Summary and Reviews of A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

Media Reviews

Business Week - Michael J. Mandel [A] fascinating account of creativity barely under control, of a mathematical genius who was driven by--and eventually overwhelmed by--his own inner demons. It represents a staggering feat of writing and reporting, and includes an unprecedented look at the inner workings of the Nobel Prize committee.

Slate - Jim Holt [An] absolutely fascinating biography..

The Boston Globe Superbly written and eminently fascinating.

The New York Times Book Review - Simon Singh Tells a moving story and offers a remarkable look into the arcane world of mathematics and the tragedy of madness.

Wall Street Journal - Charles C. Mann After suffering with Mr. Nash's family through his madness, the reader greets his recovery--and his ability to reforge a bond with his wife--as a triumph.... A Beautiful Mind is one of the few scientific biographies I have encountered that could plausibly be described as a three-handkerchief read.

New Scientist - Keith Devlin [A] must read, with something for everyone ... [a] first-rate biography...

The New York Times Reads like a fine novel

Booklist Rarely has the fragility of the boundary separating genius from madness been illustrated with more compelling insight than in this biography of John Nash, a Nobel laureate in economics and one of this century's greatest mathematicians.... To fully appreciate Nash's career accomplishments, readers must have some grasp of advanced mathematics. But Nasar tells the story of a great mind broken and then healed with subtle sympathy, which will touch any reader who understands what it means to hope--or to fear.

Kirkus Reviews Impressively researched and detailed, but still fails to shed much light on the mysteries of genius and insanity.

 David Herbert Donald A brilliant book -- at once a powerful and moving biography of a great mathematical genius and an important contribution to American intellectual history.

 Oliver Sacks Deeply interesting and extraordinarily moving.

 Oliver Sacks A splendid book, deeply interesting and extraordinarily moving, remarkable for its sympathetic insights into both genius and schizophrenia.

 The New England Journal of Medicine, 1998 - Richard J. Wyatt, M.D. Nasar has written an intriguing account of a fascinating man, of a beautiful mind, and of terrible madness. She has also written a deeply moving love story, an account of the centrality of human relationships in a world of nightmare and genius.

Reader Reviews

Trevor Slopden
Title
This book was an amazing insight into the life of John Nash. I had already seen the movie and could not wait to read about one of my heroes (I'm bipolar myself. nb: John Nash shows more signs of being bipolar than schizophrenic and this is backed by ...   Read More Bruce Carney
Endnotes to Distraction
The New York Times book review says A Beautiful Mind "reads like a fine novel." Except, a fine novel doesn't have endnotes plaguing the entire text. Sylvia Nasar must be German. If not at the end of every sentence, at least at the end of ...   Read More Alexandra
A Beautiful Mind
Although I was only 11 years old when I read this book, I found many parts of it fascinating. I have interest in mental disorders, and this book showed insight and explanation for one of the more famous cases of schizophrenia in history. I would NOT ...   Read More Mya Bell
I was inspired to read this aptly titled biography of a brilliant mathematician after seeing Ron Howard's film. This type of subject matter is often avoided by Hollywood filmmakers, so hats off to Howard for tackling a project many filmmakers would ...   Read More

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