ANALOGIES IN PHYSICS AND LIFE

“This is a remarkable autobiography. Richard Weiner was involved in some very interesting developments in physics, and highlights the role that analogies have played, for example in the discovery of the nuclear isomeric shift and in the application of statistical methods developed in the context of condensed-matter physics to the phenomenology of hadrons. Of especial interest is the personal account of the vicissitudes of his unusual life and their impact on his work. As a German-speaking Jew born in northern Romania he lived under four different totalitarian regimes, experiencing both Nazi and Soviet repression, until his final escape to the west via Czechoslovakia in 1969. One of the most significant features is the comparison between these two repressive regimes, showing how different they were despite superficial similarities — another kind of analogy. Also of special note are his experiences in post-war Germany, where he found a failure to acknowledge or come to terms with recent history. This is a fascinating, unusual and most rewarding book.”

“I can honestly say that it is one of the most interesting books I have read for a long time. I say this because it was fascinating in so many different ways, biographical, political, sociological and scientific. In particular, your description of the precarious life you led under the Nazi and Communist regimes were eye openers … Moreover, I also found the book enlightening from a scientific standpoint: for example I hadn't known anything about isomeric shifts …”