5 comments about Einstein: His Life and Universe (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers).

1. One of the biggest problems with this biography is its length. I agree that 550 pages isn't excessive for the most iconic intellectual of the 20th century, but the book is plagued by the constant repetition of information that was already given, presumably for emphasis. This wouldn't be a problem if there were an enormous number of characters, or if the facts were of special interest, but often the information has already been clearly articulated and was of obvious importance when it was first mentioned. Thus a book about one of the most important men in 20th century science becomes about 75 pages too long at a paltry 550 pages. By comparison Martin Gilbert's biography of Winston Churchill is over 1000 pages long (the short version) and every page is captivating and relevant. Nevertheless, the book does provide a serviceable account of Einstein's life, despite a few flaws that only become onerous as one slogs towards the conclusion.
   
   Another irritating habit of the author's is the repeated interludes where he ruminates on the qualities which contributed to Einstein's revolutionary achievements in theoretical physics, which serve mainly to disrupt the narrative flow and are for the most part uninteresting. Many of these could be summed up if the author just wrote 'Remember, he's a rebel!' every fifty pages or so. Isaacson also seems to glide through the second world war, only giving the most cursory attention to Einstein's opinions on the bloodiest conflict of the century and the near extermination of Einstein's European brethren. I don't think it's overly presumptuous to expect that Einstein's reaction to the most infamous atrocity in modern history might merit a few more pages.
   
   I think I'll stop here before I make this book sound worse than it actually is. As mentioned before it is for the most part interesting, despite bloating. Three and a half stars, rounded down to 3 for spite.



2. Writing about Einstein's standing in the history of modern science requires wide and deep knowledge of diverse disciplines of knowledge, let alone the highly demanded writer's discretion in filtering out public propaganda from objective factual information. This author earns an "A" in his objective analysis of how Albert Einstein, the man, has demonstrated his genius in answering the pressing questions of the twentieth century's modern science.
   
   The book describes in vivid details the timeframe when Einstein engaged in academic research. The genius of the Einstein was not born in vacuum. Einstein's generation was confronted with the new findings of subatomic particles, artificial radiation, and electromagnetism. Einstein's first defined mission was to tackle the puzzle of ether as a medium for propagating radiation. Einstein brilliantly capitalized on the experiment of the constancy of the speed of light, regardless of the Earth's rotation, and devised the theory of relativity with the conservative restraint that Newton's classical mechanics remains a valid subset of relativistic mechanics.
   
   Adhering to Newton's doctrine, Einstein again reconciled Plank's quanta with Newton's postulate that light was both corpuscular and particulate. Thus, Einstein hit two birds with one stone: the quanta. Einstein defended the Maxwellian wave theory of electromagnetism as a time-averaged interpretation of Newtonian particulate nature of radiation. With both Plank's quanta, Kirchhoff's blackbody radiation, and Lernard's photoelectric effect, Einstein was able to seal his genius in the history of modern science as the discoverer of the law of quantization of radiation.
   
   As the previous greater theoreticians; Newton and Maxwell had proven their genius by relying on the experimental works of Copernicus and Faraday, Einstein followed the same path by capitalizing on Kirchhoff's and Lenard's experimental findings of the nature of interaction of radiation and matter. The book demonstrates the atmosphere of sharing knowledge in Europe in the early 1900's that engaged Einstein to the earnest interactions of the greatest scientific minds of his time.
   
   The First World War signaled the end of Einstein's greatest contribution to science. With the defeat of Germany, Einstein was on the run for safe haven. Though America offered Einstein such sanctuary, the American nuclear and atomic research was government-run and excluded the non-conformist scientists such as Einstein. Einstein's genius dried up by the indiscriminate governmental exclusion of his new homeland. Immigration to the new land, offered Einstein the financial security and the public fame minus the scientific prosperity. Einstein ran away from Nazism and Fascism yet to confront McCarthyism and racial tension in America.
   
   The book sheds light of the personal limitations that hindered Albert Einstein in maintaining healthy family relation. Einstein's entanglements in international and local politics at the expense of catching up with modern advances in nuclear physics was paralleled by his alienation of his ex-wife and ill son and his stubborn adherence to unify gravitation and electromagnetism despite his lack of follow up of any new experimental breakthroughs. For twenty years after arriving in America, Einstein never traveled overseas except to get a visa from Bermuda.
   
