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A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash
A Beautiful Mind The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash
Author: Sylvia Nasar
"How could you, a mathematician, believe that extraterrestrials were sending you messages?" the visitor from Harvard asked the West Virginian with the movie-star looks and Olympian manner. Thus begins the true story of John Nash, the mathematical genius who was a legend by age thirty when he slipped into madness, and who -- thanks to the selfle...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780743509886
ISBN-10: 0743509889
Publication Date: 12/1/2001
Edition: Abridged
Rating:
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1

5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Audioworks
Book Type: Audio Cassette
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

momkat avatar reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
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.
Mixitup avatar reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 57 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
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.
reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 32 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Dense, rich biography of a fascinating person. Reveals much more than the great movie did.
reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 127 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A good book.Good character developement. Gets tedious towards the end.
reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 75 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
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.
Read All 35 Book Reviews of "A Beautiful Mind The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash"

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reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 7 more book reviews
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!!!!!!
reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 6 more book reviews
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?
miss-info avatar reviewed A Beautiful Mind : The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash on + 386 more book reviews
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.


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