Book Review - Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman
Reviewed by Maria Salamon

Ahh…it's spring. The grass is growing, flowers are blooming, term papers and final exams are looming and-eek! It's Father's Day or Mother's Day and you don't have time to go to the mall to hunt down a nifty tie for dad or find a garden spade with that special ergonomic grip for Mom. Never fear! Dr. Richard P. Feynman has the answer for you in the first of his two memoirs, titled "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" Dr. Richard P. Feynman was a theoretical physicist famous for his work in QED (quantum electrodynamic theory). He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics with Sin-Itiro Tomonaga and Julian Schwinger for his work in the area. Feynman is also well-known for the eye-opening account of NASA policies, procedures and equipment that he gave before the Congressional Review Committee as a member of the Presidential Investigation commission following the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" does not have a traditional, methodical format. Instead, it is a collection of stories, anecdotes, and views that Dr. Feynman has held throughout the various periods of his life. The book covers the major aspects of his life, beginning with his boyhood on Long Island, continuing on to his work with Oppenheimer and Hans Bethe at Los Alamos on the atomic bomb, and culminating with his various adventures after arriving at Caltech to teach. Dr. Feynman recalls his undergraduate years at MIT, his graduate studies at Princeton, his stint at Cornell, and how he ended up at Caltech, with a brief divergence in Brazil. Interestingly enough, Feynman avoids talking about the two events that have made him the most famous: his Nobel Prize and his participation in the Challenger Disaster investigation. While reading this book, one is repeatedly made aware of Dr. Feynman's insatiable curiosity for world around him and the people that inhabit it. He was never afraid to experience the new and unknown. That same insatiable curiosity also got him into several dangerous situations. On one occasion he almost set his bedroom on fire during one of his childhood home laboratory "experiments." His irreverence for and ignorance of social propriety shocked his fraternity brothers at MIT, and caused the wife of Princeton University dean to exclaim, "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!"


Whether he was coating his hands with benzene and igniting them for a neighborhood "science magic" show, cracking the "uncrackable" safe of a general at Los Alamos, or experimenting with sensory deprivation and participating in hypnosis, Dr. Feynman continually exploited the laws and realms of science for the greatest possible enjoyment. His awe and joy for how the universe works is infectious, and readers will find themselves stopping to wonder why they never asked themselves the questions that he poses. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" is a very enjoyable, can't-put-it-down read. If you're searching for the perfect gift for Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Uncle George this is it. Be you an English major, or a budding physicist, the human story behind an esteemed scientist is captivating and reveals that science, and the people behind it, are not as dry as your high school physics textbook may have lead you to believe.

..............................................................Home | Current Issue | Archived Issues | Staff Positions | Ad Info | Contact Info

All information presented here is copyright 2004 Engineering and Science Review.