Reach for the stars (A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking)

Member Name: StuartGreen

Product:	A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
Date:	10/06/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Knocks spots off Newton!

Disadvantages: Makes my brain ache

I can't help but have admiration for Stephen Hawking, not just because of his clear scientific genious, but also on a more fundamental basis as a human being: that he can produce books like this and be so severly disabled is a testamont to his intellect and courage.
Do be warned though: whilst Hawking has written this book for us mere mortals, it is a much heavier read than books produced by the likes of say, Bill Bryson or Simon Singh. Hawking does write very well and makes excellent use of pictures and diagrams to explain what is a very difficult subject. I had to read and re-read several sections before I could grasp some of these concepts, such as that of 'space time' ans 'string theory.' The erstwhile science fan may want to get Bryson's 'Nearly Everything' book to add to his/her quest for knowledge before attempting Hawking's book

Summary: Great read, but try Bryson's 'nearly everything' book first