Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman | James Gleick
An illuminating portrayal of Richard Feynmana giant of twentieth century physicsfrom his childhood tinkering with radios, to his vital work on the Manhattan Project and beyond Raised in Depression-era Rockaway Beach, physicist Richard Feynman was irreverent, eccentric, and childishly enthusiastica new kind of scientist in a field that was in its infancy. His quick mastery of quantum mechanics earned him a place at Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project under J. Robert Oppenheimer, where the giddy young man held his own among the nations greatest minds. There, Feynman turned theory into practice, culminating in the Trinity test, on July 16, 1945, when the Atomic Age was born. He was only twenty-seven. And he was just getting started. In this sweeping biography, James Gleick captures the forceful personality of a great man, integrating Feynmans work and life in a way that is accessible to laymen and fascinating for the scientists who follow in his footsteps.