Einstein in Time and Space

A Life in 99 Particles

By: Samuel Graydon

Narrated by: George Reid

Walter Isaacson’s Einstein meets Craig Brown’s 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, in this engaging and innovative biography of the famous physicist told in ninety-nine dazzling vignettes.

Most of us would agree that Albert Einstein’s name is synonymous with “genius” and that his likeness is often used as a shorthand for all scientists, appearing everywhere from cartoons to textbooks. He has become more myth than man. That being the case, how best to capture his essence?

In Einstein in Time and Space, talented young science journalist Samuel Graydon answers that question with an illuminating mosaic—99 intriguingly different particles that cumulatively reveal Einstein’s contradictory and multitudinous nature. Glimpsed among these shards: a slacker who failed every subject but math, a job seeker who couldn’t get hired, a lothario who courted many women, and a charmer who was the life of the party. As brilliant as he was inconsistent, Einstein was simultaneously an avid supporter of the NAACP and the fight for civil rights and someone capable of great prejudice. He was loved by many, known by few, and inspirational to a generation of young physicists. Graydon reveals every corner of Einstein’s world: the false reporting that rocketed Einstein to fame nearly overnight, his effect on people he met merely in passing, even the remarkable posthumous journey of the famed physicist’s brain.

An entertaining and unique story of a man who redefined how we view our universe and our place within it, “this mosaic biography [is crafted with] illuminating skill, style, candor and charm.”—Times Literary Supplement).

99 Particles

A thoroughly enjoyable listen. Well researched and loved the voice of the reader. Quirky that Einstein was and his legacy stands the test of time. ??

easy listening Einstein

I enjoyed this book. There were a few instances where the physics descriptions were a bit off (e.g., saying that special relativity can't accommodate acceleration), but most of the book is just interesting anecdotes about Einstein and his historical milieu, which were entertaining to hear.