The Unexpected Einstein

by Denis Brian

"Exactly one hundred years ago in 1905, Albert Einstein, the best-known and most beloved scientist of the twentieth century, revolutionized our understanding of the universe with his special theory of relativity. But behind the familiar image of the lovable eccentric with the cherubic smile and nimbus of white hair, did there lurk a very different individual? Now, fifty years after his death, this book tackles head-on many unexpected aspects of Einstein's life, thoughts, and personality rarely, if ever, covered in conventional biographies: his controversial treatment of his wives and sons; his love affairs, including one with a Soviet spy; what he really thought about God and organized religion; his daily, private life; and the mystery of his daughter Lieserl, whose very existence he kept secret from the world." "Was he the chilly, self-centered narcissist and misogynist that some contend? Did he, as one biographer claims, shamelessly plagiarize the work of others, including work done