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Any writer faces a formidable task in trying to contain the genius Einstein within the pages of a book, especially a short biography; whatever the author writes serves only to accent the magnitude of the man and his ideas. To the credit of Severance (a biographer who has already tackled two legendary twentieth-century figures with Gandhi [rev. 5/97] and Winston Churchill [rev. 7/96]), he opens with an attempt to place Einstein in history, a history that begins properly with Galileo and one that, Severance avows, will continue to move with yet more astonishing velocity into the new millennium. Engravings of Galileo and Newton set the stage for the superb archival photographs that reveal the private Einstein in his youth and the extraordinary ruffled image of the older Einstein who was often baffled by his popularity as a middle-aged scientist whose theories [the public] did not understand. Throughout, Severance affords us glimpses not only of the more private Einstein but also of the other public figures (Gandhi, Marie Curie, President Warren Harding, Freud, Hitler) who shaped his life and destiny. The narrative is expanded visually by photographs revealing not only the places he inhabited (Salzburg and Prague, Bern and Zurich) but also the scenes that defined his vision (the Princeton campus, a shell-torn village in WWI France, the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki). Personal details both humanize and complicate the man who attempted to boil an egg in a pot of soup to save time and minimize kitchen mess, who interrupted a lecture to excuse those who had come just to see the great man, who altered his longstanding pacifism to speak out publicly in support of military opposition tothe Nazis. Aware of his audience, Severance interrupts his own narrative several times to explain lucidly and succinctly certain of Einstein's theories. Severance appends an excellent, coherent timetable of events and a full bibliography to his text. That he chooses to juxtapose Einstein's orderly chronology with the complex blackboard workings of Einstein's theory of relativity speaks powerfully to the dualities that characterized the man and his life. Severance wisely gives the final words to Einstein: I live and I feel puzzled, and all the time I try to understand.

This is a thoughtful and well-written biography of Einstein, a complicated man whose life and work Severance chronicles clearly and firmly. Kirkus Reviews Einstein's life was marked by contrasts: he was intellectually bold but emotionally diffident, a pacifist who supported the Allies, and a devoted husband (the second time) who was all but estranged from his children. Severance follows these conflicting trails, showing his subject as he moves from failing student to pioneering researcher, from scientific novelty to icon. The author valiantly reports Einstein's movement up the academic ladder and adequately describes his theories, but he's most successful when he addresses Einstein's celebrity. As the scientist's revolutionary ideas gained acceptance among colleagues, they began to be (mis)reported in the daily papers. It wasn't long before people who didn't understand a thing he said were filling lecture halls to hear him speak. Researchers will find this a helpful resource... Booklist, ALA Any writer faces a formidable task in trying to contain the genius Einstein within the pages of a book, especially a short biography; whatever the author writes serves only to accent the magnitude of the man and his ideas. To the credit of Severance (a biographer who has already tackled two legendary twentieth-century figures with Gandhi [rev. 5/97] and Winston Churchill [rev. 7/96]), he opens with an attempt to place Einstein in history, a history that begins properly with Galileo and one that, Severance avows, will continue to move with yet more astonishing velocity into the new millennium. Engravings of Galileo and Newton set the stage for the superb archival photographs that reveal the private Einstein in his youth and the extraordinary ruffled image of the older Einstein who was often baffled by his popularity as a middle-aged scientist whose theories [the public] did not understand. Throughout, Severance affords us glimpses not only of the more private Einstein but also of the other public figures (Gandhi, Marie Curie, President Warren Harding, Freud, Hitler) who shaped his life and destiny. The narrative is expanded visually by photographs revealing not only the places he inhabited (Salzburg and Prague, Bern and Zurich) but also the scenes that defined his vision (the Princeton campus, a shell-torn village in WWI France, the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki). Personal details both humanize and complicate the man who attempted to boil an egg in a pot of soup to save time and minimize kitchen mess, who interrupted a lecture to excuse those who had come just to see the great man, who altered his longstanding pacifism to speak out publicly in support of military opposition to the Nazis. Aware of his audience, Severance interrupts his own narrative several times to explain lucidly and succinctly certain of Einstein's theories. Severance appends an excellent, coherent timetable of events and a full bibliography to his text. That he chooses to juxtapose Einstein's orderly chronology with the complex blackboard workings of Einstein's theory of relativity speaks powerfully to the dualities that characterized the man and his life. Severance wisely gives the final words to Einstein: I live and I feel puzzled, and all the time I try to understand. Horn Book In an inviting, easy-to-read format, the text covers not only the scientist's professional career, but also includes a substantial amount of information on his personal life. . . . The well-chosen, black-and-white photographs complement the printed matter, as do the numerous reminiscences and quotes from Einstein's friends and family. . . . A balanced and thorough look at a visionary and his place in history. School Library Journal, Starred

This is a thoughtful and well-written biography of Einstein, a complicated man whose life and work Severance (Thomas Jefferson, 1998, etc.) chronicles clearly and firmly. He explains how Einstein challenged the established thinkers (Galileo and Newton) in the field of physics, after a childhood that included his parents' concerns that their son might be mildly retarded. Even his teachers considered him a bit stupid, for he studied only what interested him and lacked obedience and discipline. Also covered is Einstein's father's gift of a compass, an object that seemed to unlock deeply hidden things about the universe. Severance sets forth Einstein's contradictions as a man, but readers will appreciate this thinker's role in constructing the framework of modern physics and extending science's information on the universe. (Kirkus Reviews)

This is a thoughtful and well-written biography of Einstein, a complicated man whose life and work Severance chronicles clearly and firmly. Kirkus Reviews <br>Einstein's life was marked by contrasts: he was intellectually bold but emotionally diffident, a pacifist who supported the Allies, and a devoted husband (the second time) who was all but estranged from his children. Severance follows these conflicting trails, showing his subject as he moves from failing student to pioneering researcher, from scientific novelty to icon. The author valiantly reports Einstein's movement up the academic ladder and adequately describes his theories, but he's most successful when he addresses Einstein's celebrity. As the scientist's revolutionary ideas gained acceptance among colleagues, they began to be (mis)reported in the daily papers. It wasn't long before people who didn't understand a thing he said were filling lecture halls to hear him speak. Researchers will find this a helpful resource..

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Formerly a school teacher, John B. Severance now writes full time. He lives in Savannah, Georgia.

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