“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”: Adventures of a Curious Character

An excellent read especially if the reader is either a physicist, a mathematician or an engineer. The funniest book I read written by Richard Feynman, and I read almost every book he wrote. The reader would get a clear picture of the sense of humor of this brilliant Quantum physicist, a mischievous kid at heart.

"Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman" has been on my reading list for a long time, but I never got myself to actually read it. Now I did and I'm glad I did because I found it one of the most funny and insightful books that I've read recently. It's a biography but consisting of short stories of interesting events that happened in the life of Nobel Prize Winner Richard Feynman who seemed to have a special talent of getting himself into interesting situations. The book consist of 5 parts, which are roughly equal to five important periods in Feynman's life. These are: 1) His early pre-university life, 2) His university life, 3) Involvement in the Manhattan project, 4) Early years as a professor, and 5) Later years as a physicist and professor. Each of these parts consist of small chapters that tell a situation (usually funny or weird) in which he got himself and his usually odd reactions in that situation. Throughout the book, there is this honest, smart, jokingly view on life. Feynman did experiments. Not just experiments in physics but experiments in life. He would try out things to see if he could do it or to see how people would react. That attitude of experimenting and learning always got him in weird situations and this book is full of those. Example? As a boy trying to imitate Italian (and getting away with it). Removing doors from classmates and so honestly admitting that he did it that nobody believed him (hilarious!). Pick-locking safes. Playing Brazilian instruments. Doing out to Vegas to hand out with gamblers and show women. Proof reading secondary school science books and actually reading them :) This was one of these books which I found myself laughing out loud quite often. Many of the stories made such an impression that I went off to tell other people about it as they stuck with me (especially the genius experiment with water, a glass and a tip). Everytime when I read more of it, I got more excited about the book and I was actually very sad when I finished the book. It is a book I'll probably re-read (and enjoy as much the second time). It isn't a book about physics or about a specific topic, it is purely a book about Richard Feynman... a curious character... indeed. Five stars, recommended for people who want to read an interesting and fun book.

The book is a great piece of literature that demonstrates the lack of necessity for there to be a continuous progression of story in books today. Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! is an excellent collection of stories from throughout Richard Feynman's Life, and is a great tale of in a way, what everyone could be if we all just had a little bit of a more creative mind. He doesn't have any particular special trait that makes him a great person, it's just that he is curious, and that leads him down the great paths in life that he goes down, from his house as a child fixing radios, to great schools such as MIT and Princeton. I find in particular that his open-mind leads to a lot of friends and opportunities, such as being curious enough that he joined a biology class in grad school while knowing little in the way of biology. The places where he goes is a demonstration of sorts of Richard Feynman's progression as a character. he begins as a child and progresses to MIT, where it's clear he knows more, but his knowledge is not fully developed. After, progressing to MIT, then to Princeton, then to work for the US developing the nuclear bomb, where it is clear he has gained a lifetime of experience and knowledge. I find his collection of stories remarkable, as he tells about his experiments from watching his dreams, to understanding how ants find their paths. I could not recommend this book for school projects, however, as the stories have extremely connection to each other. I would still recommend this book as a read though, as it is fantastic to hear about how he learned to deal with the fact that one of his first lectures was in front of Einstien, and other fascinating tales. His style is interesting, one I have never seen before, and if you have seen any of his lectures, you will know what I am referring to. In his stories, he never gives all of the details away at once, only what is required. As Bill Gates once put it, "you feel like you are discovering alongside him". This style of teaching is evident in his story, as when he talks, he talks about the story slowly so that you don't know what will happen until the very end. Again, he represents as a human what everyone could be, just if only they had a little more creativity, and the mind and passion to pursue those traits to whatever path they lead down. I thoroughly believe everyone should read this book, as it is both international, and entertaining

Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! is a book I could not put down. I read it in two evenings which left me wanting more. From his humble beginnings in Far Rockaway Queens as a high school prodigy to MIT (SB) at the age of 17 and then on to Princeton (Ph.D.), to Cornell and eventually Caltech and the Nobel Prize for pioneering QED this is an autobiography of one of the greatest minds ever in theoretical physics. Baudy, brash with a dynamic flare all his own, a born storyteller with gift of gab and an extremely inquisitive nature who also immersed himself in music and art. Everything he tried his hand at he excelled in. The loves of life and his family were also shared so it was not all technical. His descriptions of his work on the Manhattan Project with Oppenheimer and at Oak Ridge are riveting as is his work on the Rogers Commission to solve the root cause of the Challenger disaster. Those memories give a rare look inside the bureaucracy of NASA and how the upper management tried to hide a known defect in the design of the SRBs. That accident was preventable and Professor Feynman exposed numerous shortcomings in their processes which befuddled Secretary Rogers who had been tasked by President Reagan not to embarrass NASA! In Feynman’s second book “What Do You Care What Other People Think? He devoted half the book to the inner workings of the Rogers Commission and the controversy that arose once the final report was being prepared. I give five stars to his second book as well. My heroes in science have always been Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Richard Phillips Feynman now joins that elite duo in my picks for perhaps the greatest scientist ever.

A very fun and intriguing read. Some science, but mostly how to live and think like a scientist. It’s truly amazing how many interests he had and was able to develop significant competence.

