Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman : Adventures of a Curious Character (Sequel:What Do You Care What Other People Think?:Further Adventures of a Curious Character)
If you think people with a high I.Q. are not interesting or you are under the impression that scientists spend majority of their time in a lab with no concerns about the external world then this book is an excellent reality check!
The one who worked on the Manhattan project, one who learnt to pick safes on his own, one who took part in the Brazilian carnival as a Bongo player, one who could sketch quite remarkably, one whose favourite hangout was a topless restaurant in LA and one who has many more such distinguished accomplishments was the brightest mind of the 20th century... Richard P Feynman. And when he wasn't doing all these things he found time to win a Nobel Prize for Physics!
The case with this book is since the life of this man is so colourful and so very completely unique that we forget to appreciate the skills of the author. It's different from a conventional biography. It's like a series of posts which Feynman would have had on his blog if he was around to be a part of the blogosphere. Thoroughly entertaining, entirely factual and completely awe-inspiring!
It transcends time and space with ease. At one moment you're in Los Alamos working on the Manhattan project and a couple of pages later you're in Brazil learning to play Bongo! And you actually love the complete switch in context... Every chapter holds a new facet of his personality and I'm not spoiling the fun for those who haven't read it by disclosing more than what's needed.
The stories in these books are amusing enough, but they take on a special resonance because the protagonist was also a theoretical physicist of historical proportions. It's not just about the great things that he did but also about his regrets, weaknesses and frailties which have an even stronger message for all of us. The chapters when Feynman is next to his dying wife are truly moving.
However there are instances where Feynman refers to dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a strange casual tone (as if he was distributing toffees) and with complete disdain to human life! That was probably the only part which didn't go down too well with me and actually takes away some of his greatness.
On the whole these books are inspiring and certainly taught me a lot of lessons. The most important one being that understanding the concept behind anything is the key to unravel a seemingly impregnable mystery!
In the words of Hans Bethe, Theoretical Physicist and Nobel Laureate... "There are two types of genius. Ordinary genius do great things, but they leave you room to believe that you could do the same if only you worked hard enough. Then there are magicians, and you can have no idea how they do it. Feynman was a magician"
I can't possibly add anything more!
Cheers!
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