Teach Yourself Physics: a travel companion

I'm writing this review without having read Part III yet (just skimmed it), only because I intend to revisit it (and I feel it was meant to be read) when I have started studying/reviewing the subjects themselves. The main agenda of the book though is found in the chapters before and after it (which I finished in one afternoon, as I found the book was an easy read and for me an enjoyable one). I am reading this as a former physics major who dropped out in the middle of the bachelors program 11 years ago and now wish to pursue it again.

The book could very well be called “How the Study of Physics Ought to Be”.

Not only does the author attempt to democratize physics with non-elitist language, he also bravely exposes the futility, in some ways, of conventional routes of education, something you are inevitably subjected to by pursuing a university degree. Furthermore, he provides some insider information from the scientific field.

In no way does he discourage university, but he does offer a roadmap for anybody who wishes to study physics not only in pursuit of a career “trophy” but also to help expand what is currently illuminated in the field. The latter not necessarily as an alternative but also as a supplement to the former.

In some parts I felt the author is suggesting that the alternative route outside of the former could help you achieve the latter, but here we have the paradox that actually putting a place for your own findings is near impossible without the credentials of university.

Also in some chapters a lot of what he wants to teach you are in external resources, offered through direct URLs provided in the margins. Sociology was one chapter where he does a better job at teaching the reader without making eternal references, because here he teaches his own methods and describes his own experience with specific examples.

A reader with zero background in the subject might also find themselves lost in chapters such as The Structure of Physics where some jargon is suddenly thrown at you, but don't let this discourage you from perusing the rest of the book.

Though I don't find this as eloquent/poetic a read as other democratizing texts (such as those by Rovelli), all in all it was a pleasant read, and I will definitely check out his other, subject-specific books.