Jim Green

A pleasant surprise: I didn't have great expectations for this "subversive" look at Albert Einstein, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got around to reading it. Though by no means a complete biography, this "Rebel Lives" volume provides a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at a side of the famous physicist not widely known.

This book is a collection of letters, articles and essays, all by Einstein, on various social issues to which he devoted his spare time: pacifism; internationalism and world government; human rights and civil rights; humanism; socialism; and opposition to nationalism, capitalism, militarism, fascism, and weapons of mass destruction. Organized into six sections by topic, it opens with a brief biographical sketch, chronology, and introductions to the documents by editor Jim Green. Also included is a brief bibliography of electronic and printed resources for more information.

Many of the documents were interesting, though since I was already familiar with several of them they were not such a revelation to me as they might be to others who didn't know Einstein was a socialist and pacifist. For instance, I long ago read his article "Why Socialism", published in the first issue of the socialist magazine "Monthly Review" in 1949 and available free online. In general, I felt that such a look at Einstein could have been both more comprehensive and more in-depth, especially for the relatively high price. I would also have preferred the backgrounds on the documents to be spread amongst the documents themselves, instead of all grouped together in the introduction. That way the reader wouldn't have to flip back to the beginning of the book to review the context of any particular document.

However, this subversive look at Einstein should be of interest to those who are curious about, but have little or no knowledge of, his leftist social and political stances. It may also be of special value to teachers looking for primary sources on any of the topics addressed.… (mere)