An intimate and inspirational exploration of Stephen Hawking—the man, the friend, and the physicist. A BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF 2020 (The Telegraph, The Guardian) A BEST BOOK OF 2020 (New Statesmen) One of the most influential physicists of our time, Stephen Hawking touched the lives of millions. Recalling his nearly two decades as Hawking’s collaborator and friends, Leonard Mlodinow brings this complex man into focus in a unique and deeply personal portrayal. We meet Hawking the genius, who pours his mind into uncovering the mysteries of the universe—ultimately formulating a pathbreaking theory of black holes that reignites the discipline of cosmology and paves the way for physicists to investigate the origins of the universe in completely new ways. We meet Hawking the colleague, a man whose illness leaves him able to communicate at only six words per minute but who expends the effort to punctuate his conversations with humor. And we meet Hawking the friend, who can convey volumes with a frown, a smile, or simply a raised eyebrow. Mlodinow puts us in the room as Hawking indulges his passion for wine and curry; shares his feelings on love, death, and disability; and grapples with deep questions of philosophy and physics. Whether depicting Hawking’s devotion to his work or demonstrating how he would make spur of the moment choices, such as punting on the River Cam (despite the risk the jaunt posed), or spinning tales of Hawking defiantly urinating in the hedges outside a restaurant that doesn’t have a wheelchair accessible toilet, Mlodinow captures his indomitable spirit. This deeply affecting account of a friendship teaches us not just about the nature and practice of physics but also about life and the human capacity to overcome daunting obstacles.
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“Narrator Dan John Miller does an outstanding job capturing the friendship of the two physicists…Miller is pitch-perfect and shares this story at just the right pace. He never stumbles over intricate scientific theories, terms, or equations. This is a wonderful listen.”
— AudioFile
“Tremendously entertaining.”
— Daily Telegraph (London)“Fresh and worthwhile…A compelling read.”
— Sunday Times (London)“A vivid and compelling account of Hawking’s character, its many strengths and its occasional deep flaws…[that] can explain very clearly, the twists and turns of Hawking’s physics as it developed from his doctoral thesis to the breakthroughs of his mature years.”
— Wall Street JournalBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Leonard Mlodinow is an American physicist, mathematician, and author known for his books for the general reading audience, including the New York Times bestsellers The Grand Design, coauthored with Stephen Hawking, and The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, which was a finalist for the Royal Society Science Book Prize. He received his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of California, Berkeley, was an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Max Planck Institute, and was on the faculty of the California Institute of Technology.
Dan John Miller is an American actor and musician. In the Oscar-winning Walk the Line, he starred as Johnny Cash’s guitarist and best friend, Luther Perkins, and has also appeared in George Clooney’s Leatherheads and My One and Only, with Renée Zellweger. An award-winning audiobook narrator, he has garnered multiple Audie Award nominations, has twice been named a Best Voice by AudioFile magazine, and has received several AudioFile Earphones Awards and a Listen-Up Award from Publishers Weekly.