Rating: 
Summary: A great biography
Review: Although this is an authorized biography it is very candid, and I imagine any later biographers will have trouble finding dirt to dig up on Nash. It is a thoughtful, well written book that reads very well. I found Nash's "sick" years hard to get through, but they form a very necessary part of the biography. The amazing thing is that Nash got "well"; he is now a minor researcher at Princeton and a major influence in many fields of mathematics. The movie is good as well, although as always, the book is more true and quite a bit better. This book has inspired me.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Book
Review: I was very moved by this story, in all its detail, of a man who was flawed, even before he became ill. I embrace the concept that someone who lacks so much in social and emotional well-being can still be regarded with incredibly high value on the merits of his genius. I was particularly moved by the support he got from his family, ex-wife, and his colleagues who could have easily written him off. More than that, I found the details of his recovery,such that it was, to be inspiring and miraculous. The fascinating struggle of this man, who while sane, preferred to work through problems independently in his own way. True to his personality, he worked through his delusions in much the same way. He thrived and suceeded only when left to 'figure it out' and when not pressured to seek conventional treatment. The value of this very flawed individual is illustrated in this story with such grace.
P.S. I saw the movie. I enjoyed the movie. But it was not the story of John Nash. It would have been far more interesting to tell what really happened to this pathetic, yet triumphant man.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Account Nash's Achievements and Frailties
Review: This is an exceptional book that engagingly explores much more than John Nash's life. There is quite a bit of attention given to the development of math and science research in the US from WWII onward. Nasar does an excellent job of explaining frequently complex concepts in a manner that is interesting and easily understood by those of us outside mathematics. She also succeeds in presenting the less attractive parts of Nash's character. However, there were times when I found Nasar's writing somewhat confusing; and am curious to know if it was just me or if others had this problem. Occasionally it seemed as though people appeared without explanation. Also, there were passages that I could not understand and some odd word choices here and there. I am truly interested to know if this confusion was something I created or if others experienced it too. I assume you can e-mail me by clicking somewhere on the header to this review.
Rating:
Summary: A study of a genius
Review: In high school, we all know of a schoolmate who just seemed "abnormal." Perhaps he or she was a science geek who aced SAT and went to CalTech. Or simply a "psycho" who dropped out of high school. Whoever that person might be, we just brushed them aside as "different" never to be bothered.In college, we envied these "abnormal" people whose grasp of mathematical concept surprised you or who wrote the most beautiful paragraph you have ever read. But still we laughed at the absent-minded math professors who dress the same everyday. After reading this book, I came to an understanding that being a genius is not only a gift from God but a curse at the same time. That being "different" should celebrated rather chided. And society needs these sacrificial lambs to keep itself going. John Nash introduced us to the world of geniuses, justfied their value to the society and finally sought our tolerance and understanding of their "differences."
Rating:
Summary: The Emperor of Antarctica.
Review: This book details the career of the distinguished mathematician Dr John Nash, and the title comes from a reply of Dr Nash's to a pretigious job offer from the University of Chicago in 1959 (page 244) when, at the height of his illustrious career, he stated that he had to decline the offer because he was scheduled to become "the Emperor of Antarctica". Of course one might think he was kidding, but there is no doubt that at the time he believed that he was to be involved with a coming world government, and was to be one of its leaders-"Antarctica" may or may not have been his idea of a joke- but the idea certainly wasn't. Mr Nash was certainly one of the most significant mathematicians of the second half of the 20th century (page 12). This assertion carries some weight, but Mr Nash prior to his descent into paranoid schizophrenia, had in his PHd thesis already solved a major problem with Von Neumann's and Mortgenstern's 1200 page volume "The Theory of Games and Econmic Behaviour" (p97) (for which he eventually won the Nobel Prize for economics in 1994), and solved the embedding problem for manifolds (p 156-163)-which caused quite a stir in academic circles. His PHd thesis was to become one of the major breakthroughs in economic theory in the second half of the 20th century-on non co-operative game theory. It has also been applied successfully to evolutionary biology, amongst other disciplines. For those who like important names, there are few here-Einstein who kindly said to Nash's ideas about gravitational fields at 19 "you need to do some physics young man", and another- John Von Neumann- regarded as the most multifaceted mathematician of the 20th century (p79), who thought his PHd thesis was "trivial", "just a fixed point theorem". There are a host of other names for those who know mathematical academia better than I. One of the best things about this book is that it attempts to journey through some of the greatest mysteries of the human mind-as Slyvia Nasar puts it, genius, madness and reawakening (p22). It takes great care to document as much as possible, the facts, and the testimonies of those who directly partook/partake in his life story (some of course who still do). (In this it differs from the general Hollywood style-but