“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein
What humble words mumbled by one of my all-time, favorite geniuses, Albert Einstein. I highly doubt anyone on this planet thinks that Einstein was “no special talent;” however, Einstein viewed himself as a kid in a sandbox when he daydreamed about the universe and its intricate details and workings.
Work was play. Thinking, figuring, and wondering was his unabashed enjoyment. He worked alone and frequently relied on his intuition. Einstein was the ultimate example of tapping into creative intelligence. His curiosity and unwavering drive for answers would eventually lead him to become one of the greatest minds of all time. Oh, the lessons we can learn from him!
As a lifelong, passionate fan of Albert Einstein, I knew a bit about him, but after reading Walter Isaacson’s biography, Einstein: His Life and Universe, I saw the genius from a different perspective. The book is a detailed summary of all aspects of Einstein’s life. Isaacson not only chronologically explains Einstein’s work in regard to his theory of special relativity, quantum physics, and his involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb, but he also tells a compelling story about the geniuses’ personal life, his anti-war activism during WWI, and more.
Professor Einstein, known as the Father of Cosmology, believed in a universal intelligence and wanted a one-world government for ultimate peace on Earth. As a self-absorbed scientist, he would sometimes spend months ignoring his family. His first wife, also a physicist and an intellectual colleague, found herself having to compete with him in a male-dominated profession and would eventually become resentful, depressed, and physically ill. A bitter divorce ensued and Albert Einstein remarried.
I recommend Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson to anyone who is curious about the man behind the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics. It was a pleasure to read this book and to learn more about this incredible man.
A bit about the author, Walter Isaacson:
Walter Isaacson is an American writer and journalist. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the chairman and CEO of Cable News Network (CNN) and the Managing Editor of Time Magazine.
In addition to writing Einstein: His Life and Universe, Isaacson has written biographies of Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Henry Kissinger. In 2012, he was selected as one of the Time 100, the magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world.
Mr. Isaacson has honorary degrees from Tufts University, Cooper Union, William & Mary, Franklin University Switzerland, University of New Orleans, University of South Carolina, City University of New York, Pomona College, Lehigh University, Duke University, and Colorado Mountain College and has received numerous awards throughout his lifetime.
To purchase Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson, visit Amazon.
Vilma Reynoso 