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oh_mk's review
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.0
it was very informative, despite being dense. if you want an in depth graphic novel about Stephen Hawking’s life and discoveries, this book does the job.
jasonfurman's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a big fan of the Jim Ottaviani's graphic biographies, having read [b:Feynman|9844623|Feynman|Jim Ottaviani|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317793632l/9844623._SX50_.jpg|14735455] and [b:Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas|16002028|Primates The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas|Jim Ottaviani|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1352781127l/16002028._SX50_.jpg|21763984] before and planning to read [b:The Imitation Game|22595972|The Imitation Game|Jim Ottaviani|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520284609l/22595972._SX50_.jpg|42078643]. Although pitched to children, they are reasonably sophisticated in the science they convey and show a lot of the rough edges and more problematic parts of thee lives. This biography of Hawking was a cradle-to-grave story that attempted to convey his major scientific discoveries, his life/illness, and his role as a popularizer of science. The excitement around the rapidly evolving research on black holes and their role in cosmology in the late 1960s and early 1970s is conveyed well. I found the way that the Soviet Union was and was not engaged on these scientific matters particularly interesting. I also had not appreciated how much time and effort he put into [b:A Brief History of Time|3869|A Brief History of Time|Stephen Hawking|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333578746l/3869._SX50_.jpg|2192250].
sebastian00's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.75
karenchase's review against another edition
4.0
I love graphic novels and I love graphic nonfiction. I scooped this out of a library box I was working on, and it was a good read. It is mostly about Stephen Hawking’s science (of which I understand almost nothing), with his life practically parenthetical. His marriage, children, and even his disability (and his extraordinary survival of a condition that almost always claims its sufferers in many fewer years than he lived with it) are presented only in the context of how they affected his ability to work. Sometimes the narration felt disjointed, as the perspective seemed to shift from the autobiographical voice to a third person narrator, but I couldn’t be sure. So, that was disorienting. But it seems to be an honest and faithful portrayal of a remarkable scientist, one who theorized about and visualized the universe millions of miles beyond what the average person is able to do, yet was still human, making mistakes (in life and in work), making jokes, enduring hardships, and having adventures. It was a satisfying read.
libraryrobin's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. Way too much jargon that was incomprehensible to me.
beeostrowsky's review against another edition
4.0
I loved [b:Feynman|9844623|Feynman|Jim Ottaviani|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317793632s/9844623.jpg|14735455], the first graphic-novel biography by Ottaviani & Myrick, and Hawking is just as fascinating. They've found an elegant solution to representing different kinds of speech, which is particularly important to the story they tell, and I came away from the book with a feeling that I had almost known him.
I'd especially recommend Hawking to anyone who likes James Gleick's science writing (such as [b:Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman|98685|Genius The Life and Science of Richard Feynman|James Gleick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320409497s/98685.jpg|191828]) but likes the details to be less technical, or anyone who's still learning about the variety of stories graphic novels can tell. The creators admirably refrain from imposing more order onto their subjects' lives than actually existed, which means they can't make every transition as smooth, every chapter ending as satisfying, as in fictional graphic novels. Keep that in mind as you start to read "Hawking" and you'll enjoy it at least as much as I did!
I'm grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic advance reader's copy.
I'd especially recommend Hawking to anyone who likes James Gleick's science writing (such as [b:Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman|98685|Genius The Life and Science of Richard Feynman|James Gleick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320409497s/98685.jpg|191828]) but likes the details to be less technical, or anyone who's still learning about the variety of stories graphic novels can tell. The creators admirably refrain from imposing more order onto their subjects' lives than actually existed, which means they can't make every transition as smooth, every chapter ending as satisfying, as in fictional graphic novels. Keep that in mind as you start to read "Hawking" and you'll enjoy it at least as much as I did!
I'm grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic advance reader's copy.
wren_in_black's review against another edition
4.0
If you think graphic novels are for light-weight reading, this one will prove you wrong. It is a very DENSE biography of Hawking and covers some complex science in addition to details of Hawking's life.
The science in this book can be prohibitive to readers who aren't interested in physics. Fortunately, it's not really necessary to understand the scientific content to grasp the story. The science might scare younger readers, but if you're a teacher or parent talking about this book to students, assure them that they can understand the story without having to become a theoretical physicist or cosmologist themselves.
The art of this book feels a little less polished than most graphic novel memoirs or biographies. Sometimes there are large blocks of small text that are too clunky for the medium in which the story is presented. But overall the story is good and accessible. I wanted to know more about Hawking's illness, but the book presents that storyline rather briefly, to let the reader know that Hawking's illness didn't define him and shouldn't be the focus of the story. Hawking's ability was never diminished by his disability - and I think that's a very POWERFUL message.
The science in this book can be prohibitive to readers who aren't interested in physics. Fortunately, it's not really necessary to understand the scientific content to grasp the story. The science might scare younger readers, but if you're a teacher or parent talking about this book to students, assure them that they can understand the story without having to become a theoretical physicist or cosmologist themselves.
The art of this book feels a little less polished than most graphic novel memoirs or biographies. Sometimes there are large blocks of small text that are too clunky for the medium in which the story is presented. But overall the story is good and accessible. I wanted to know more about Hawking's illness, but the book presents that storyline rather briefly, to let the reader know that Hawking's illness didn't define him and shouldn't be the focus of the story. Hawking's ability was never diminished by his disability - and I think that's a very POWERFUL message.
thebloggess's review against another edition
4.0
It's a little dense (or possibly I am) at times but this graphic novel about Hawking's life was quite interesting. I really enjoyed the personal aspects (including some of the stuff implied but not said out loud) but the physics stuff was bit harder to access for me. 3.5 stars.