D. Jones
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- reviews
- 2
- helpful votes
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- ratings
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The Prodigy
- A Biography of William James Sidis, America's Greatest Child Prodigy
- By: Amy Wallace
- Narrated by: Aze Fellner
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 71
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
William Sidis, 1897-1944, was the world's greatest child prodigy. His IQ was an estiamted 50 to 100 points higher than Einstein's, the highest ever recorded or estimated. His father, a pioneer in the field of abnormal psychology, believed that he and his wife could create a genius in the cradle. They hung alphabet blocks over the baby's crib-and within six months little Billy was speaking. At 18 months he was reading The New York Times; at three, Homer in the original Greek. At six he spoke at least seven languages.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A tarnished national treasure lost forever
- By Tom B. on 05-13-12
- The Prodigy
- A Biography of William James Sidis, America's Greatest Child Prodigy
- By: Amy Wallace
- Narrated by: Aze Fellner
Well written...
Reviewed: 08-19-16
...but repetitive in places. It was clear to me that WJ Sidis was a genius, but also had a high functioning form of Autism. This book would have better served to have at least included this as a possibility, especially in the epilogue when the author explored the real reasons for his misunderstood life. It would have been interesting had he been born into today's world. The unfortunate thing would have been in today's nationalism and prejudice, he may have been treated much the same way. Today too is the tendency for a conservative nationalistic trend to denigrate intellectualism, just as Billy experienced in his time. He would have been a great person to know.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Magic of Reality
- How We Know What's Really True
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,261
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,943
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,923
Richard Dawkins, the world’s most famous evolutionary biologist, presents a gorgeously lucid, science book examining some of the nature’s most fundamental questions both from a mythical and scientific perspective. Science is our most precise and powerful tool for making sense of the world. Before we developed the scientific method, we created rich mythologies to explain the unknown. The pressing questions that primitive men and women asked are the same ones we ask as children. Who was the first person? What is the sun? Why is there night and day?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Audio version is superb for us grown-ups
- By Michael Dowd on 10-10-11
- The Magic of Reality
- How We Know What's Really True
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
Excellent!
Reviewed: 09-03-12
What made the experience of listening to The Magic of Reality the most enjoyable?
All of it was excellent!
What did you like best about this story?
The information was excellent for a general review! Would be a great listen for those looking for a quick explanation!
What does Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Liked the accents.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
None
Any additional comments?
None
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