So, what does a grad student do over the summer? Well, this grad student reads. Which may sound ridiculous (I spend all year reading, why would I want to read more?), but I get to read what I want: Physics and fiction. I’ve already mentioned some of the fiction I’ve been reading, so now it’s time for the physics.

I actually pre-ordered Lee Smolin’s latest, The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next so I’d be sure to get it as soon as possible. That’s the kind of geek I am. Lee Smolin is my favorite physics writer. He’s brilliant, but he has a gift for communicating the uncommunicatable aspects of theoretical physics without insulting the reader. If you’ve ever read any Brian Greene, you know what I’m talking about. Greene has some ingenious metaphors, but overall I feel that I’ve been evangelized and basically treated like a preschooler by the end of it. Smolin, on the other hand, is a fabulous writer who makes his biases clear from the get-go. Especially with this, his latest. He makes no bones about the fact that he has a problem with string theory and then begins to meticulously make his case. Perhaps a little too meticulously. I want to know what’s going on in the world of theoretical physics and cosmology, but I don’t speak math. Smolin is one of the few who speaks both fluently and can translate with beauty and ease, but his talents seem wasted on this argument.

I realize that dismantling the hegemony of string theory is the purpose of this book and Smolin makes a water-tight case, but he’s really at his best when he’s describing physics that has only been described in mathematics and/or academic physics-speak before. His chapters on other ‘theories of everything’ such as ‘twistor theory’ and ‘double special relativity’ are absolutely breathtaking and magical. And I found myself wanting more. Yes, I understand that his case against string theory is very important if we want to change anything, but I’d rather read more about the alternative theories. They’re fascinating. And Smolin’s work is one of the few places I actually read about the contributions of women (!) and people who are not Americans to physics! Maybe it’s because I’m well aware of the weaknesses of the academic structure and process (peer review leads to old white guys promoting more white guys who have the same ideas they do) that I’m a bit tepid about this. Actually, more than maybe. Preaching to the choir here, Smolin.

To sum up, Smolin’s latest is brilliant and bold, but I desperately wish that he could spend time on the things that matter. If the freaking string theorists would loosen their stranglehold on the physics academy, firebrands like Smolin and crew could spend their time dreaming up even more audacious and beautiful explanations for the reasons the universe looks and feels and acts the way it does instead of banging their collective heads against the concrete wall of string.