** spoiler alert ** In Isaac Newton, James Gleick provides a well balanced view of the world’s most influential scientific mind. I knew of many of Newton’s achievements but was unaware of the childhood difficulties that shaped the man who transformed the idea of science and our understanding of the natural world. Along with the brilliant insights, Newton is shown to be petty and spiteful, especially in his later years. Apparently around 1700 there was no publish or perish mentality in academia as Newton held his advances in mathematics and science in secret for over 30 years. I definitely enjoyed reading this book, but I am technically oriented. If the reader also has an interest in the sciences then I would suggest this is a good read.