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My Brief History
- Narrated by: Matthew Brenher
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
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Publisher's summary
Stephen Hawking has dazzled listeners worldwide with a string of best sellers exploring the mysteries of the universe. Now, for the first time, perhaps the most brilliant cosmologist of our age turns his gaze inward for a revealing look at his own life and intellectual evolution.
My Brief History recounts Stephen Hawking’s improbable journey, from his postwar London boyhood to his years of international acclaim and celebrity. This concise, witty, and candid account introduces listeners to a Hawking rarely glimpsed in previous books: the inquisitive schoolboy whose classmates nicknamed him Einstein; the jokester who once placed a bet with a colleague over the existence of a particular black hole; and the young husband and father struggling to gain a foothold in the world of physics and cosmology.
Writing with characteristic humility and humor, Hawking opens up about the challenges that confronted him following his diagnosis of ALS at age 21. Tracing his development as a thinker, he explains how the prospect of an early death urged him onward through numerous intellectual breakthroughs, and talks about the genesis of his masterpiece A Brief History of Time - one of the iconic books of the 20th century.
Clear-eyed, intimate, and wise, My Brief History opens a window for the rest of us into Hawking’s personal cosmos.
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The second half of the 20th century witnessed a scientific gold rush as physicists raced to chart the inner workings of the atom. The stakes were high, the questions were big, and there were Nobel Prizes and everlasting glory to be won. Many mysteries of the atom came unraveled, but one remained intractable-what Frank Close calls the "Infinity Puzzle."
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Succinct exposition
- By Gary on 06-26-12
By: Frank Close
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The Day We Found the Universe
- By: Marcia Bartusiak
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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From one of our most acclaimed science writers: a dramatic narrative of the discovery of the true nature and startling size of the universe, delving back past the moment of revelation to trace the decades of work--by a select group of scientists--that made it possible.
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Worth the Effort
- By Roy on 08-13-09
By: Marcia Bartusiak
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The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved
- How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry
- By: Mario Livio
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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For thousands of years mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations, until they encountered the quintic equation, which resisted solution for three centuries. Working independently, two prodigies ultimately proved that the quintic cannot be solved by a simple formula. The first popular account of the mathematics of symmetry and order, The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved is told not through abstract formulas but in a beautifully written and dramatic account of the lives and work of some of the greatest and most intriguing mathematicians in history.
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Historical Perspective Appreciated
- By Michael Hanrahan on 01-22-20
By: Mario Livio
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The Age of Entanglement
- When Quantum Physics was Reborn
- By: Louisa Gilder
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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A brilliantly original and richly illuminating exploration of entanglement, the seemingly telepathic communication between two separated particles - one of the fundamental concepts of quantum physics.
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Quite nice
- By Michael on 02-14-10
By: Louisa Gilder
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The Glass Universe
- How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars
- By: Dava Sobel
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Number-one New York Times best-selling author Dava Sobel returns with the captivating, little-known true story of a group of women whose remarkable contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.
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But the seeing, which was everything, was better
- By Cynthia on 01-07-17
By: Dava Sobel
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Einstein and the Quantum
- The Quest of the Valiant Swabian
- By: A. Douglas Stone
- Narrated by: Gabriel Vaughan
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Einstein and the Quantum reveals for the first time the full significance of Albert Einstein's contributions to quantum theory. Einstein famously rejected quantum mechanics, observing that God does not play dice. But, in fact, he thought more about the nature of atoms, molecules, and the emission and absorption of light - the core of what we now know as quantum theory - than he did about relativity.
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educational and fun
- By Amjad on 12-04-13
By: A. Douglas Stone
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The Upright Thinkers
- The Human Journey From Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos
- By: Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Leonard Mlodinow
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In this fascinating and illuminating work, Leonard Mlodinow guides us through the critical eras and events in the development of science, all of which, he demonstrates, were propelled forward by humankind's collective struggle to know. From the birth of reasoning and culture to the formation of the studies of physics, chemistry, biology, and modern-day quantum physics, we come to see that much of our progress can be attributed to simple questions - why? how? - bravely asked.
