Customer Reviews

Possessing Genius: The Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein's Brain

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had recently read "Driving Mr Albert: A Trip Across America With Einstein's Brain" by Michael Paterniti. I stumbled across this book at my local library, and thought, keeping with the trend of Einstein, it would be a nice addition to my mental collection of books. I was blown away by Carolyn Abraham's writing. I am 14 years old, and obviously not in any way a medical or college student. However, Abraham's writing was clear and concise. The author used understandable language along with scientific terms in a way that I was able to learn and comprehend new ideas and terms. In short, Abraham knew what she was talking about. Her transitions were interesting, but never confusing. The ability to describe--in considerable detail--the journey of about 50+ years of a mild-mannered pathologist and his amazing secret that was Einstein's brain is the mark of a superb writer, and I commend Carolyn Abraham for it.

Many biographies have been written on Albert Einstein over the years. Naturally, these are about Einstein the scientist or Einstein the man. However, this book is really about Einstein after his death - it's about his disembodied brain and its unique voyage through time and space. A few hours after Einstein's death, an autopsy was performed. Part of this autopsy involved the removal of the brain. The body was cremated hours after the autopsy but the brain was retained for further study. The reason: to see if the great man's intelligence could be explained through the scientific examination of his brain. The entire book revolves around the brain and its keeper - Dr. Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who removed it. In addition to presenting a variety of interesting historical facts, the author has included down-to-earth discussions on brain science and how it has evolved over the years. Complete with unexpected twists and turns and a variety of intriguing personages, the book reads like a well-written novel. It is highly recommended!

Like many people, I'd seen the factoid that Einstein's brain was kept in a box in Kansas, and always wondered about the full story. Running across this book I was very happy to finally get that story, told in a way that was engaging and fairly honest about everyone's role in the story (to the extent that's possible).

The only reason I'm giving the book four stars instead of five is that I found that my interest waned significantly over the last 50 to 75 pages. I think it had to do with the shift towards more science and less biography, though I'm not sure there was a way to write this book without the shift (it isn't huge, but it is noticable).

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Einstein, but perhaps even more to anyone who likes quirky history or biography.

Possessing Genius: The Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein's Brain by Carolyn Abraham and Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti both cover the same saga of Einstein's brain after his death. While Driving Mr. Albert is fun, Possessing Genius is fascinating.

Einstein died in a Princeton, NJ hospital in 1955. Pathologist Dr. Thomas Harvey performed the autopsy and took the brain for his own use. For the next 40 plus years, Dr. Harvey went through three wives, a number of jobs and moved to various states. The only constant in his life was Einstein's brain. Abraham writes "even the basic facts of his story were so strange that supermarket tabloids would have been hard-pressed to invent them." While wanting to study this famous specimen, Dr. Harvey wasn't a trained neurologist and spent most of those four decades as a "curator."

Interspersed throughout this story, Abraham delves into the physical side of the brain and the history of neurological research. While this topic might seem very technical, the author explains it in a way that is fascinating and easy to understand. She covers such topics as the debate between nature and nurture, differences in the brain based on age, gender, and sexual orientation, physical dimensions of the brain, the development of the brain and components of the brain (neurons, glial cells, etc.). She also includes lots of trivia. For instance, the US Amy convened a meeting in Washington, DC and invited Dr. Harvey. They presented him with their plans to study Einstein's brain. Harvey refused to hand over the brain of this famous pacifist to the military.

Did any scientist discover the key to Einstein's genius by studying his brain? The jury is still deliberating this question. But no matter what, those who did come in contact with his brain describe the emotional high they experienced by handling "the organ that changed the way we viewed the universe." After reading Possessing Genius, I don't know about gaining a better appreciation for Einstein's brain, but I certainly have a better understanding and respect for the human brain in general.

Like many people, I'd seen the factoid that Einstein's brain was kept in a box in Kansas, and always wondered about the full story. Running across this book I was very happy to finally get that story, told in a way that was engaging and fairly honest about everyone's role in the story (to the extent that's possible).

The only reason I'm giving the book four stars instead of five is that I found that my interest waned significantly over the last 50 to 75 pages. I think it had to do with the shift towards more science and less biography, though I'm not sure there was a way to write this book without the shift (it isn't huge, but it is noticable).

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Einstein, but perhaps even more to anyone who likes quirky history or biography.

This is a book with much to recommend it. Kudos to Carolyn Abraham for finding mind-blowing story and for doing such an effective job in teasing our a logical narrative structure. Two small complaints: 1) Abraham has a tendency to try to dramatize events, where it would be much more effective just to give the facts and let the reader draw his/her own conclusion; 2) Abraham seems determined to deify the protagonist, Thomas Hardy, in the eyes of her reader when the facts of his life so obviously undermine this effort. Otherwise, this book is a must read.

Abraham is lucky to have subject material (or at least a subject) that is inherently interesting. Perhaps she should stick to articles in the newspaper because her prose, while attempting for poetic, seems forced and awkward at times. She makes the scientific approaches towards Einstein's brain's study easily accessible to virtually any reader, although for those with any background in neurology/psychology, much of the book may feel watered down. While the writing is none too impressive, the material is engaging and interesting. However, Abraham perhaps summarises the book best in the epilogue with the word, "anticlimactic". Quite honestly, the man himself is likely more interesting than his brain. In short: a biography might be more fulfilling.

I can't add much to what other reviewers have said. I picked up this book to learn what had been discovered scientifically by studying Einstein's brain, and ended up learning about much, much more. Interesting subplots include Einstein as a person (husband, father, man) and other trends in brain research.