   The book clearly rebuts the aura that Einstein was the greatest mathematicians and explains how Einstein relied on his colleagues to devise the theory of General relativity. The book sheds light on Einstein's struggles with endless errors and miscalculation that squandered many decades of his old age in seeking a unified field theory that reconciles the particulate nature of radiation with gravitation. Furthermore, the writer did not shy away from the controversy of awarding Einstein the Nobel Prize for the work pioneered by Philipp Lenard, while the theory of relativity remained a philosophical puzzle. Even Einstein had poked holes in his own theory while attacking Quantum mechanics for spooky actions at distances. Niels Bohr's explanation that objects entangled in actions serve a defined quantum function explains how all objects in the universe serve specific quantum function by lieu of their entanglement in gravitational actions. An explanation that defeats the main argument about the relativistic nature of time postulated by Einstein.
   
   Finally, the book leaves the objective reader with many questions: whether or not Einstein's neglect of his personal appearance, his content with marrying his cousin, refusing to see his own ill son Edwards and his estranged ex-wife, refraining from travel, shutting off his mind to new developments in science, indulging in smoking despites his doctor's advice, and sticking to his guns on relying solely on mathematics to solve physical puzzles; were in any way signs of his overall detachment both from science and life? Whether or not the public reverence of Einstein falls within the realm of glorifying superstars, elevating them to superhuman status, and has contributed to Einstein's mental freezing? Whether of not spoiling scientist with extravagant privileges undermine their ability to excel in their field of search for knowledge?
   
   Though Einstein lived long enough enjoy the demise of Nazism and Fascism, the success of tapping into the nuclear energy, he died few years before the invasion of space became reality, the wide proliferation of the solid-state computers, laser applications, particle accelerators, discovery of the genetic codes, the end of McCarthyism and the triumph of the civil rights movement.
   
   Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength TrainingEssentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training (Paperback)



3. It seems that the other reviewers have exhausted all superlatives in describing this book. I feel that this volume far more than any other I have read is an extremely enjoyable read, fairly represents Einsteins world views and gives you a great perspective on the life and times of this great man.
   
   Some of the science discussions in the book will leave you wanting but this is an biography and not a text book. All in all a very enjoyable read filled with new insights on one of the most creative mind in history.



4. This is hands down the best Einstein book available today. The author goes above and beyond any expectations i had. He some of the best research i have ever seen in a book. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
   
   I have read several Einstein books and this is the absolute best. It covered everything i have read in the other books and went far beyond that.
   
   The author (Isaacson) makes this book very easy to read and follow (although he does use a lot of scientific terms, which he has to). I really couldnt put the book down.
   
   If you're looking for an excellent book about the life of Einstein from first-hand research this is your book. And the price can't be beat. I thought i would be spending 30+ but its less than 20 anywhere. ENJOY!



5. What a superb job Issacson has done with this truely great man. Somehow the author has been able to give us a glimse at the Einstein sole and I loved what I saw. Every American should read this book especialy at this time in their history. Get a picture at what sort of society true intellegence can envisage before you let it slip further away.

5 comments about Ingrid: Ingrid Bergman, A Personal Biography (Thorndike Press Large Print Biography Series).

1. Having had a close, sweet friendship with Ingrid the last 12 years of her life, I can easily say that Ms Chandler's remembrances of Ingrid, marked by numerous interviews of family, friends & collegues rings very true!
   Being privy to many personal aspects of Ingrid's life, visits to Choisel, dinners in Paris & London, etc., I was swept with nostalgia & memories of dear Ingrid as I read this marvelous story picturing Ingrid as she really was in her life.
   Following a less than nice review of a play in London, Ingrid was appearing in, she wrote to me about that notice & said: "Let the dogs bark
   the caravan moves on!" Typical Bergman.
   Unpretentious, caring, sweet, natural, I loved Ingrid dearly, as a friend!
   This book says it all!



2. very disappointing no new facts or interesting untold published background on the star.



3. This book was purchased as a gift, and the recipient was very well pleased.
   It has great interest to people, women particularly, who were living during the period of Ingrid Bergman's stardom and scandal.



