Rating: 
Summary: Both entertaining and educational
Review: This is a very good book. The first five chapters give the history behind each individual sign of Einstein's famous equation, including the = and the ^2. The remainder of the book details the history of the equation as a whole--how it was conceived, how it evolved and how it has been applied to modern technology. Obviously, there is a chapter on Einstein. But some of the most enjoyable sections deal with lesser known figures like Cecilia Payne, who discovered that the sun is composed primarily of Hydrogen rather than Iron, and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who first realized that massive stars will eventually shrink to become black holes.Bodanis' writing style is very easy to understand; he doesn't resort to technical jargon or unnecessary wordiness anywhere in the book, nor does he confuse the reader with long, mathematical explanations. Unfortunately, as a byproduct of this all-encompassing simplification, some of the more advanced topics he covers are never fully elucidated. Rather than answering all the "why" questions, Bodanis focuses on answering the "what" ones. He accomplishes this goal wonderfully. If you are hoping to be enlightened to why general relativity is true, you will have to accept that you can't get there by reading a 219-page book (the remainder of the book consists of an appendix, notes and a guide to further reading). Instead, try tackling a college physics textbook or, better yet, several of them. However, E=mc^2 is a terrific book for those who are just interested in what the equation means, how it was discovered and how it relates to our universe. It's also a great reference to use if you're studying Einstein or the effects of science and technology on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Kudos to David Bodanis. I averaged a chapter or two a day with this book, and I enjoyed every one.
Rating: 
Summary: Do we need this?
Review: The equation itself is very very easy to derive from the quite simple mathematics of Special Relativity. E=mc2 - it says that energy and mass are equivalent. "c" - the speed of light ( a big number ), means that you can get a lot of energy by just converting a little mass ("m"). Hence, nuclear weapons. I am all for books that popularize science, but not to the extent of taking a quite simple equation and flogging it to death.
Rating: 
Summary: Science is great, history is not
Review: I would give him five stars for his comprehensible explanation of the physics and the time he spent thinking of metaphors for the equation that make its effects understandable. However, his portraits of figures like Oppenheimer and Heisenberg are way off--extreme readings of uncited evidence that is frankly in conflict with both the historical record and the way that contemporary historians interpret it. Heisenberg was NOT a convinced Nazi--he was a German nationalist. There's a difference. Oppenheimer's personality problems were not at the basis of his later exclusion from further government nuclear research--his communist sympathies were the reason. Bodanis makes Teller sound like a crazy and not like the venerable scientist he was. What's sad about all of these misportraits is that they cast doubt on things I want to believe, about Lise Meitner and Celia Payne, for example. Read with care, and compare to a real book about the Manhattan Project (like Richard Rhodes' "Making of the Atomic Bomb") before you swallow this picture whole. For a much more balanced picture of some of the personalities involved that includes a readable account of the science, check out Freeman Dyson's "Disturbing the Universe."
Rating: 
Summary: Finally, I understand it!
Review: This book was given to me as a gift. I opened it with dread anticipating reading a "textbook" style book on physics. BOY WAS I WRONG! This gem finally put the pieces together on E=mc2, but it was more. In explaining how mankind got to E=mc2 (an amazing journey)Bodanis also shows us in a clear and comfortable style what it takes to resolve other unknowns, THINK. Be curious, be interested in why and build on what you know.
Rating:
Summary: And E=mc2 shall set you free . . .
Review: A wonderfully lucid route to a basic understanding of Einstein's famous equation. You'll also learn a lot about physics and the vicious rivalry that has dogged the profession, dooming some great minds to obscurity for decades. This is a book I would recommend to every person interested in the basic laws that define our universe. Incidentally,it would also be an excellent read for brighter younger students, that might spark an interest in them to pursue a career in science. Jerry
Rating:
Summary: Making sense of history
Review: Over all, a very good read. Mr. David Bodanis does a good job of tracing the "roots" of the equation E=MC2 and entertaining the reader at the same time. David's story becomes a tapestry of people and places involved with the creation of this deceptively simple formula, all of which are woven together over time. The contributions of the more notable persons such as Newton, Faraday, and Einstein of course are present. But equally interesting are the contributions of Cecilia Payne, Lise Meitner and even Robert Recorde.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: This is a terrific book. If you have an inquiring mind, you'll love it. It is so easy to read that time flies by.You learn so much, not just about the well-known equation, but about the people whose work made the thought possible.
Rating:
Summary: The Basics
Review: Bodanis rightly points out that the special theory of relativity is unjustly considered to be impossible to understand. With that as his starting point, in this "biography of the world's most famous equation" Bodanis takes us through the background of each element of the equation (E,=,m,c and ^2) and leads us through their union by Einstein in 1905. Then he takes us through some of the implications this equation has had for the twentieth century, including the development of the atomic bomb and the discovery of black holes. All in all, Bodanis does a fine job with his book. His presentation is easy enough to follow so that nearly anyone should be able to get the basics here. Additionally, the story, as he tells it, is motivated historically which is something that I really like. We meet a number of the important figures in scientific history (including the important women, two of whom get a lot of time in this volume--Emile du Chatelet and Lise Meitner) and learn about their contributions to the development of the theory. The main weakness of this volume is that it is also too simplistic. It serves as a great introduction for the scientifically challenged but there is very little depth here. (To someone who has read Richard Rhodes' brilliant "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" this lack of depth in certain areas will stand out.) Also, Bodanis' judgement of certain figures--Heisenberg and Hahn, in particular--is rather harsh. I may even agree with his assessment but people's lives, especially in times of war, are more complicated that can be summed up in a few negative lines. Still, Bodanis has done a fine job here. I would encourage anyone with an interest in science to take a look at this book, especially those who think that something like relativity theory is beyond their basic understanding. This book will show them that they can learn this stuff. And when you're ready to handle more, Bodanis has given us extensive notes and a bibliography from which to move on to something higher.
Rating:
Summary: Accessible and enlightening
Review: I picked this book up at the Book Expo America show in 2000, so I have an advance reading copy that still needed some editing. Regardless, the book is very entertaining and simple to understand. I'm not really interested in the specifics of physics or math, but I am interested in the humanity behind science which is exactly what you get with this book. It gives an interesting, logical, background of the history behind this famous equation. Amusing anecdotes give the book some humor and relevence. If you read "Einstein For Beginners" you'll enjoy this step up. I think this would be a great book for students to read as it is a well-written story that adds depth to science.
Rating:
Summary: Great energy!
Review: Prepare to be amazed by events before and after Einstein published his energy-mass formula. This is no primer. Rather E=mc2 flies high and wide about people, places, and things that you hear about but really don't know much about. I was particularly impressed by descriptions of what went on in the sky over Hiroshima, an important narrative about the atomic bomb's inner workings. Beyond the main text, which is excellent beginning to end, appendices and notes are also quite informative.
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