Brian Greene, professor of physics at Columbia, has written a nice yarn about modern physics (though it is a little dated as I write this), specifically focusing on string theory. As Greene himself admits, string theory has yet to be experimentally validated, but that doesn't stop him. After all, quarks were a theoretical pipe-dream for a few years before they were experimentally observed. Only posterity will tell if string theory will be placed in the same trashcan as phlogiston and caloric, or on the central pedestal of science as Greene and his cohorts hope. Anyway, I'm here to judge "The Elegant Universe", not string theory itself. String theory is a candidate (though by no means the only one) for the holy grail of physics, a grand unified theory from which all other aspects of physics can be derived.<br><br>Even if you aren't science-inclined, this book is quite approachable. Despite the subject matter, no equation appears outside of E=mc². Greene works entirely with analogies to explain the subject matter; most work, some don't. To build up to string theory, Greene first presents a review of special and general relativity and quantum mechanics. The section of relativity is, in my opinion, incredibly lucid. I learned more from his explanation than I did in my high school and university physics classes. Quantum mechanics is bizarre in an of itself, but Greene nevertheless does an admirable job explaining the basics.  The section on string theory is interesting. Since we are on the bleeding edge of it, I'm not surprised that I found things a little muddy and had to re-read a few passages. Nevertheless, I understand it a great deal more. I won't be able to take on an actual theorist, but I probably could win an argument concerning strings in a bar.<br><br>Greene doesn't have the boundless enthusiasm of Michio Kaku or wit (or emphasis on the actual people) of Leonard Mlodinow, but the tone is hardly dry or boring. If you're interested at all in string theory or one part of what modern physicists do, this is probably a book for you. All you need is an open mind and a little background in science.