Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman

Rating:
Summary: This red book is my Good Book (paperback versio is red)
Review: This is the only book I will ever give 5 stars, because reading it is a spiritual experience. It came from my old supervisor's library collection and later I purchased my own copy.

Gleick's conception of physics is quite accurate, and his writing style is sufficiently colourful, that this is one of the few books I always go back for passages. His writing of Feymann, his colleagues, and certain events are almost like reading a novel, adding charm to the otherwise blend perception to the world of science.

More importantly, it is Gleick's portrayal of Feymann as human -- with flaws, feelings, friends and enemies -- than a mystical figure, that makes it wonderful to read as a biography. He made no attempt to glorify his achievements, nor did he praise his talents. This, I find, a very humble gesture.

In fact, this is such an impact to me, when I finished reading this book, I decided to quit work and persue my Ph.D., which I am doing now.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: When I was in graduate school, this book was an inspiration. It remains one of my favorite biographies. Those who criticize Gleick for not understanding the physics have not read his other books, and do not understand his unique approach to science journalism. Like an impressionist painter he gives the 'feeling' of the science, through metaphors and simple examples, and then lets those examples motivate the character and emotional life of his subject. This isn't a book about science, but about the interaction between science and scientist. It actually reaches a crescendo about halfway through, when Gleick offers his personal meditation on genius. Given his more recent biography on Newton, one can see this theme running throughout his works: what is it that elevates the scientific genius from the masses? A true masterpiece.