Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Genius: Albert Einstein
Nonfiction Series
For ages 12 and up
The Creative Company, 2006 ISBN: 1583413256
Born in Germany Albert Einstein took longer than usual to learn how to speak and read and from the very beginning he hated school. Most of his most meaningful education took place at home after school was over. Albert was not a poor learner though. He was intelligent and curious about the world, and he was always eager to know how things worked. The fact that his schools put emphasis on the arts and not on science only made the situation worse.
Though he wanted to become a teacher the only job the unconventional young man could get was in the patent office in Bern, Switzerland. He enjoyed the work and soon he had a family to provide for. When he wasn’t working he carried on studying elements of physics and mathematics and then in 1905, when he was just twenty-six, he had three papers published in a German scientific journal. The papers showed the scientific world that Albert had a superior intellect and keen mind. One of the papers explained Albert’s theory of relativity.
After this paper in particular was published the scientific community was eager to hear what Albert had to say on a variety of subjects. He had no problem finding work teaching in a number of universities in Europe and in 1932 he accepted a position at the University of Princeton in New Jersey. Because of the ever building Nazi movement Albert did not feel comfortable living in Germany any more and he spent the rest of his life living in the United States.
Written with care and superb attention to detail, this book provides readers with an excellent portrait of Albert Einstein’s life and time. Full of quotes, annotated photographs, and an interesting timeline a the bottom of each page, this is an exceptional addition to the “Genius” series.
