For a man that would be known the world over for his genius, Albert Einstein had a rather unimpressive childhood. It would not be until his mid-twenties that his insight into nature and its connection with mathematics became apparent. Working as a Swiss patent clerk, he would squirrel away his research papers in his desk and work on them when no one was looking. During his "miracle year" of 1905, Einstein would produce four papers that would revolutionize theoretical physics. One of the masterworks would later earn him a Nobel Prize and another paper covering his Special Theory of Relativity would upset the foundations of physics set forth by Sir Isaac Newton.
Though Einstein's professional career lead to world renown, his personal like was often in shambles - a failed marriage, estrangement from his children, and his time wondering as a refugee. After the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, his Jewish ancestry forced him to flee to the United States with his second wife to find a new homeland. Einstein finished his brilliant career at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton working on his "theory of everything" or a unified field theory - with no success.
This readable, compact biography surveys in concise terms the life and times of this towering figure. By the end of this short book, you will not only understand how the genius of Albert Einstein shaped our past, but how it continues to subtly influence the world in which we all live.