to be fair-the film was mostly accurate, and captured the major and important themes). It is one of those cases, where, with perserverance, the book is ultimately more rewarding than the film, and certainly more accurate. One must thank Sylvia Nassar for completing such an important and difficult work. She does so admirably. Discussions involve his relatively indistinguished childhood (a B- in the 4th grade in arithmetic), his early experimental and scientific tendencies, the politics within 'pure mathematics', the effects of stress, his marital relations, his homosexual tendencies, his extreme arrogance, childish manner, lack of social skills, occasional anti-semitism (page 146), fear of failure, brilliant mind, the courageous support of his partner-Alicia Nash, and the support of his talented colleagues who did all they could to ameloriate his growing condition-as in the word of one "he was worth doing the very best for" (p304). One particularly moving piece concerns the determination of Alicia at the onset of his terrible illness to save Nash's career and his genius-who by this time was forging into mathematical history- whilst at the same time going completely psychotic. She knew at this point his career and mind "could still be saved", and she risked her own sanity and life, and that of her baby, to try and save it. As Sylvia puts it, "another young woman might have thrown up her hands and gone home to her parents" (p262). And it was fear for her own safety, along with the warning that his condition would deteriorate without treatment, which led her to finally seek commitment, as least for observation (p251). Some points of diversion with the film; there seems to be little if any visual delusions involved in his case, there were some minor auditory, but the extent of his delusional *beliefs* were not overstated. Paranoia was particularly marked. Delusions included his wife withholding things from him, "why don't you tell me", invasions of aliens, a one world government in which he was to be the leader, the Left Foot of God, a predeliction for patterns, letters (b) and dates (May 29) with no signficance, and horribly incoherant mathematics. Not good or bad mathemetical lectures, but horrible (p246). A description of his condition and that of schizophrenia in general includes pp324-330. Very detailed, and written in a style where truth is paramount, not fiction, it is a very difficult, deeply disturbing but ultimately very rewarding book.
Rating: 
Summary: I Like Book, Go Book, By Isaac
Review: I loved this book. This book makes you think about all the good things in life and how these good things can be taken away in an instant. I liked how Sylvia Nasar went in depth into the early life of John Nash. This book is basically about one man, a genius, and his struggle to overcome schizophrenia. Nasar did a beautiful job of showing how schizophrenia can totally take over a person's mind and not let go. I highly suggest this book to anyone who loves a true story about someone's struggle and success in repossessing a life lost out of no fault of his own.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I have not seen the movie. But was interested in why the movie was made. Who John Nash was. What I got was a wonderful read ... hard to put down. I have to admit that I skimmed over parts of the book. The author explained in agonizing detail every mathematical theory that Nash came into contact with. But I was fascinated to learn about the RAND institute and where it came from. Also, I learned much more about schizophrenia and each and every treatment, whether given to Nash or not, then I really needed to know. There was a lot of filler for me to digest. But, regardless, Nash is a fascinating man. He tried, but failed, to alienate every person around him. He was mean, childish, selfish, arrogant but above all brilliant! The story of his spiral into and slow emergence out of schizophrenia made the book extremely difficult to put down. My heart broke for him and those around him. What an applause this book is to human kindness. So many people helped John Nash. The ending of this book kept me smiling for a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Warning for those expecting to read the movie
Review: I bought this book after thoroughly enjoying the film. I wanted to learn more details about Nash's life and his journey. For those with a similar objective, I hope this review will be of assistance.
Skip the first 160 pages. Ninety percent of it does not pertain directly (or indirectly at times) to Nash at all. Rather, it contains detailed mathematical concepts (I got into law to avoid that stuff) and the background of numerous scientists and institutions. It was difficult to get through and frustrating because I did not see the connection to Nash in much of the first section.
After that the book is much better. You will learn that the Hollywood version is very, very far from the truth. So much so, you may find yourself somewhat disgusted with the movie's assertion that it was based on Nash's life. That aside, the book is well-researched, has numerous perspectives, and well-written. Nash's illness and the way his life falls apart is captivating.
So, if you want the movie, read the screenplay. But if you want the truth and perhaps too much information, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed the way I looked at mental illness
Review: I loved, both the story of Nash's life as well as the compelling way it is written by Nasar. I will read her next book regardless of the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Math is Useful
Review: This book is good. It is about a smart man named Nash who did math. I don't like math. He went to Princeton, then he went crazy. Now he's not so crazy so they gave him a prize. I once won a prize too but no one wrote a book about me.
My mom took me to see the movie, we had popcorn. I like butter on my popcorn, but my mom doesn't, so we didn't get any butter on the popcorn. You should read this book.
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