4. This book tells a very human story about the life of Ingrid Bergman from the time of her parents before she was born, to her early life after her mothers death, to being an actress in Sweeden Hollywood and Italy to being a wife three times and mother of four including Isabella Rossalini.
   
   Great Book, Very interesting life!



5. This was a well-written story about Ingrid Bergman...I had seen her in several movies but did not know about her background. Just things I had read and heard about her. The author really captured her fascinating life in detail from her birth until her death...and revealed how Ingrid Bergman felt about the things that were happening to her throughout her life. I thought the book was a page turner and I couldn't put it down.

5 comments about All Creatures Great and Small.

1. Mr. James Herriot is an uncommon writer, possessed of extraordinary skill and a mastery of the English language. When speaking of works of fiction, he is my favorite writer. His ability to choose perfectly appropriate and descriptive words, phrases, and metaphors to verbally illustrate unique characteristics, landscapes, feelings, and situations still has me mesmerized.
   
   "All Creatures Great and Small" is autobiographical in that Mr. Herriot is the central character of the book, though James Herriot is the pen name of the real author, Jim Wight. However, since the work is defined as a novel, then one may assume that Mr. Herriot took certain liberties in relating many of the tales he unfolds. Mr. Herriot is a veterinary surgeon, and much of his novel specifically involves dealing with particular cases of sick livestock and ailing house pets. One should not quickly conclude, however, that this story is merely about the ramblings of a country animal doctor who at times finds himself in interesting situations, as some reviewers would suggest.
   
   Instead, my feeling is that Mr. Herriot utilized his visits to multiple and varied farms and residences in the British countryside to highlight the individual conditions, attitudes, and distinctive persons he discovered at each location. The book becomes absolutely delightful and poignant, for instance, when Mr. Herriot kindly sits at an aging woman's bedside and tenderly comforts her with his voiced belief that her devoted, loving dogs and cats are indeed possessed of souls and that she need not fear that they will again be her companions in the afterlife.
   
   And I do not believe I have laughed out loud so frequently while reading one book. Some of my personal favorites are when his brakes go out on his car and he must navigate a steep and winding descent to the bottom of a low valley, where his next veterinary visit is scheduled, and when he finds himself on his first date with the woman he is destined to marry and the only respectable dress suit he owns is several years out of fashion and far too tight-fitting, which is partly why he becomes far too nervous and a bout of awkward conversation and actions follow. Additionally, much might be said here about the quirky relationship Mr. Herriot has with his unpredictable and explosive yet perfectly harmless and generous employer, a Mr. Siegfried Farnon, and Siegfried's younger brother, Tristan. Farnon's demanding attitude regarding his veterinary business affairs, especially in the face of Tristan's irresponsibility in mishandling assignments and responsibilities, is often the basis for much of the hilarity in the book.
   
   In speaking of his relationships with those to whom he is closest on a personal level and the frequently visited owners of his animal patients, Mr. Herriot has an especially profound gift when it comes to praising the best characteristics that are found in the human race. He speaks with eloquent fondness when describing the beautiful traits he sees in his lovely Helen, his soon-to-be wife. And when he stumbles upon a man or woman who he feels is in ownership of certain admirable exceptionality, such as industry or thrift or honesty or discipline or gentleness, his written accolades of such persons is heartwarming and deeply inspiring.
   
   Thus I would say that this book has everything. It touches upon the topics of death, faith, humor, love, devotion, stewardship, human strengths and frailties, prosperity and poverty, work and idleness, occupation, and the list goes on. Given that these interesting topics are handled so capably by Mr. Herriot's writing talent, I doubt that any sensitive reader would find this book to be anything but delightful and praiseworthy.



2. One of the best books I've read in my life. A must read. Very well written. Makes you want to write like him.
   
   I remember seeing my high school biology teacher reading this book at her desk while she had some time to herself, while we did our thing with dissections, etc. It seemed that she couldn't get her hands off this book. And I'd wonder what the book was about. Something about creatures. Maybe it was about GOD and church and religion.
   
   Now that I've had a chance to read this book, twenty years later, I can say that it is a wonderful book! You don't want this book to end. And now I understand why my biology teacher was so hooked on it.
   
