When I first chanced upon this book I thought it would be more of a scientific chronicle or collection of papers. But as I started going through the pages it was really difficult to stop.
If you want to call some body multi-faceted, I think the first name to crop up would be his name after you are through with the book. A Nobel Laureate, Musician, Avid Traveller, Superb story teller, Translator and above all very down to earth person. His greatest ability is to laugh and make fun of himself.
The book takes you through all the emotions, you are in awe of his scientific prowess, you laugh with him at his wit, you cry reading the travails he had been through, you cant stop admiring his ability to come out with simple solutions to complex issues.
Though he assisted in the development of the atomic bomb, he was the first person to condemn its use. His unquenched curiosity for life and matter led to him to come up with breakthrough theories in quantum electrodynamics and his scientific integrity came into play when he was asked to do a post mortem of the space shuttle challenger episode which he solved with great aplomb. The greatest thing about the book is it doesnt alienate its readers, whether one know his sciences or not, it appeals to everyone.
This is one non-fiction which will not allow you to put down till you are through.