jekyllhydeclub reviewed on 4/21/2016 + 12 more book reviews

The book delivers many relevant facts about the famous mathematician John Nash. Some examples of his mathematical ability, unusual even by genius standards, were given. The mathematical atmosphere of the time was explained briefly, certain universities highlighted.

The problem was for me that the book flowed about as excitingly as my first paragraph. Everything is there, to a small extent, but mostly without engaging me directly. I must admit I expected a little bit more.

On the other hand I might be biased, as one who does advanced calculus for fun, her game theory approach was not precise for me, as one who was fascinated by the causes of schizophrenia, the author did not add anything new to my understanding.

The biography did contribute to my continuing appreciation of the Sheldon Cooper character from Big Bang Theory, since Nash appeared to share many characteristics with the brilliant physicist of Chuck Laurie and I think the book helped me decide which mathematician Leonard was based on.

Unfortunately, aside from these tantalizing trivia bits, I did not feel the prose flowed at the hands of an experienced journalist. The book had many pages, but I felt needed more cutting, so much material was distracting me from what I really wanted to understand about John Nash.

I am not giving the book a lesser amount of stars because, being objective, other readers might enjoy the book more if they have less understanding of Nash's condition, or his math. But for me, this book pales in comparison with descriptions of other brilliant mathematicians I enjoyed reading: Hardy, Hilbert, Poincare, Weiner and Ulam.

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