Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman tells the story of one the greatest minds in the history of science, all the way from his humble beginnings to changing physics as we know it.

Imagine it's 3:45 AM when suddenly there's a knock on your door. You wake up and of course, you try to ignore it at first. But there it is again.

It's so persistent that you eventually get up and open the door.

Outside, an army of reporters awaits, shining bright lights into your eyes. As the cameras are flashing, one of them says: "Congrats! You've just won the Nobel prize in physics! How do you feel?"

That's exactly what happened to Richard Feynman, the genius this book by James Gleick is about. His answer? "Well, I could've found out later this morning."

Pressing on, the reporters tried to elicit a one minute description of his work in quantum electrodynamics and explanations of subatomic particles.

Richard replied, "If I could explain it in one minute, it wouldn't be worth the Nobel prize!"

Speaking of explaining, Feynman's nickname was "the great explainer," for he was one of few physicists who could convey complex ideas in simple terms.