The “Invention of Everything Else” was an intriguing and thought provoking story. I thoroughly enjoyed. In this book, Samantha Hunt, the author creates an imaginary story based on the life of a brilliant 20th century scientist, Nikola Tesla. Tesla, creator of Alternating Current (AC), lived out his days in an NYC hotel. He describes his sickly childhood and memories of living in the Serbian town of Similjan. Louisa, a curious girl who worked at the hotel, befriends the eccentric scientist through their shared love of pigeons and their curiosity of the world of science. This is the story of their shared friendship and the life of a great scientist who changed the world with his dreams.
I liked this book because it had an interesting theme: The idea that life has endless possibilities and that one should live life to the fullest, never giving up. For example, Tesla used his Alternating Current to power thousands of homes and companies. This invention should have made him very rich, had the patent not been stolen from him. Tesla was robbed of his ideas, his invention, and his work, but he still kept inventing. Tesla clearly showed that, even though life can be unfair, there is still a possibility to achieve greatness. Today, many people regard him as one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. However, back in his era he was considered strange. Many people believed he had come from the future or outer space and that the technology he created was otherworldly. Like many others living in that time, he was a foreigner, subject to the ethnocentrism that was at the core of American culture. Even though Tesla was ridiculed, he fought to achieve greatness, despite the odds. This kind of determination inspired many people, including me. I am inspired to think more about how I can persevere in the face of difficulty.
The title “The Invention of Everything Else” is difficult to decipher. However, I believe that the author chose it because Nikola Tesla was never a man who truly loved. During the story, Nikola Tesla tells a story about Robert and Katherine (friends of his), and how he was in “love” with Katherine, the wife of his best friend. Tesla chose not to act on his love for Katherine because he knew that love would disappoint him. In the last few chapters of the book, Tesla learns that his favorite pigeon, whom he refers to as “darling,” is dying. He then begins to feel the pain of loss and grieving, something he has never felt before. Love is the invention of everything else. You love because you care and you care because something or someone has meaning to you, and when you lose that thing or person, it hurts.
My favorite part of this book is when Tesla is working at the house of his friend, Robert. He is working on an invention that allows him to create pleasure in human beings through electricity. In this part of the book, he tries out his new invention on Katherine, who is unsure about whether it is safe. But when the electricity flows from the cotton tipped wires of Tesla’s invention, she changes her mind about the invention. This is my favorite part because Katherine and Robert were supporters of this great scientist, and understood that Tesla was a man of dreams.
This incredible tale taught me that living life to the fullest is something everyone should strive to do. I also learned not to assume carelessly. Assuming may close the mind from appreciating wonderful differences that life presents. If America was more accepting, the world we live in today might be a very different place; there might be more peace and a greater sense of community. Samantha Hunt creates a story in which several characters bring out the meaning of the real American “dream”: that the key to a great country is not based on power, but the willingness to accept and appreciate the differences that form a country. Many considered Nikola Tesla an outsider. Indeed, he came from Serbia and had no ties to America. Yet, he was willing to accept and love a culture that shunned him. In doing this, he made America a better place.
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