by Edna Gardner Whyte with Ann L. Cooper ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1991
Delightfully frank and feisty memoirs from pioneering aviator Whyte, still flying at age 89, written with the assistance of Cooper, editor of 99 News, the publication of the International Organization of Women Pilots. Competitive to the bone and proud of it, Whyte is refreshingly unabashed about the ``fierce desire to be someone'' that fueled her decision to enter the largely male world of aviation in the early 1930's. Toughened by a troubled childhood of being farmed out to relatives after her widowed mother contracted TB, and ``addicted'' by an early jaunt in a rickety plane, Whyte dedicated her considerable energies to fighting the male ``fools'' who tried to stand in her way. Unable to fly for the military, she trained WW II pilots instead. Turned down by the airlines, she saw countless male students hired by major carriers. Even the more supportive men in her life, two husbands and several long-term lovers, were clearly secondary interests: ``I often said, `I'll look at the man and I'll look at the airplane. I'll always choose the airplane.''' Her true passion remains the dangerous and nerve-wracking sport of closed- course pylon racing: ``I loved racing. I loved the surge of power, the fight to stay low, fast, close to the pylons, yanking and banking in the turbulent air. I love winning....'' This is flying for the ``fun'' of it, with a succession of lovingly recalled machines as compelling as any human characters. And, while the combative Whyte holds center stage, it's also a revealing look into the history of women in American aviation, including personal glimpses of such friends and rivals as Amelia Earhart and Jacqueline Cochran. Rough and charming, with neither the stylish prose of Beryl Markham nor the poetic sweep of Saint-ExupÇry, this is, instead, one of those rare and engaging autobiographies that capture not just a life, but a personality. (Two eight-page b&w photo inserts.)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-517-57685-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1991
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by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Simon Carnell & Erica Segre ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2016
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
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Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
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by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Simon Carnell
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by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Marion Lignana Rosenberg
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by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Erica Segre & Simon Carnell
by Richard Rhodes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1986
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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