This is a collection of chapters from Feynman’s book, spiced up with some extra material from other sources, collected and edited by Ralph Leighton.

Most of the chapters are taken from Feynman’s two popular books – Surely you’re joking Mr. Feynman! (which I read and reviewed before) and What do you care what other people think. The focus is on Feynman’s time as a student, his work at Los Alamos, adventures in Brazil and Japan, and finally on his participation in the committee investigating the Challenger Shuttle disaster in 1986.

One of the parts I liked most was about Feynman’s childhood – his father’s encouragement of the scientific and engineering interests of his child. Another was about his investigation of the Challenger disaster – the unyielding quest for scientific truth and integrity is inspiring.

Not all parts of the book are equally interesting, however. Some are just anecdotes of his unusual character, somewhat cocky and overly self-confident, getting into, and sometimes looking for trouble. However, all in all it’s a very pleasant book to read. The chapters aren’t strongly related, so it can also serve as a great breakfast (or toilet!) read, one chapter at a time.

Related posts:

1. Book review: “The selfish gene” by Richard Dawkins
2. Book review: “The making of the atomic bomb” by Richard Rhodes
3. Book review: “TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols” by W. Richard Stevens
4. Book review: “QED – The strange theory of light and matter” by Richard Feynman
5. Book review: “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins

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