Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman
“I thought you would like to know that you’ve won the Nobel Prize.”
“Yea, but I’m sleeping! It would have been better if you had called me in the morning” – and hung up.”
Who’s this for: Someone interested in history, especially the history of physics. It’s well accounted for in Dr. Feynman’s personal experience.
“Dick” Feynman was an interesting character. Personally, as someone who studied and have personal experience with people that are what you’d consider high academic achievers, you’re met with a certain social awkwardness. Those who I’ve met that have both the academic intelligence, as well as a great social personality seemed to have excelled above the rest. I will say that I’ve heard prior to this that Richard Feynman was a “goofball.”
There’s many other notable theoretical physicists for whatever reason that have had similar personalities. Albert Einstein for one, and Stephen Hawking another. Perhaps there was something related to the idea that this sense of humor leads to creativity, which led to outside the box thinking to develop new theories (e.g. General Theory of Relativity). This is a theory discussed in Einstein by Walter Isaacson, another great read.
The mid 20th Century was an interesting time for physics, which is well accounted for in this book. Richard Feynman, a notable physicist in his own right, had run-ins with the likes of a Professor Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Enrico Fermi just to name a few (unsure if those names beyond Einstein resonate with anyone beyond someone like myself that studied physics. They’re big names!).
Feynman was also in the thick of the development of the atomic bomb, which may be one of the most controversial subjects studied in the world of science. He worked with Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer who notably said, “I am become Death, the destroy of Worlds,” after the detonation of the atomic bomb. But for Feynman, it was all about the physics of it. Despite who he was speaking to, or what job he was doing, it was ALWAYS about the physics.
The perfect summation of the kind of person Dr. Feynman was is re-accounted for when he was notified of him winning the Nobel Prize in Physics:
“Professor Feynman?”
“Hey! Why are you bothering me at this time in the morning!?” [Notified Sweden time which was 3 AM local to Feynman]
“I thought you would like to know that you’ve won the Nobel Prize.”
“Yea, but I’m sleeping! It would have been better if you had called me in the morning” – and hung up.
My Wife said, “Who was that?”
“They told me I wont the Nobel Prize.”
“Oh, Richard, who was it?” [He was a jokester, so why would his wife believe this!?]
Overall the book can be considered both an easy and a distracting read. Distracting in the sense that Richard Feynman discusses scientific principles in a way that everyone should know. I, having studied much if it, struggled with remembering certain things, and spent time highlighting and revisiting some of the discussions, or learning new things. I still don’t quite understand what he won the Nobel Prize for ( Brokered workable marriages between 20th Century quantum mechanics and 19th Century electromagnetic field theory).
Also, his experience of receiving the Nobel Prize and feeling uncomfortable attending a very formal ceremony feels very relatable.
“Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman” is a fun read, however I think you’d have to really be interested in the history of physics to truly enjoy it. Although I believe there’s life principles, like putting the knowledge first, not overcomplicating things just to feel smart, and his constant exercise of humility are some things I’ll consider more about myself.
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