(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“I WANTED TO UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, BUT THE SECRETS OF THE HUMAN SOUL WERE OUTSIDE OF MY REMIT.
As for the secrets of women let’s not even go there!”
Could that be what Albert Einstein would say in regards to his problems with interpersonal relationships if he were alive today?
Could Sigmund Feud have said “Looks like the 21st century still needs me.
DESIRE IS REPRESSED EVERYWHERE.”
Marx, Freud, Einstein: Heroes of the Mind takes on the biographical genre in an original and humorous way. With the use of font changes and comic illustrations, we learn about the lives of these three nineteenth and twentieth century thinkers. Each is dealt with in a separate section from childhood to death.
An example of incorporating a part of Karl Marx’s personal life with the establishment of his newspaper is:
“I’M ALL ALONE A few months later, WITH HELENE, there she is, pregnant. THE MAID. BUT WILL WE HAVE ANY READERS?”
It’s not just about their personal lives. Through these written and graphic formats we learn about their actual theories and the political and sociological culture of the time.
Even with all of the varied typeset , the only problem I had with the book was that I didn’t always know who was speaking. For instance, was it Einstein or someone who was responding to him?
In any event, Marx, Freud, Einstein: Heroes of the Mind will appeal to those like myself who enjoy an entertaining and novel way of looking at history and philosophy. It will make a great gift for others who enjoy it also.
