A Review of Tesla: Man Out of Time

Tesla: Man Out of Time, by Margaret Cheney, is, of course, about the great Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla. It details his life, works, idiosyncrasies, challenges, and thoughts. Cheney’s frankness, combined with Tesla’s peculiarities, make for an almost sarcastic-sounding text — in a good way (I actually chuckled several times while I was reading it).

I had always imagined myself liking Tesla, as per my Father’s interest and suggestion that I would also find him interesting. And it’s true. Tesla is one of my idols, but not just because he was brilliant and prolific. The way Cheney describes him and his wacky adventures, you’d doubt much of what this book has to say — his obsession with caring for pigeons, his extreme abstinence from sleep, his multi-million-volt experiments, and his ability to predict and work toward future inventions and discoveries are just a few examples that demonstrate how unique Tesla is.

If Tesla is not only such an incredible character, but also a pivotal inventor, then why doesn’t he get more coverage and admiration? As I progressed through the book, I found myself repeating this question and puzzling over it in frustration. Cheney, however, is aware of this historical and social quirk, and she attributes his under-coverage to his tendency to always be on the side that lacked money, authority, and political leverage.

As this truth was being revealed to me, I became increasingly annoyed with it. But I was able to find the good in this: 1. It served as another example of how morally ill society, politics, and the people with money and power tend to be; 2. It increased my respect for Tesla. After realizing this, I looked at the scientist as being more outlandish and individualistic — two qualities which I deeply cherish.

Another admirable quality that appears not only in Tesla but in just about every successful and famed scientist is obsession. I’d like to think that I’m productive, but boy, Tesla got a lot done! I’d like to think that his inventions and ideas were all real and that he was able to prove that he could carry them through; however, I became a bit doubtful when Cheney wrote that he didn’t take very good notes, so no one has been able to figure out how a large collection of his inventions and ideas work. This certainly adds to the mystery surrounding him, but I can’t help but wonder whether some were just hoaxes… Moral of the story: take good notes.

I’ve also read biographies of Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, and Steve Jobs. I’d recommend reading this one if you’re into biographies and science as much as I am. Overall, it’s a great introduction to the life of a madman without getting too involved in the complexity of his work!