I'm an engineer, not a physicist, so never knew about this guy but heard Sheldon on BigBang mention him several times. I got the book and learned he (Feyman, not Sheldon) was involved with the Manhattan project and was once head of the physics department at Cal Tech (thus Sheldon's comments). There's not a plot per se in the book but it is some great reading of his telling stories of his childhood, early career, and on. A great chapter about him learning about what all is going on in the bar he sometimes goes to!

Do yourself a favor and watch a youtube clip of RF giving a speech. Listen for at least 5 minutes. It won't take much to absorb his rather unique style of speaking into your consciousness and this will greatly enhance this first person account of his life experiences. Besides making a significant contribution to the Manhattan Project at Los Alomos, and receiving a Nobel Prize, Feynman (pronounced fine-men) constantly developed many varied interests and pursued them passionately. If asked to give a one word description of the guy, I guess I would use that word - passionate. There are many interesting passages in the book, and one of the things I really admired about him was his broad view of education, particularly during his graduate studies. While at Princeton, he met a number of students and professors in departments other than his physics major, and sat in on many of their courses just because he found the subject interesting. And because he was a brilliant guy, he caught on quickly to basic issues and often made his unique contributions in those fields as well. And it was interesting times - he was a student in the 30's, at Los Alamos during WWll and taught for years afterwards (and played the drums, and marched at Rio's Carnival, etc.) He mentions his wives briefly but says next to nothing about his kids. And he had a fondness for women and met a number at clubs and bars. Not my expectations of a physicist, but an incredibly interesting guy. What he was not, was a great writer. When he described problems and solutions, he raced over the details much like his mind thought. It was impossible to get a clear grasp of what he was trying to communicate in many of these passages. But then he always preferred speaking to audiences with a depth of knowledge in the field and was frustrated with those that couldn't keep pace. A great guy but I wouldn't want him for a professor in one of my EE classes. Four stars is probably a generous rating, but if you only get through a portion of this book you will be glad that you got to experience and know a little bit about Feynman.

Most often when we say that we "laughed" at this book or this movie, we mean it figuratively: we found it funny, we smiled, and so on. Not this book. This is the first time in a long while that a book has made me chuckle, snort, and laugh loudly enough for my family to ask what's going on. It's not a humor book, but it is a funny book. Feynman guides the reader through what he probably felt were the most interesting parts of his life, but rather than doing so in a set memoir format ("my greatest influence as a child was so-and-so") he does it by telling stories. It works wonderfully. His stories, of fixing radios as a kid during the Great Depression, picking the locks of colleagues while working at the Manhattan Project, picking girls up in a bar at New Mexico, are little bits of life told as it was really lived, not as it was remembered. The tone of the book is honest, unpretentious and decidedly cheeky. And for the same reasons, it has a lot to teach. Feynman doesn't pretend to be an expert on dating, but you'll find dating tips here, as he learned and applied them (often to unexpected, hilarious effect). He doesn't pretend to be an expert on philosophy, but you'll learn about his outlook on life and how you deal with being part of the project that created the most terrifying weapon on Earth. Feynman doesn't tell you about life as it ought to be, he tells you about life as it is- or was it was for him, at any rate. It's a rewarding read.

This book contains unforgettable and hilarious moments during the life of Richard Feynman. It's a lovely book that takes you through the life of the 20th century physicist, which covers many aspects during Feynman's life. It's a great book if you want to learn about the condition's of Los Alamos, or life as a professor at Caltech.

I've heard about Richard Feynman, how ecclectic the guy was and, especially, how good he was to explain complicated things to others. This is the most recommended introductory book to Richard Feynman. It was very nice to read. Each chapter can be read separately on its own. Most explanations are easy to follow, but I struggled with some. Truly interesting character. I highly recommed the book.

Nice anecdotes of a brilliant man. Mr. Feynman strikes me as a man that I would like to have a beer with - he is nothing like the stereotype scientists we see in movies these days.

This book is a collection of anecdotes by Richard P. Feynman who was a Theoretical Physicist famous for winning the Nobel prize and his earlier work on the Manhattan project responsible for creating the first Atomic Bomb, the two being unrelated. In spite of the stereotypical image of theoretical physicists, or even leading scientists in general, "Dick" was renowned for his character which endeared him to many who knew him and as well as having a keen intellect this book also shows his fun-loving creative side and the fact he was also a great story teller. The stories in this book begin early on in his childhood when he was tampering with and repairing valve-based radio's through to his time studying at MIT and Princeton then through his years at Los Alamos working on the Bomb going onto his later years teaching at Caltech and in Brazil where he learned to speak Portuguese and play Samba music. Each story is well described and as long as necessary, it's been well edited so you're rarely reminded that these were story's that were not delivered for a book but were told in a far more personal setting. The layout and organisation build an image of how his character was developed throughout the years and his curiosity and love of science as well as his ignorance to social etiquette shine through the words on the pages. The later chapters deliver his passion for genuine scientific method and thorough hard work and attention to detail which would be a good moral for anyone to take from reading this book. Very enjoyable throughout, a must for anyone with or without an interest in science and the key figures who influenced all of our lives.

Eğer bilime, şeylerin nasıl olduğuna ve arkasındaki hikayelere meraklıysanız soluksuz okuyabileceğiniz bir kitap. Feynman'ın üslubu her zamanki gibi çok akıcı ve keyifli. Tabii ki fizik, matematik ve analitik düşünmeye olan ilgisini kitabın her yerinde hissediyorsunuz.