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Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention Kindle Edition

by Charlotte Gray (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 733 ratings
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The popular image of Alexander Graham Bell is that of an elderly American patriarch, memorable only for his paunch, his Santa Claus beard, and the invention of the telephone. In this magisterial reassessment based on thorough new research, acclaimed biographer Charlotte Gray reveals Bell’s wide-ranging passion for invention and delves into the private life that supported his genius. The child of a speech therapist and a deaf mother, and possessed of superbly acute hearing, Bell developed an early interest in sound. His understanding of how sound waves might relate to electrical waves enabled him to invent the “talking telegraph” be- fore his rivals, even as he undertook a tempestuous courtship of the woman who would become his wife and mainstay.

In an intensely competitive age, Bell seemed to shun fame and fortune. Yet many of his innovations—electric heating, using light to transmit sound, electronic mail, composting toilets, the artificial lung—were far ahead of their time. His pioneering ideas about sound, flight, genetics, and even the engineering of complex structures such as stadium roofs still resonate today. This is an essential portrait of an American giant whose innovations revolutionized the modern world.
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  1. Print length
    480 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Arcade
  5. Publication date
    August 1, 2011
  6. File size
    2720 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gray recounts both the inventor of the telephone's creation of the device and the projects he pursued once his future was secured. Bell is portrayed as imaginative and neurotic, but his marriage to a steadier sort kept him on even keel, if not exactly scientifically disciplined. She was Mabel Hubbard and is so present in Gray's work as to make it a dual biography. Deaf teenager Mabel met Bell when he taught the hearing-impaired, and Gray's story of their courtship is intertwined with the story of how Mabel's father became involved in Bell's side project of transmitting sound by wire, much in the scientific air in the 1870s. Without the worldly Mr. Hubbard's legal and business management, Bell might not have succeeded; certainly none of his subsequent inventions had the eclat of the telephone. Combining the household history of the Bells with that of Alexander's successive enthusiasms (Helen Keller, kites, airplanes, hydrocraft), Gray fairly portrays the attractions and exasperations of Bell's life. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"[A] splendid new biography . . . RELUCTANT GENIUS is a winner." -- Washington Times, September 17, 2006

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005PTZLI2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcade; Reprint edition (August 1, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2720 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 733 ratings

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Charlotte Gray

Charlotte Gray

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
733 global ratings
A Story of an Improbable, but Happy Marriage.
5 Stars
A Story of an Improbable, but Happy Marriage.
Great read. I became interested in Alexander and Mabel Bell last spring, when I visited Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada and saw a bronze sculpture of the two of them on a park bench. The plaque said they were a very devoted couple, and after reading this well-written and engaging book, I learned they were. I didn't know that his highest priority was teaching the deaf; inventing was a passion not quite as important. Mabel became deaf at an early age. Despite very different personalities, they made their marriage work wonderfully.
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Top reviews from the United States