   This is a nonfictional book about an English veterinarian writing about his funny and sometimes dramatic profession. From how he started, to his everyday events in a small town (away from the big city such as London) to how he meets his future wife, and his gradual establishment of his veterinary life. This book is filled with funny moments that makes you pause with a smile on your face. And has its poignant moments that makes you realize its wonderful writing.
   
   This book gives you a glimpse of what the veterinary world is like on his side, on the countryside of life, with real people and real stories, and of course, with real animals. Animals and people and veterinary work that you will come to love.



3. I can't add much more than the previous reviews. How many books on Amazon have a 5 star rating with 100+ reviews? Missed this one during school and read all three of Herriot's books in my 40's. Truly lovely, wise, and transporting. I will make sure my children don't wait as long as I did to discover these classics.



4. Wonderful and inspiring stories of a country vet are humorously written but also deliver a good amount of practical veterinary insight. It's nice to read from the point of view of a kind-hearted yet practical country animal lover.



5. I bought this edition as a gift for a graduating vet student (every vet needs a copy in his or her office). The book is a classic, and the hardcover is suitable for gifting.

5 comments about Gift from the Sea (Random House Large Print).

1. Listed as a 'summer read' in a local magazine list - I hadn't heard of this book. I picked it up and finished it from one afternoon into the next morning. And -- there was nothing surprising or new to be found here in the book - the pace at which its written and the uncomplicated natural way Lindbergh examines her life and her impressions of life's stages will have me passing this book on to many people in my life.



2. What timeless wisdom there is in this little book. Although it was written many decades ago, the challenges and issues faced by Anne Morrow Lindbergh are the same ones faced by women in today's crazy, bustling world. In fact, although women in Siberia, Cameroon, or Ceylon might not have her specific set of circumstances, they can still identify with Lindbergh's ponderings about a woman's life, her obligations, her relationships, and her needs. She lived in an upscale suburb of Connecticut and was the mother of five children, and yet there's something in her writing that can touch the souls of women everywhere whether in a grass hut or trailer beside a busy highway
   
   The chapters in Gift from the Sea center on Lindbergh's musings during a two-week vacation at the shore. Leaving husband, children, and house behind, she lives in a bare beach cabin without heat, telephone, plumbing, hot water, rugs, or curtains. She finds simplicity beautiful and longs to take it home to Connecticut when her vacation ends.
   
   Lindbergh takes a shell at a time and describes it in relation to other things in a woman's life. For instance, the moon shell reminds her that quiet time, solitude, contemplation, and "something of one's own" is needed. The double-sunrise represents the pure relationship found in early stages of friendship and marriage, and she reminds the reader that there is no permanent return to an old form of relationship since all are in the process of change. The oyster bed symbolizes the middle years of marriage and family, especially as the home itself grows and expands to accommodate the growing family.
   
   I first read this book when I was a young mother and could readily understand Lindbergh's comment that saints were so rarely married woman because of the distractions inherent in raising children and running a house. "Human relationships with their myriad pulls--woman's normal occupations in general run counter to creative life, or contemplative life, or saintly life." Now in midlife, I can better understand her affinity for all the shells as reminders that each cycle of the wave, the tide, and the relationship is valid.



3. This book came very highly recommended by two friends who are avid book readers. However I hate to admit that the book did not move me as much as my friends claimed that it moved them. I was more interested about the background references to the author's personal life and how the book came into being. That I would have read voraciously. The book is short but I don't intend to read it again to see what I missed. I believe a book either moves you or it doesn't. This particular book despite other rave reviews did not move me despite my great affinity for the sea and women writers. I wonder if perhaps if the book would have touched me differently if I read it in the beach rather than on a plane which I did.



4. I have never been a big fan of books on CD. This changed with Gift from the Sea with the forward by Reeve Lindbergh and beautifully read by Claudette Colbert. This is a beautifully written and recorded book. I keep it in my car and play it quite often. I have orderered additional copies to share with friends. It is indeed as relevant today as it was fifty years ago and probably even more pertinent in today's fast paced world where we fail to slow down give ourselves alone time to comtemplate our lives. Reeve Lindbergh's forward about her mother was a lovely bonus. Although I have not read any of her children's books, I have read everything else she has written that I can find and encourage anyone who has not read her books to check her out on [...].



