I just finished a wonderful biography of Albert Einstein. Well crafted and striking a happy balance between personal life and his understanding of the universe.  A number of random thoughts:

• His major contributions were generally behind him by 1920. The theory of relativity was published in 1905. 
• He didn't fail math.
• A rebel and a non-conformist, he struggled to find work in academic physics until he revolutionized it.
• Some casual conversations with a friend and a letter to Roosevelt, and the US was in the atomic bomb business.
• Had Hitler not lost his theoretical physicists, we'd all be speaking German.
• The Schrodinger Cat thought experiment was an approach to challenging quantum mechanics, not demonstrating it.
• He was an A-list celebrity. Will we ever again pour such fame on a scientist? Particularly for a discovery of no practical application (at least for the next 3 decades).
• He was the archetype absent minded scientist.
• He was a weakly observant Jew who was offered the presidency of Israel, and turned it down.
• He liked to sail.
• Friendly and gentle, he was a world government pacifist.
• His theories as described in the book are accesible and understandable, and his use of thought experiments is well described. The treatment of quantum mechanics and Einstein's rejection of 'spooky action at a distance' are satisfyingly clear.

My only regret is that I progressed through it in in fits and starts.  It's a great read.