dxs11
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable biography
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2021
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This biography of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the phone, is enjoyable on multiple levels. It is well-written and describes Bell`s personal and professional life chronologically. It is also easy to relate to, since we can appreciate the impact phones have on our lives and culture. It was most interesting to learn about his life-long interest in education of the deaf. Last but not least, the love story between him and his deaf wife makes this story a must read. I wish it was made into a movie (one was made many years ago but is not readily available).
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studebhawk
4.0 out of 5 stars Genius, Nevertheless
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2016
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The story of Alexander Graham Bell was a very enjoyable, compelling story. There are so many storylines contained within this story.
First is the story of the invention of the telephone. On it’s own merit this is a major story, but, hidden within we get the story of Alexander Graham Bell’s lifelong devotion to the problems of the hearing impaired. What a story! Bell combined his knowledge of the production of sound with his creative genius that was his gift to the birth of the first working telephone. He was such a tortured soul.His creative dominated his meagre skill as an entrepreneur. His battles with other inventors over the telephone patent provides enough material for another book..
The second story concerns his remarkable love affair with his wife. Even with her hearing loss, her remarkable story of overcoming adversity. Is a good story in itself. Her ability to look into her husband and recognize his demons, point him towards some kind of action speaks to her intelligence and ability. There is another book here as well.
The story of Alexander Graham Bell presented here by the author provides a masterful picture of a creative genius. Reluctant Genius is thoroughly researched and beautifully presented. The author creates a wonderful story for us to enjoy and we are better off for it.
12 people found this helpful
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kateford
5.0 out of 5 stars What A Great Read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2012
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I read this book after I saw an interesting reference about him in the biography of President Garfield (another book I'd highly recommend). Of course I knew Bell had to be a genius, he'd invented the telephone . But I'd never given him much thought. But this book is so fascinating, so interesting, that it is a real page turner. Hard to believe about a biography, right? But it's true. Bell was not "just" a genius, but he was a real Rennaisance man, I was continuously reminded of Da Vinci, whom I've always assumed must have been the most intelligent and versatile human being that ever lived. Well, Bell must have been the second. And one aspect that makes him so fascinating is that while he was clearly a genius, and clearly eccentric, he still had a rich and full family life, a wife and children he was devoted to, and that he so clearly loved life, and seems to have been a very sensual man, who enjoyed the pleasures life has to offer. Also, I had no idea that he had devoted his life to working with the deaf and was a mentor of Helen Keller. I enjoy reading biographies, but I'd think anyone would enjoy this book. Even if you had never heard of Bell, you would find this a fascinating read. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
14 people found this helpful
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J. Myers
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and from a perspective I hadn't seen
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2020
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I had read other books about AGB that focused almost all of their attention on the telephone and his relationship with Helen Keller and the deaf community. I knew that his mother and his wife were deaf.

This book adds quite a bit to the hearing impairments of his mother and wife (his mother was hard of hearing and gradually became deaf, his wife was born hearing but became profoundly deaf). I appreciated the details of how each of these women handled their life. The saddest part was that the couple developed a handholding signage that they never shared with anyone, and they never taught their children any means of accommodating deaf people other than facing them so they could lip read. This left their mother isolated after AGB died and her eyesight failed.

I had no idea that AGB headed a research group that designed and built a plane that at one point held the record for longest plane flight on U.S. soil by an American pilot. The plane made many advances over the designs of the day and made innovative uses of building materials . The book gives just the right (for me) level of information about this design. He also saw hydrofoil boats on a trip and realized that they would be ideal for looking for submarines, because the hydrofoil made so little noise underwater that the subs would not hear them and shut down their engines to avoid detection. He and the local workmen near his Canadian summer home built and used a giant hydrofoil on the local bay, but WWI ended and the U.S. military did not pursue it.

This book also described AGB's work process and lifestyle in much greater detail than I had read before. He was what I would call a Prima Donna, and his family pretty much followed in the wake of his exacting expectations of regularity in most of his work environment, interrupted by his flights of fancy. There was some family tension over his relationship with Helen Keller. I can understand this, because she was such a remarkable and charismatic person that she pretty much took over any gathering that she was a part of. Yet, nothing I read before focused on what the relationship meant to the rest of the family.
12 people found this helpful
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Poindextra
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent biography that needed better copy editing
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2016
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Charlotte Gray does biographical justice to the entire family of Alexander Graham Bell in this biography. She thoroughly explains Bell's curious and inventive nature, but also shows us how this impacted not only his life, but the life of his parents, wife, children and business associates. Bell's wife, Mabel Hubbard Bell is shown as a true partner in the marriage, as well as one who does a lot of the heavy lifting of keeping their family life intact and moving while giving Bell the time and space he needed to follow his creative muse. This edition needed much better copy editing; there were numerous glaring typos and even a missing map on a page that said "insert map here". But I recommend this book to anyone who thinks that Alexander Graham Bell's story begins and ends with the invention of the telephone...there is so much more to learn.
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Nancy Klapstein
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on May 4, 2015
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Wonderful book! Historical and well told.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2014
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Very good
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Carl Wintermeyer
4.0 out of 5 stars A dedicated genius
Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016
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This story of Bells life showed the dedicated genius that he was and also answered some questions as to where he invented the telephone and the problems he had with other inventors that were very close to inventing what he did. His life in Baddeck was most interesting and was the source of much of his inspiration in later life. A very good read!
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