5. This is a very touching book and it brings up many feelings that I needed to get in touch with. I would highly recommend it.

5 comments about The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of an American Family (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper)).

1. I couldn't put this book down. It is so touching, and profound. At times I would put the book down and laugh out loud! What a family to belong to, I bet everyone who read the book was jealous, and wants to take a month trip of their own!



2. The PBS series based on this memoir is entertaining, but the book is so much more. It's poignant, it's deeper, and it's much, much funnier -- laugh out loud finny. Marge and Jack emerge in the book as three-dimensional people, not just the target of jokes that the TV version focuses on. You'll also learn heart-rending details of their childhoods, the pervasive sadness that both have coped with, and you'll understand why Mike Leonard thinks he leads a charmed life.



3. A good quick read. The book is funny,sad,and so much like most of our lives. The family is a say it like it is. We are just as we come take us or leave us. I would take them, read the book it was very enjoyable.



4. This was a wonderful real life account of a family's journey
   through life's many turns.A story all family's can relate too!
   Bought young and old will enjoy it. I liked it very much.
   
   Brian Klune, Colchester,CT.



5. I enjoyed the book so much. Mike Leonard has written an amazing book about a trip with his parents and how much he learns about them. The book makes you feel like you are riding along with them in the RV experiencing every mile of the trip. I laughed out loud and even cried like a baby in spots. I am now watching the series on the PBS channel on Thursday nights. If anyone can tell me how to get in touch with Mike Leonard (ie) email. Please let me know by emailing me at rangersfan5@optonline.net. I would love to let him know how great his book was.

5 comments about Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham (Walker Large Print Books).

1. Unless Billy did a fantastic job in hiding all of the difficult and trying times of his life (as I suspect in the case of his troubled relationship with his son Franklin), WHAT A LIFE this man had!!! Who would not want to have what he had: travels; meetings with the rich, the famous, the wise; success; financial stability; a loving wife; great kids; and most of all, the honor and privilege to lead millions to Christ. Can you imagine the party they'll throw in heaven when he gets there? However, the book was very mediocre in my view. Very seldom the author opened his heart and expressed his true feelings...Lots of anecdotes, details, insignificant (to the reader) stuff; it was not a total waste of time, because you always get the feeling that this man loves his Lord and truly wants to serve Him. Not much to say against that...I just wish he could have made deeper remarks about people and events in general.



2. i'm very excited with this purchase. I received the product in very well condition and in good time.



3. Let me first preface this by saying that I've never actually heard a Billy Graham message but was curious to learn about him given his wide influence both in the religious and political realm. It's obvious why he is so popular he has a great sense of humor and a way of telling storys that while amazingly simple does not insult the intellegience of the listner. Also the fact that his life was good material to work with didn't hurt at all. He's a fascinating character while on one hand he is a throw back to the old school evangelists like Billy Sunday who preached with exuberant energy and strength against the evils of such things as alcohol and secularism but on the other hand he hurdled christianity into the future in the way he worked with several different church denominations and revolutionized evangelism through mass media a feat that has never been equaled sense. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Billy Graham is how such an immedeatly plain spoken individual made such headway with the secular media and goverment heirarchy this is something Billy Graham himself admits belwilderment to on the back cover of the book. His popularity would explain somewhat his influence in government it's clear that politicians thought and rightfully so that his views represented those of a lot of Americans. However there is never really any explanation as to why or how for example he became the first minister to speak at the London School of Business he himself admitted that he wasn't the most intellectual of his peers. Perhaps it is as Billy Graham claims the power of the gospel.
   A couple of the things I admired were Billy Grahams honesty when it came to dealing with such things as money and women. I also personally liked the fact that he didn't try to pretend he was more pompous than he really was he's open about experiences that some ministers would no doubt be embarassed by such as going to movies with a lot of nudity at young age, being hit on by a girl in high school, and acting like a bumbling fool around presidents Truman and Eisenhower. As some people on here have alluded to already it does sort of seem like he was an absintee father. I was a bit disturbed by this as a Christian I think God calls married men to be husbands and fathers first and foremost. I have to admit though I think a lesser man wouldn't have disclosed such details as his young daughter not being able to recognize her mother.



