Einstein: His Life and Universe

The book offers a glimpse into the life and thoughts of Einstein; not just his science, but also his messy and complicated personal life as well as his well-formed and articulate views on society and politics.

I appreciate the fact that the author does not dwell too much on the science. Attempting to present Einstein's science in a popular book would, in all likelihood, have entailed gross oversimplifications and watering down on the key aspects. Since the author is not a practising scientist himself, he has intelligently avoided this trap, instead focussing more on the story of how these discoveries were made and the impact they had on his life.

I also appreciate how both Einstein's messy personal life, as well has his opinions and activities in the socio-political sphere, have been mostly given the attention they deserve. Especially (though not exclusively) towards the latter half of his life, Einstein was outspoken about his views on politics and society: espousing his view of pacifism, socialism (albeit a gentler form), a unified world government, and a strong distaste for nationalism.

However, if you look carefully, it is evident how the author tries to gloss over some of Einstein's viewpoints, especially where they may contradict with the author's own—this is by main criticism of the book. Such views were either ignored altogether, or varnished over with explanatory remarks. A couple of examples: (i) Einstein was scathingly critical about the US administration during the McCarthy/Red-scare era; and (ii) his support for Zionism was anything but unconditional, and he was a pacifist and against nationalism throughout his life. These ‘inconvenient' aspects of Einstein's views are underplayed in the book.