Dennis Overbye

Ignore the silly title and note the subtitle. This is a good overview of the efforts over the last century to find out what the universe is, how it began and how it evolved. The author tells the story of the men and women who devoted their careers to this quest: astronomers, cosmologists and particle physicists. He describes the rivalries and friendships among the groups and between individuals, between the observers and the theorists. It is the kind of interplay usually involved in producing good science.

The author is a physicist, and the reader with a strong science background may wish for more science and less about professional foibles. Those without the science may experience the right balance and not be bothered that the book is slightly dated by now. The science seems to be made as simple as possible without sacrificing flavor in favor of nebulosity.

The amazing picture that scientists have painted of the universe during this last century is an incredible triumph of the human spirit and should be known by everyone with an interest in the world. This is a good introduction. It may spark the reader's curiosity about astrophysics and prepare and encourage one to look further, such as into the Wikipedia article "Universe" and its many links. They have good pictures. There still is much to learn.

… (lisätietoja)

0.5 star for the title
0.5 star for the content
1 star for the spine to write a book about Einstein!

The only good thing about this book was its compelling title. I picked it up because of that, even after bad reviews, and boy was it disappointing.
Long story short, I did not like this book. I realized this midway, so I started speed-reading it. Every once in a while, the author’s voice becomes so loud (and narrow), the focal point gets lost. 
I reckon maybe the reason behind this, was the subject person of the book - Einstein. It must be very hard to write about him. I mean writing a book about Einstein’s ‘work’ is understandably hard, but here author tried writing both about his ‘work’ and ’personal’ life simultaneously.
A misfit’s failed relationships with everyone and other drama surrounding it, just like it happened with Steve Jobs’ personal life, explained some of his theories briefly in a simplified version, and add a few contradictory opinions on a conspiracy, add some more so-called ‘facts’ that were never proven, and you have this book.… (lisätietoja)

0.5 star for the title
0.5 star for the content
1 star for the spine to write a book about Einstein!

The only good thing about this book was its compelling title. I picked it up because of that, even after bad reviews, and boy was it disappointing.
Long story short, I did not like this book. I realized this midway, so I started speed-reading it. Every once in a while, the author’s voice becomes so loud (and narrow), the focal point gets lost. 
I reckon maybe the reason behind this, was the subject person of the book - Einstein. It must be very hard to write about him. I mean writing a book about Einstein’s ‘work’ is understandably hard, but here author tried writing both about his ‘work’ and ’personal’ life simultaneously.
A misfit’s failed relationships with everyone and other drama surrounding it, just like it happened with Steve Jobs’ personal life, explained some of his theories briefly in a simplified version, and add a few contradictory opinions on a conspiracy, add some more so-called ‘facts’ that were never proven, and you have this book.… (lisätietoja)

This is a great topic both as science and for the lives of scientists, but I wish someone else had written it. Overbye's prose often reaches for the dramatic. His writing is heavy with imagery and metaphor. Some passages read well but can't be trusted for details. For example, pp19-20

"Hubble observed steadily in April [1949], clicking off photographic plates of the galaxies brought to new full-blooded starry brilliance by the giant mirror." The plates are long exposures, as Overbye knows. "Clicking off" implies something more like briefly open camera shutter.… (lisätietoja)