Author: Sylvia Nasar
Genre: Biography, science
This is a biography of Nobel
laureate John Nash. I came across this book by accident, having already seen the
movie with the same title. John Nash, who received a Nobel prize in 1994 for
his work in game theory, was a brilliant mathematicians who suffered from and
eventually came through schizophrenia.
The book chronicles the entire
life of Nash in detail; right from his early childhood experiences to the years
after winning the Nobel prize. It is amazingly detailed and full of anecdotes
and recounts from several people who knew Nash personally. Moreover, it is
extremely personal. Through the book one becomes intimately acquainted with the
person that was Nash. With her writing, the author manages to take you through
the journey that Nash took and one cannot help but empathize him and understand
the struggles he went through. It makes his recovery seem even more astounding
than ever. In addition to the personal and emotional events, the book also
faithfully describes some of his key ideas. The essentials are explained
efficiently without going into the details.
As a biography, I found it
extremely engaging. The story of Nash is profoundly moving and I think that the
author has done great justice to it.
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