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10/10 Got What I Wanted.
- By Austin on 09-22-15
By: Leonard Mlodinow
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A Mind at Play
- How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age
- By: Rob Goodman, Jimmy Soni
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Claude Shannon was a tinkerer, a playful wunderkind, a groundbreaking polymath, and a digital pioneer whose insights made the Information Age possible. He constructed fire-breathing trumpets and customized unicycles, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots, but he also wrote the seminal text of the Digital Revolution. That work allowed scientists to measure and manipulate information as objectively as any physical object. His work gave mathematicians and engineers the tools to bring that world to pass.
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I wanted more information about Information Theory
- By Bonny on 05-08-18
By: Rob Goodman, and others
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Uncertainty
- Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science
- By: David Lindley
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Werner Heisenberg's "uncertainty principle" challenged centuries of scientific understanding, placed him in direct opposition to Albert Einstein, and put Niels Bohr in the middle of one of the most heated debates in scientific history. Heisenberg's theorem stated that there were physical limits to what we could know about sub-atomic particles; this "uncertainty" would have shocking implications.
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fascinating insight into the real drama of physics
- By Ryan on 09-07-10
By: David Lindley
What listeners say about My Brief History
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tiff
- 12-25-19
Beautifully Written Memoir
My Brief History is a magnificent work of literature. As someone living with a degenerative neuromuscular disease, this book not only gave me a deep sense of solidarity, but a bright beam of hope for all the possibilities life can still hold. Professor Hawking was a magnificent mind, a true genius in so many ways. His powerful life story is one that deserves to be heard by all. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. A must read!
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-17-18
Rich!
Inspiring! Life should be lived fully regardless of any handicaps. The untapped potential of the human mind, is for me the major takeaway.
Thank you Dr. Hawking!
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- Studioflohr
- 04-05-15
It was awesome!
I am a kid scientist. This book is recommended for people who like science, cosmology and black holes. And although I am nine years old this book was extremely interesting to me.
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1 person found this helpful
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- C. Randy Erhart
- 03-30-18
Very much enjoyed the Audible version
Have enjoyed learning more of the Hawking story, having just recently viewed the 2015 movie. Had to get the Audible book of his 1st wife reflecting on their life, but have listened through this before going to that. I am not a fast reader & so the time listening to this was far less time consuming than if I had attempted to read the book. Very interesting though some scientific material, it was at a minimum. I'm sure I will relisten to work again & pickup on some things that have evaded me the 1st time through. I'm also contemplating getting his other works from A Brief History of Time on, unfortunately what he's learning now is beyond our finite realm.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mario
- 01-04-14
Good book, quick reading
What made the experience of listening to My Brief History the most enjoyable?
The story is written in a good and dynamic way, making it easy and quick to read (listen).
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3 people found this helpful
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- Stephen H Pink
- 05-01-15
Wonderful Performance
Great blending of Hawking's and narrator's voices. Incredibly well written. A good introduction to Hawking's work as well as a primer on black holes and cosmology.
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- Lili
- 03-26-18
Bittersweet
Was hoping this would be a wholly personal memoir, without too much discussion of Black Holes and such, as that is available in his other books.
Well, it was a very personal telling of his life, but there is also a great deal of discussion of Theoretical Physics, Black Holes, etc. So be prepared for some of what he says to go right over your head, unless you work in the field.
It was very interesting to hear why his first marriage ended, how he felt about being a celebrity scientist, how much he disliked the photo on his bestselling book A Brief History of Time, and ultimately at the end, his reflections on his life, and his pride and satisfaction with it and all that he was able to do and accomplish.
Nice touch on the narration...he narrates the very beginning of each chapter, as well as the very end of the book.
A great man, who did extraordinary work.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Lynne H. Mock
- 03-18-18
Recommended
It was indeed brief, and very interesting. I am still not clear on all the physics, but the findings of his work was understandable. Also, the personal memoir portion was interesting and thoughtful. Being able to hear him speak in his own voice at the beginning of each chapter was a great touch. Dr. Stephen Hawkins will be missed but his legacy and teachings will live on!
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