Since I have a passing acquaintance with Alec, I look at his new projects with interest. Collisions is a thorough biography of Luis Alvarez, a physicist who was involved with several interesting discoveries and applications of work. He’s probably best-known as one of the scientists in the Manhattan Project.
The work covers a lot of ground while clocking in around three hundred pages. I read the NY Times review of the book which thought it needed to go into more details about Alvarez’ character and personal actions, but the key thing I realized in reading the acknowledgements is that the first people to be thanked are his children. That kind of access probably comes with a natural inclination to temper the view of the subject (if the children liked/respected their parent). Since I knew nothing of his accomplishments, I found it to be an even retelling of his life and achievements. I especially appreciated the Afterward that served as a summary/commentary of the man and his approach to science.
