I enjoy Einstein’s story a lot as I’ve read multiple biographies of him. His story spans more than a mere history of science as it tells the tale of World War II, being a refugee, struggles with marriage, and more. This biography is primarily based on recently released personal letters. As such, it provides a more intimate look than prior works. His science (especially the annus mirabilis of 1905 in which several papers revolutionized modern physics for the first time since Isaac Newton) is still covered in detail (a story that of itself is important to any well-read person); however, the intimate portrait of his heart is what’s new in this Isaacson best-seller. Well worth the time to read; written in a very engaging style as well.
This work spans into my more academic interest in the history of medicine. Rosen writes about how the practice of public health – a very applied science – evolved over time until the 1950s (when the book was originally written). It has been updated for the history since then by another author. This book allows the reader to see how much progress has been made over the last few decades – progress which, at least in American culture, is often taken for granted. Maladies like malaria and yellow fever aren’t even on our society’s collective radar today, but were constant fears for previous generations. Histories are worth reading so that one doesn’t learn to forget past challenges; as such, Rosen’s magnum opus is worth its time.
R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize and Model Data by Hadley Wickham and Garrett Grolemund
Data science is the hot new cousin of computer science these days. R is one of the primary programming languages that can be used for statistical data analysis. This book can tell you how to get started (for free). Hadley Wickham is the New-Zealand-born publicist of and expert in how to use R to solve common problems. This book is a helpful introduction to all of these topics at once and provides references for how to dive deeper into a topic so as to achieve a fuller mastery. O’Reilly’s series into various topics in computer science is legendary (e.g., with Larry Wall’s Programming Perl), and this book carries that legacy quite well.
This book covers the progress – in the practical domain – of computer science since about the turn of the century. It is thick, and it is full of references for further reading. It’s theory is well-translated into practice. It is conversant with the University of Illinois’ famed group on computer languages and extends these concepts into real-world projects. Since it is so comprehensive, some of its material will usually overlap with the reader’s prior knowledge, but since it is so comprehensive, it is virtually guaranteed to extend the reader’s knowledge in new ways. Well-worth the computer-science practitioner’s time.
Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo
The Broadway play Hamilton has brought this area of history to the fore. One of its most enchanting figures is the person of Eliza Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton’s wife. She came from a family with money, served as a steady rock for Alexander Hamilton as he found the nation’s bank, and outlived her husband by fifty years. During those fifty years, she helped found the nation’s first private orphanage in New York City and raise money for the Washington Monument. Mazzeo tells her story in a manner that disagrees with the play’s story of the infamous Hamilton affair; she tells it as a ruse for the Schuyler family’s (Eliza’s family of origin) financial security. This book reads like a novel but is researched like a history.
Related
A History of Public Health by George Rosen
R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize and Model Data by Hadley Wickham and Garrett Grolemund
Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo