Nikola Tesla: Imagination And The Man That Invented The 20th Century (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I got this for free and I still want my money back.Complaints:First: The author clearly knows very little about the field Tesla worked in. As an electrical engineer, here are some "gems" that make me shake my head and laugh:"Tesla then suspected the upper atmosphere ... could be used to transmit electrical power great distances due to thinner, more conductive air." [air doesn't conduct at all]"Two decades earlier, James Clerk Maxwell had proven mathematically that light was electromagnetic radiation---electricity that was vibrating at an extremely high frequency." [I have never heard anyone describe light as "vibrating electricity"]"Edison's breakthrough was a modern miracle despite having serious limitations. Namely, the generators had no efficient way to change the voltage of direct currents circuits, so generation plants could only serve customers within a two-mile radius." [Technically true, it neglects to mention that higher voltages are more efficient]Second, the author claims that this is a "book", but it only took a half-hour to read. I was skeptical that Tesla's life could be treated in such a short time and I was correct to be skeptical.Third, the first 30% had nothing whatsoever to do with Tesla and only mentioned his name briefly, once. It was (loosely) something about baseball players, basketball players, and research into "genius" by some guy named Barrios. Ultimately, it was a build-up to the last 20% of the book, which was to conclude that all you need is imagination and creativity to be a "genius"...and you can be one too! Buy these other self-help-drivel books I've written!Fourth, only 50% of the thing had anything to do with Tesla, and it was merely a "fact dump": unsubstantiated, undocumented events and claims about Tesla's life, and given his lack of expertise in this area, I wouldn't be surprised if he completely misunderstood what Tesla was getting at. In other words, by the end of it, I had no idea whether anything this guy said about Tesla was trustworthy.Fifth, the book was written more like a high-school essay (on genius? Barrios? Tesla? You tell me, I couldn't figure it out). Yeah teacher, I totally read about this dude Tesla and it totally supports the assignment you gave us on writing about genius and I even tied it into Barrios' work!So I felt like the book was really just a lure to get you to read his self-help portion. It has little to do with Tesla aside from a few facts about his life (less than 50% of the book), and doesn't even support his beginning or concluding premises, which he barely even bothers to relate to Tesla.Don't waste your time! This was not a biography, it read like a high school (maaaaaybe freshman college) paper. The author waxed on about IQ and opportunity and "try your best jimmy," and the 10k hour principle. I was, per kindle, 24% through the book before he MENTIONED Tesla. Honestly, I've gotten a more thorough biography on the man through the web comics from TheOatmeal. Definitely skip this if you're looking for facts and insight on this fascinating figure that is finally starting to get the attention he deserves.
What do You think about Nikola Tesla: Imagination And The Man That Invented The 20th Century (2013)?
While not a biography, as I expected, there was plenty of interesting facts on Nikola Tesla.
—mlawson
The best thing about this "biography" of Tesla is the handsome photo of him on the cover.
—lilpellah
Not sure if it is a self help book. But I liked it for Tesla's biography
—Roop
