Einstein's Dreams

For those whose imaginations have not yet died out, Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams is a delightful series of four-page stories offering a variety of alternate worlds, each with its own twist on time.  In one world, the speed of time varies from city to city, making travel a confusing endeavor.  In another world, time moves slower as altitude rises, so everyone moves to the mountains in an attempt to elongate their life spans.   Elevation of one's house becomes a sign of status. 

Each story is composed of three key elements.  First, the parameters of the imagined world are established.  Then there are illustrations of what the world is like.  Then there are always some people who rebel against the established order.  For instance, in one world people have no memory of the past, so they keep books to remind themselves what they've done so far.  There are people who glance at these books from time to time, but there are also some who spend all their time reading them, consequently becoming stuck in the past.  Some people have abandoned the books entirely and have learned to live 100% in the present.  For these people, "each night is the first night.  Each morning is the first morning.  Each kiss and touch are the first...  Such people look you directly in the eye and grip your hand firmly.  Such people walk with the limber stride of their youth.  Such people have learned to live in a world without memory."

The remarkable draw of these stories is first the intelligent imagination that went into creating them, and then the fact that despite the seemingly impossible nature of the worlds described, each one ends up relating in a very real and heartfelt way to how time and life actually feel.  In a world where time no longer matters because everyone is immortal, two lifestyles emerge.  Some people choose to take up the challenge of trying and doing everything there is to be done because there is time to do it.  I know people with this mentality.  Others figure that they have all the time in the world, so why rush? I know these types of people as well.

Einstein's Dreams is a book that should appeal to thinkers and dreamers.  To anyone with an interest in human nature and anyone who ever fell in love with something they could never fully understand.