I did not have a chance to read this book, but it is effecting my feedback rating. I am giving books 5 stars that I haven't read to improve my feedback rating. I am not recommending the book for my classroom or students since I have not read the book. There needs to be a better system of leaving feedback for books not read.

'You have to see the big picture to build a sand castle... But you have to appreciate the small picture to understand the sand.'

Genius is a graphic novel masterwork when the proper lenses are worn. I read it years ago and again last week. Both times, my heart hurt afterward, but the first time, my head space was not the same. It was a 'good not great' offering which I enjoyed but had no need to discuss. My life was less complicated and I was closer to my Big idea years.

Now I have children and global fears that live in the spaces of my heart where I once held invincibility and cast iron resolve. I understand the narrative of Genius so much better than I really want to.

I never wrote a review before because I was only seeing the sand castle, not the components that allow the castle to exist.. Hats off to Steven Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen for this amazing graphic novel.

Details matter, so here are a few.


Ted was always 'Smart'. The terms brilliant and genius were tossed around and his parents skipped him grades to ensure he would not get bored. When school was over and he was adequately debased by his older peers, his genius presented itself as unique ideas and perspectives. He landed in a think tank to take on concepts which would advance humanity through the evolution and revolution of our culture states.

Quantum Physics... Big ideas, Big sand castles, Big impact.



As Ted watches his career falter, he watches his worth be replaced by younger fresher minds. He learns something which will change his world and provide laser focus on the small picture, the sand itself.

His ailing father in law tells him he knows a secret. Francis, was a body guard for Albert Einstein, and over the years they would chat to pass the time. Albert shared with hime a secret that he could no longer bottle up, sharing it instead with a man who could never understand it and would never disclose it.

Over the years, Ted himself has evolved. He evolved from single to married, childless to fatherhood. As he ages and his life becomes more complex, the creative faucet turns off and Ted's Big ideas become fragile. They crumble and fall apart, or never arrive at all.

Perhaps this secret could change everything.

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Disclosure: This Graphic Novel was provided to me by the publisher for review purposes. Received in 2013 but didn't write a review till 2017.. Sorry about that, but resonance matters and no resonance existed. Had it continued to 'not click', the missing review would continue to exist rather than the non missing review which replaced the nothingness. So kudos, this review is unofficially metaphysical.