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Summary: Funny and smart
Review: I first heard of Richard Feynman when I was taking Physics in high school and my teacher showed us a movie in which he was interviewed. In fact, the movie had nothing to do with physics, but with Feynman's quest to visit some obscure country (Tuva??) in the South Pacific. I was struck by the man's wit, not to mention his intelligence. Both aspects of his personality came out in this entertaining book. If you have never heard of Feynman or you have and want to learn more about him, I highly recommend this book. It includes memoirs both of his work in physics and of his travels through America and around the world. I found his chapters on safe cracking at Los Alamos and on his army physical examination particularly enjoyable. "Surely you're joking..." is not too heavy on the physics aspect of his life, but it provides just enough to satisfy the scientifically curious. A great read to stimulate the mind and keep you smiling throughout.
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Summary: Scientists don't have to be geeks or nerds.
Review: The funny thing about this book was that I bought my very first copy on a trip to China when I was about eleven. I don't know how many times I've restarted the book since then, but I never finished it until now.This book is a semi-autobiography of a very famous physicist by the name of Richard P. Feynman (RPF). I say it's a semi-autobiography because Ralph Leighton compiled and chronologically ordered several stories told to him by RPF. And I say he's famous because he was a Nobel laureate and named one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People of the last century. Anyway, RPF is as interesting a character as you'll ever hear about in the scientific community. He looked to science to explain things around him even from a very young age (you'll learn more about his father's influence on him in the second book). His father always taught him to question things that don't make logical sense. He was an analytical person. Yet behind his intellectual prowess lies his desire to live life and have fun. In this book, he recounts his fear of being called a sissy when he was young, his attempts at hitting on girls, cracking safes, doing magic tricks, learning how to draw and paint, playing in a samba band, etc. Throughout the book, he talks about his motivation in doing such things. He's not out to impress or tell a tall tale that's impossible. In fact, he's quite down to earth and very frank. He speaks what's on his mind. Richard P. Feynman has led a very colorful life. If ever there were a non-fiction book that's fun to read and even humorous at times, this would have to be it! (* NB: There is a follow up book called "What Do You Care What Other People Think". Also a collection of short anecdotes told by RPF to Ralph Leighton. This "sequel" is a looser set of stories that don't chronologically fit together (oh, and there are also some pictures in the middle of this book).
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Summary: An excellent view into a great man
Review: I thought this was a fun book about a tremendously unique and funny character. I don't know a lot about physics or science or anything, but this book doesn't get bogged down with that. Rather, Feynman explains to you in plain english what the issues or problems he was facing at different times were. That's not half as interesting, however, as his creative solutions to the problems and his application of common sense to them! This is more times than not what will make you laugh out loud. The most insightful parts of the book to me were his experiences working on "the bomb" and his study of art. These really show you his character on a more personal level. You see the scientist in him, too, though. The most pivotal thing I got out of the book was that you should never take someone else's "proven" theory for granted. Always, always, always recreate the "proof" for yourself before you use it as a basis of further study.
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Summary: From a student's point of view...
Review: Richard Feynman's novel, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" was a true joy. Yes, I had to read it for a Physics assignment, and yes, I chose it because it was one of the few interesting-looking ones, but I had a good time reading it in spite of it all. Feynman's series of vignettes about his life experiences were extremely amusing and the quick change of pace from story to story made this book a real page turner. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone needing a good read, a funny biography, or a physics assignment.
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Summary: Feynman up close and personal
Review: To borrow the phrase from MTV this is Feynman unplugged. I really enjoyed his commencement talk that is last chapter in the book. He exhorts his listeners to create real empirically supportable results in their research. There is a new kind of scientist in our midst that I feel Dr. Feynman would have detested. This kind of scientist is less interested in the reality of what is being studied and more interested in advancing a certain agenda. There is a great web site (junkscience^com) that catalogues many of these scientific gunslingers. This book is a retrospective that begins at the beginning and finishes in 1974 (many years before his report on the Challenger accident). It describes his early years working in a hotel, going to MIT, working at Los Alamos, and teaching at Cornell and Caltech. There are many demonstrations of his wicked wit and quirky (quarky?) sense of humor. He is quick to seize the opportunity to use his wit as is shown when he hides a door in his fraternity house. This is a fun read!
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Summary: higlhly overrated person
Review: Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawkings are far to highly regarded. They are smart but not wise. Einstein was different from most scientists in that he was wise. Blaise Pascal was wiser still. Read "Pensees" if you want an important (and actually good) book by a scientist about life.
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Summary: Most Interesting Read Ever!
Review: This book contains by far the most astounding collection of stories I have ever read in a single work. The sentences move together smoothly, and every single one of them is interesting in some respect. I usually do not read books because of the great deal of time involved in getting into the plot, but with this one, you can easily sit down and read a section and get right down into it. It's that well-written, with enough details to keep you intrigued and at the same time focused.
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Summary: An Inspiration
Review: I'm a 16 year old kid, into the whole physics/math scene. When I first picked up the book, I found myself gripped. I let nothing interrupt my reading time. And while reading, I always sat on the edge of my chair. Never did I read in bed or reclined on a La-Z-boy. Now that's gotta tell you something! When finished, a sudden passion overcame me. I had to be like Feynman! I whipped out all my physics books and began working through the problem sets like a madman. Looking for a page-turner? Look no more. This is an absolute must for any science loving nerd.
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Summary: It's Good To Be Feynman!
Review: "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" is a very interesting book. The many amusing and captivating stories in this autobiography keep you wanting to read more. I personally had a hard time putting this book down every night. Even though I started reading this for a physics project it turned out to be a very entertaining assignment due to the many diverse topics discussed in the book. The subjects discussed range from physics to biology and even touching on hypnosis in one chapter. The book starts out by telling how he acted growing up and then went on to tell about his college life and eventually went all the way to his adult life. This book is a humorous look at the world of science through the eyes of one of the greatest physicists of all time, Richard P. Feynman. It is a must read for anyone interested in any science related field.
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Summary: This book made Feynman one of my few heros.
Review: I was given this book by my CIO (one of those guys who proudly label themselves as a "nerd") who told me to "read this book, it's rad". We're both voracious readers, so I knew this would be a great book, but I wasn't prepared for it to be such an "important" one. But important it is. This book details the life of a remarkably simple man driven by his passion for the truth, the sensory beauty of life, and the many mysteries of nature. Ok, so getting a Nobel Prize and (for the most part) spawning the science of Modern Quantum clearly puts you in the category of "interesting", what really stands R. Feyman out from the rest of his peers is the exceptional balance he managed to strike in his life between Productive (Science, Manhattan Project, etc.) and Sensory (Travel, Musical talent, wife/women). Stories of him being the only scientist at Trinity (where the first atom bomb he worked on was detonated) to get out from the protected bunker so he could "see" the detonation (jumped behind the glass in his truck because he WAS PRETTY SURE the gamma and X-rays wouldn't harm his eyes) and him leading a protest against the shutting down of a local strip bar (where he would spend many of his final days doing drawings), this book details the life of one of the bravest, most accomplished, and dynamic men of our time. A very worthwile read for those who are looking for a quick entertaining read, or for a hero. I think you'll find them both in this book. Hope this was helpful.
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