It was a difficult read for me and I never made it through to the end. I know it was made into a movie and that might be a better choice for me.
It was too detailed in a way that was technical. I thought it would be more story-like but it was more textbook-like.

Share/Like this Review?

Outstanding book! A little slow starting because of the background detail Nasar includes, but worth the perseverance. An incredible story about Nobel prize-winner John Nash and his struggle and eventual victory over the incurable disease of schizophrenia.

Share/Like this Review?

Dense, rich biography of a fascinating person. Reveals much more than the great movie did.

Share/Like this Review?

A good book.Good character developement. Gets tedious towards the end.

Share/Like this Review?

Engrossing, tragic and ultimately uplifiting -- particularly for one who parented a child that shares much with subject John Nash. The movie does not touch the depth of his story. This is a compelling book.

Share/Like this Review?

When I saw the movie recently and discovered that Nash's life had been sanitized, I felt compelled to read the book. Though I dislike mathematics, I was overcome at times with emotion to read of the horrors this intellectual giant experienced. My profound sympathies to Mr. Nash, his wife, his children and his many friends and colleagues- but I am so glad he experienced a remission. Family members of mine have also gone through terrible mental health issues. We have drawn similar conclusions about "fair weather friends" who treat sufferers of mental illness very differently from those experiencing physical illness. In a perfect world this should not happen- but this is not a perfect world. This is truly one of the greatest stories of suffering, loyalty and resilience that you will ever read!!!!!!

Share/Like this Review?

After the book, the Nasar interviews on NPR, the audiobook and the movie,
I believe most non-math majors will get more out
of the biography if they read (or listen to) the
book after seeing the movie, even if they had
already read the book first.

The story is important, it would be fun to share a condensed version with all the young people I know.

One thing we don't grasp about the new publication... why is What's-his-name's photo on the cover, rather than John Nash's?

Share/Like this Review?

I liked the movie and I like reading biographies, so this should have been a really good book for me. Unfortunately, I felt the need for a higher math education than I have to understand the first third of the book. Most of what's left is a detailed, play-by-play account of Nash's madness. The movie was very accessable, but the book is much more cerebral. The author used letters, diaries, and interviews to put together the facts, which are presented in a somewhat choppy method that does not draw one into the telling.

That said, I did read the entire book (minus the difficult parts that I skimmed) and did find his overall life interesting. I do not recommend this book to the casual reader.

Share/Like this Review?