4. This book was a "Masterpiece" of a book and I enjoyed every bit of it. I could clearly see that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise for his glory. It will inspire and strenghten your faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.



5. This is an excellent autobiography about the world's most famous evangelist Billy Graham. It will take you through his life and through his ministry. Great book about a great evangelist!!!

5 comments about Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning (Thorndike Press Large Print Biography Series).

1. This is a surprisingly well written biography by an actor whom we thought was only a pretty face. He tells us some inside facts of his thoughts, his life and marriage and how he has grown and changed. The tittle says it all and then he fleshes it out. I'm giving this book to a lifelong friend who was a huge fan of Kirk Douglas 50-60 years ago.



2. I could not put the book down ,I had to read it from cover to cover . He is a one of a kind person It shows how you will always go back to your roots



3. I have read past books by Kirk Douglas which were much better, mainly because they told a story, and this book is mostly ramblings. It is okay to pick up and read a bit from time to time but not a book you will be engrossed in.



4. Kurt does it again. At ninety he is still feisty and funny. And his life- story which he has told in two previous books is only enriched by another retelling. He opens with the story of his ninetieth birthday party, a gala family event in which he laughs and is laughed at as well as celebrated and appreciated. The little kid from Amsterdam did not do so bad. He may have started out as a poor hungry kid robbing eggs from the neighbor's chicken coop but he with a lot of moxie and ability made it to the top of the American entertainment world. In this book which comes across as a series of small essays or talks he wanders all over the place but always interestingly. He in his long career knew a lot of remarkable people and he tells about many of his old buddies. He also in the course of this speaks about how much he misses many of them, one of the sad consequences of a very long life. He also speaks about the tragic death of his youngest son, whose grave he visits twice a week.
   Kurt did not make it the easy way. A heart attack, a helicopter crash which set him back a lot, a stroke which took his speech from him. The stroke however did not take away his will and through great effort much help he fought back to speak and think clearly again. Part of his wake- up process was a decision to explore Judaism which he had sort of forgotten about in his prime acting years ( Except for his yearly Yom Kippur synagogue visits, and the movies made in Israel which he is a staunch supporter of) His strong desire to help young people to educate them to moral dignity and lives of contributing to making a better world is also expressed here. Also he tells the story of his fifty- three year and running marriage to his second wife,Ann, and how this has been the great love story of his life.
   Kurt has guts and heart .He is a tough, caring person, who will always of course be most known for some of his remarkable performances on the screen ( Lonely Are the Brave, The Champion, Spartacus, The Clown, Lust or Life) but his works as a writer also have great entertainment and educational value.
   A wonderfully enjoyable little book by a great human being.



5. 
   You have to be tough to face your own mortality and Kirk Douglas faces it feisty, reflective, and sometimes furious. In addition to great stories from his life that he hasn't told before, this book tells of the things that, 90 years on, move his heart and his soul. I was surprised, delighted and stirred all the way through.

No comments about The Sum of Our Days LP: A Memoir.

2 comments about Why Women Should Rule the World LP: A Memoir.

1. 
   I loved this book; anyone against war and for communication among
   law makers and world leaders, as well as fiscal responsibility will want to see what real change could do.



2. 
   We women are often afraid of our own power. Afraid to be thought of as pushy or bitchy if we assert ourselves willfully with the force of our passion. But wise women wield power wisely and the planet is in desperate need of our wisdom. The time couldn't be more crucial.
   
   Thank you, Dee Dee Meyers for your insights, as well as for being such an inspiring role model. You are right! I agree completely. Women SHOULD rule the world!
   
   Now is the time for all women to acknowledge and explore our stature and our strength. It is high time to exert our influence and the power of our moral convictions and authority. We have held back long enough. Starting here, starting now, we must claim our rightful duties as powerful leaders. We have the whole world in our hands.
   
   Hell may have no fury like a woman scorned, but women standing together side by side, autonomous, proud, and empowered can create heaven on earth.
   
   There will be no heaven unless we make it.
   -Florence Nightingale

No comments about Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989 (Large Print Press).