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A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash Audiobook
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Publisher Description
This is the powerful, dramatic biography of math genius John Nash, who overcame serious mental illness and schizophrenia to win the Nobel Prize. This book is the inspiration for the Academy Award-winning film starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly and directed by Ron Howard.
“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. “Because the ideas I had about supernatural beings came to me the same way my mathematical ideas did,” came the answer. “So I took them seriously.”
Thus begins the true story of John Nash, the mathematical genius, who was already a legend by age thirty, when he slipped into madness, and who—thanks to the selflessness of a beautiful woman and the loyalty of the mathematics community—emerged after decades of ghostlike existence to win a Nobel Prize for triggering the game theory revolution.
The inspiration for an Academy Award–winning movie, Sylvia Nasar’s now-classic biography is a drama about the mystery of the human mind, triumph over adversity, and the healing power of love.
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"A well written biography of John Nash, an eminent mathematician whose mind worked in strange ways. I suspect his illness was metabolically caused, since his environment provided a wealth of support from friends and family who recognized his special talents and tried to help him to utilize them."
— Andy (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Tells a moving story and offers a remarkable look into the arcane world of mathematics and the tragedy of madness.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A deeply moving love story, an account of the centrality of human relationships in a world of nightmare and genius.”
— New England Journal of Medicine -
“Superbly written and eminently fascinating.”
— Boston Globe -
“Highly recommended.”
— Amazon.com -
“Nasar…is equally adept at probing the puzzle of schizophrenia and giving a non-technical context for Nash's mathematical and scientific ideas.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Nasar tells a story of triumph, tragedy, and enduring love.”
— Library Journal -
“Rarely has the fragility of the boundary separating genius from madness been illustrated with more compelling insight.”
— Booklist -
“A brilliant book…an important contribution to American intellectual history.”
— David Herbert Donald, New York Times bestselling author -
“A splendid book…remarkable for its sympathetic insights into both genius and schizophrenia.”
— Oliver Sacks, New York Times bestselling author -
“An eloquent, heartbreaking, and heartwarming tale, told with elegance and assurance of a major writer.”
— Timothy Ferris, author of Coming of Age in the Milky Way
Awards
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A 1998 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Biography/Autobiography
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A #1 New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography/Autobiography
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A 1998 New York Times Notable Book for Nonfiction
A Beautiful Mind Listener Reviews
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" Genius, schizophrenic. Interesting, but did I finish it? "
— Cindy, 2/15/2014 -
" A very revealing view of the great achievement as well as the very troubled life on Nobel laureate John Nash. "
— Al, 2/7/2014 -
" It helps to understand the world of math when you read this book. That aside, a fascinating story about a brilliant man. "
— Margaret, 2/5/2014 -
" This book gives a much clearer, and I assume much more accurate, depiction of the life of John Nash compared to the movie. I enjoyed reading about his life. "
— Eric, 1/5/2014 -
" Not at all what I was expecting and very dense to try and read. "
— Meg, 12/28/2013 -
" Very well written stroy of the life of a mentally impaired professor. Amazing how he was able to overcome his illness with psychiatric help and meds. to be able to teach college level students. "
— Suzie, 12/23/2013 -
" Way better than the movie. "
— Anna, 12/21/2013 -
" I read this book several years ago and loved it. "
— Janice, 10/2/2013 -
" I read this because I saw the movie and wanted to know more. I guess I didn't want to know all that much more, lots of tangents (get it - tangents) in the book that I didn't care about. "
— Noah, 10/2/2013 -
" Different from the movie. Movie was great but this provides a very in depth look at the man "
— Bryan, 7/23/2013 -
" I never found anything beautiful about this man or the movie that tried hard to convince me that he was. "
— Susan, 2/16/2013 -
" One of the few books where I really did enjoy the movie as well. "
— Lisa, 9/13/2012 -
" Really raw biography. Saw the movie later...didn't resemble book...didn't do book justice. Book was worth the read. Fascinating life...amazing yet sad. "
— Lisa, 8/28/2012 -
" A mind boggling read for someone who has no clue when it comes to math but wishes he did. Drags a bit while working through some of the details of his illness, and unfortunately, there's not a lot of detail on his recovery. But eye-opening and well worth the read. "
— Prawlins, 8/11/2012 -
" Brilliant. More mathematically descriptive than the film and deals more with his abilities and achievements than his insanity. "
— Do_chara, 7/14/2012 -
" What a life even though Nash seems like an asshole. "
— Jscorse, 1/21/2012 -
" The book gave me a good understanding of ivy league academia. In addition, it gave me a good understanding of the nature of mental illness. I have a new respect for the mentally ill...it is a journey and deserves respect and understanding where the person is... "
— Val, 10/25/2011 -
" I liked the movie a lot better than the book. I took the book on vacation w/us. I loved the movie. I learned a lot & it helped open a dialogue between my son living w/Asperger's & myself. "
— Rayni, 8/16/2011 -
" Great personality, speculative and insensitive treatment "
— Nima, 6/5/2011 -
" It's the survival of the fittest. (Even if it's between you and YOU). "
— Deepak, 5/15/2011 -
" Buku hebat tentang orang hebat. Ketika membaca buku ini saya berpikir, hanya ada benang tipis yang membedakan kegeniusan dari kegilaan. "
— Muhammad, 4/28/2011 -
" A mind boggling read for someone who has no clue when it comes to math but wishes he did. Drags a bit while working through some of the details of his illness, and unfortunately, there's not a lot of detail on his recovery. But eye-opening and well worth the read. "
— Prawlins, 4/3/2011 -
" Genius, schizophrenic. Interesting, but did I finish it? "
— Cindy, 3/17/2011 -
" Very dry. Nash is a difficult character to like. "
— Stargazer, 3/2/2011 -
" I found the book hard to finish because it is written like thesis, with lots of detail and footnotes, but I stuck with it because I found the story of John Nash's battle with mental illness fascinating "
— Gail, 3/1/2011 -
" The book is a great combination of insightful and intimate. It is packed with detail, but does not drag.<br/><br/>my favorite quote: "They argue about money, the housework, Johnny, social engagements, but he has committed himself to making her life easier and more joyful." "
— Benjamin, 2/27/2011 -
" Fascinating enough for me to finish but not exactly a page turner. Even in the midst of bad choices, meanness, supreme selfishness, and eventual mental instability Dr. Nash had beautiful things to offer the world in his way. Sad to see the wreckage along the way though. "
— Brian, 2/19/2011 -
" A very interesting biography about a brilliant and complex bully. I really enjoyed the book and really hated the movie. The movie took artistic license to criminal heights. "
— David, 2/12/2011 -
" Just in love with this book! This man inspires respect and deserves Nobel Prize. "
— Kate, 1/24/2011 -
" I did enjoy this bio, but most of it was over my head. <br/>It didn't get really interesting until half way through the book. "
— Kerilotion, 1/17/2011
About Sylvia Nasar
Sylvia Nasar, a former economics correspondent for the New York Times, is the Knight Professor of Journalism at Columbia University. She lives in Tarrytown, New York.
About Anna Fields
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.