' or 'Einstein's Enduring Magic'.
This is certainly a book that is too detailed for ages 11 to 16 to read straight through, but its sources mainly from the Albert Einstein Archive at the Hebrew University, and major contributions of 11 essays from leading academics are second to none. There is a lot of good reading, with detailed research for any project here. For younger readers (11 to 16), you could have fun with a quiz containing questions like What happened in Einstein's life in 1915?'; Under General Relativity what is the full quote 'When a blind beetle...'?; Write two sentences about Einstein's Jewishness; When and why did Einstein stick his tongue out in that famous photo?
This is one of the best books on Einstein to be found. Einstein found the universe a curious place; kids are bound to find him curious. By the way, the answer to the photo is on page 239.
Richard Murphy | 
