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The Einstein Effect

How the World's Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"A fascinating and funny guide to history's favorite genius—and why he still matters." —A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author

A fascinating look into how Einstein's genius and science continues to show up in so many facets of our everyday lives and his enduring legacy as an unlikely pop culture icon.

Albert Einstein was the first modern-day celebrity and, decades after his death, still has the world's most recognizable face. His influence is seen in much of the technology we use every day: GPS, remote controls, weather forecasts, even toothpaste. But it's not just Einstein's scientific discoveries that continue to shape our world. His legacy underpins the search for aliens, the rescue of refugees, the invention of time machines, and the debunking of fake news. He appears in new books, TV shows, and movies all the time—and fans are paying millions for Einstein relics at auction.

Award-winning author and journalist Benyamin Cohen has a bizarre side hustle as the manager of Einstein's official social media accounts, which have 20 million followers—more than most living celebrities. In The Einstein Effect, Cohen embarks on a global quest to unearth Einstein's ongoing relevance today. Along the way, he meets scientists and celebrities, speaks to dozens with the last name Einstein (including two rabbis), and even tracks down the brain of Einstein, stolen from his body during the autopsy. Cohen shows us the myriad ways the Nobel Prize winner's influence is still with us, giving an in-depth—and often hilarious—look at the world's favorite genius like you've never seen him before.

Praise for The Einstein Effect:

"Benyamin is a regular Joe with great humility, a tremendous sense of humor, a philosopher with an acute awareness of human connection, a gift to us all." —Mandy Patinkin, actor, singer, activist

"I hope this book encourages others to be inspired by Einstein as well." —Christopher Lloyd, award-winning actor

"A book for geniuses and the rest of us alike." —Derek Baxter, author of In Pursuit of Jefferson

"A thoroughly entertaining new book." —Jeff Einstein, great-great nephew of Albert Einstein

"Full of humor and surprises." —Paul Halpern, physics professor and author of Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 8, 2023
      This animated survey by Cohen (My Jesus Year), the social media manager for the Albert Einstein Estate, explores how the physicist’s legacy reverberates through contemporary technology and pop culture. Highlighting Einstein’s contributions to modern gadgetry, Cohen describes how he briefly became an Uber driver to better understand GPS, which is enabled by a mathematical model devised by Einstein, and explains how Einstein’s novel ideas about light paved the way for remote control technology. Elsewhere, Cohen delves into the public’s ongoing fascination with the scientist by meeting the doctor who owns the sliced-up remnants of Einstein’s brain and an artifact dealer who collects locks of the Nobel Prize winner’s hair, musing that such relics offer “those who can’t actually be somebody” a piece of greatness. Cohen also converses with actor Mandy Patinkin—the spokesperson for the International Rescue Committee, which Einstein founded—about the physicist’s activism on behalf of Jewish people during WWII. General readers will appreciate the simple explanations of Einstein’s innovations (“The essence of the special theory of relativity... is that time is affected by speed”), and the wacky trivia amuses (Einstein sometimes wore flannel pajamas and shuffled “around his neighborhood like a Jewish Hugh Hefner”). It’s a diverting tribute to Einstein’s lasting influence.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from June 1, 2023

      Journalist Cohen (My Jesus Year) found his dream job as the social media manager for the Albert Einstein Trust. Every day, posting as Official Albert Einstein, he links to evidence of how Einstein's theories continue to affect people's daily lives via energy and electricity. Still one of the most highly recognized personalities, Einstein shows up in detective serials, board games, and rap lyrics. Cohen interviews artists, activists, and scientists inspired by Einstein's contributions; these interview subjects also include Einstein impersonators and those who bake cakes in his likeness. The author uses biographical sketches to explore how Einstein might have reacted to social media, fake news, and his own continuing celebrity status. Cohen makes Einstein's scientific work easily relatable through discussions of time travel and weather prediction and shares stories about Einstein's love of baked goods and his letters to children that will likely endear readers to the man himself. VERDICT Readers won't find a livelier celebration of Einstein's work and life. A great recommendation for teens and adults alike.--Catherine Lantz

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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Languages

  • English

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