Author: Cheney, Margaret
ISBN-10: 0-7432-1536-2
Year Published: 1981
Date Read: January, 2008
Why I Read This Book: I enjoyed the movie Coffee and Cigarettes which referenced him repeatedly in one of vignettes.
File Under: Character study
Comments: A very intriguing man, and a great biography that's careful not to dehumanize Tesla with myth and legend. The first chapter is just a sensational read, exciting and filled with wonder, which, like an album with an amazing opening track, the book never really recaptures in the chapters that follow.
It's a great character study of the evolution of young genius to unrecognized father of electricity. Tesla has gained cult figure status recently after being portrayed by David Bowie in The Prestige, referenced in the music of the White Stripes, the Red Alert games and in Coffee and Cigarettes, but the sad, old Tesla living out his days nursing pigeons in a hotel room is a part of the character you rarely see in modern references, and probably the more interesting and enduring character.
The curve of Tesla's life as portrayed by Margaret Cheney is that of a tragedy– his martyrdom for the pursuit of knowledge is anything but heroic. She does a fine job of balancing technical details with character description and evocative language. If only the rest of the book were as exciting as the beginning.
As an added bonus, here's video of Tesla as a "mad scientist" in an old Superman catoon.
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