Feynman's Rainbow.

Leonard Mlodinow. 2003. Read by Michael Prichard. 4 - 1,5 hour tapes. Books on Tape. 0-7366-9404-8. $40.00. Vinyl; content notes. SA *

Theoretical physics tries to explain the enormous complexities of the universe in terms of basic fundamental particles. The mathematics involved is difficult, yet the theories have a beauty and a grandeur that are breathtaking. In the early 1980s, shortly after the great Cal Tech physicist Richard Feynman was diagnosed with the cancer that would eventually kill him, Mlodinow came to the Cal Tech physics department on a prestigious junior faculty fellowship. He befriended Feynman and talked with him any chance he could get. Feynman, still vigorous and optimistic despite crippling surgeries that would have broken a lesser spirit, taught the young physicist to appreciate the beauty in the world and in the work you do. He taught him to be passionate about his work and to work on things about which he felt passionate.

Mlodinow eventually became a full-time writer for the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation, and is now an author and executive at Scholastic Books. Prichard offers an elegant reading. This book is easy to listen to, with beautiful, lyrical writing; and Prichard's even, well-modulated voice does it justice. For a wide audience. Susan Offner, Teacher, Lexington H.S., Lexington, MA