This slim book is just what the title says it is—seven brief lessons on physics—about Einstein's theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, black holes, probability, time, and humans. Rovelli's writing is elegant and poetic, and attainable for the non-scientist. If you're a hardcover lover (or gifter), the book itself is beautiful. On my TBR because a wide variety of readers with great taste have raved about it. Originally written in Italian and translated by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre.

Rovelli's writing is elegant and poetic, and attainable for the non-scientist.

Rovelli's writing is elegant and poetic, and attainable for the non-scientist. From the publisher: "Why do we remember the past and not the future? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? For most readers this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it remains. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where at the most fundamental level time disappears. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective."