Newton's Gift by David Berlinski

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

Newton's Gift was an educational, inspiring read. Sir Isaac Newton was extremely gifted, and he is an
example of one who finds his true calling. (It definitely wasn't to be a farmer.) This book attempts to not only biograph him, but also explain some of the theorems he discovered in simple language and diagrams. It is a good read for history and math buffs.

Genre: biography, non-fiction

Setting: life of Isaac Newton

Introduction:

Sir Isaac Newton is the father of modern physics and one of the greatest scientists of the eighteenth century. But you wouldn't expect him to be good at much else besides thinking and reading. As an adolescent, nobody recognized Newton's great mind for what it was. Newton often kept to himself; he'd go out to tend sheep and they would wander off while he would be obliviously reading. When his tutors finally convinced his mother to send him to college, Newton was the best student at Cambridge and took his education seriously while others only saw college as a place to live while they spent their college money on other diversions. Newton dabbled in alchemy and Cartesian algebra and a myriad of other subjects, and with that knowledge he would make great discoveries.

Themes: education is important, work smarter not harder

Recommended Age: 13 and up

Rating: 4 stars