"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
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- Author：Richard P. Feynman
- ISBN：0393355624
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Summary
A New York Times bestseller—the outrageous exploits of one of this century's greatest scientific minds and a legendary American original。
Richard Feynman， winner of the Nobel Prize in physics， thrived on outrageous adventures。 Here he recounts in his inimitable voice his experience trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek; cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets; accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums; painting a naked female toreador。 In short， here is Feynman's life in all its eccentric—a combustible mixture of high intelligence， unlimited curiosity， and raging chutzpah。
Reviews
Peter Garza
，
It is incredible the amount of living this man packed into his life。
Micheal Williams
，
I really enjoyed reading your book。 This deserves a lot of audience。 Why don't you publish it in NovelStar？And they also have an on-going competition that you might want to join。 I really enjoyed reading your book。 This deserves a lot of audience。 Why don't you publish it in NovelStar？And they also have an on-going competition that you might want to join。 。。。more
Kim
，
A look into the life of Richard Feynman， who aside from being a very influential figure in physics， seemed to be a charismatic and funny guy who had a diverse range of interests outside of physics and had an endless curiosity for life。 A joy to read， a couple of laughs， and overall an interesting read。
Paweł Kleist
，
For me， as an engineer， that book was a game changer。 I recommend it to everybody， especially to people who are somehow connected with science。
Ashwini Shenoy
，
"Surely you are not a nobel laureate Mr Feynman ！ " " Oh but I am， just， not the standard definition of it "There's enough said about his physics but what really has been tripping me is how he came to be this personality。 When your physics professor plays the Bongo professionally and exhibits his art as well， you must know more。This book then， isn't about his physics （ of them there are enough already）， but the man himself。 The childhood experiments， the need to simplify， the willingness to expe "Surely you are not a nobel laureate Mr Feynman ！ " " Oh but I am， just， not the standard definition of it "There's enough said about his physics but what really has been tripping me is how he came to be this personality。 When your physics professor plays the Bongo professionally and exhibits his art as well， you must know more。This book then， isn't about his physics （ of them there are enough already）， but the man himself。 The childhood experiments， the need to simplify， the willingness to experience everything in his path。。be it occult， inane or outright insane。 When someone like him speaks about himself it can sound boastful， and probably does。 However， if that's exactly what you wanted to know， what made him HIM， then you would be fascinated and how ！ When I watched his lectures， I just had to understand how he was wired。 When you understand the why behind his actions， you will see the symptoms of true genius。 You could name this book "The Scientific integrity of a safecracker" or " The Percussionist on the A-bomb" 。。。and it would still make sense。It's a Feynomenon 。。。more
Greg
，
A surprisingly enjoyable read。 Measures up to its high acclaim without a doubt。 The style was an adjustment based on my expectations， but I quickly learned to go with the flow and just enjoy the adventures of an amazing life。 So many stories and all shed light on some truth。 You may not agree or like all of Mr。 Feynman’s perspectives， but you won’t regret embracing them and gleaning what you may。 A delightful book and highly recommended！
Titiaan
，
Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who participated in work on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos。 This book is a collection of stories of his life as told to a friend with whom he took drumming lessons。 Feynman embodies a beautiful way of being: he is curious， speaks his mind， and is open to adventure。 The stories in this book are bound to put a smile on your face。 In one of the chapters， Feynman details how he was considered a genius by some factory builders after pointing to an ic Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who participated in work on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos。 This book is a collection of stories of his life as told to a friend with whom he took drumming lessons。 Feynman embodies a beautiful way of being: he is curious， speaks his mind， and is open to adventure。 The stories in this book are bound to put a smile on your face。 In one of the chapters， Feynman details how he was considered a genius by some factory builders after pointing to an icon of a valve on the blueprint for a new factory。 Feynman pointed to it because he did not understand what the icon was （"At first， I thought it was a window。"）。 The builders， interpreting his pointing as an observation， quickly realized that the valve in question was the critical point of failure， and considered him a genius for pinpointing it so quickly。In another chapter， Feynman shares how， while living in Rio de Janeiro for ten months， he learned to play the frigidiera， a Brazilian instrument that looks like a small frying plan。 He became so good at it that he was asked to play in the national Carnival parade。 The stories in this book can easily be read one at a time in no particular order。 Great reading at the end of a long day。 。。。more
Sherry Cordry
，
Very funny and so so smart！ The Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman， drummer and throat singer fan， is a true renaisancence man！ The book， released in 1985， covers a variety of instances in Feynman's life。 The anecdotes in the book are based on recorded audio conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partner Ralph Leighton。 Very funny and so so smart！ The Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman， drummer and throat singer fan， is a true renaisancence man！ The book， released in 1985， covers a variety of instances in Feynman's life。 The anecdotes in the book are based on recorded audio conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partner Ralph Leighton。 。。。more
Q。 Xuân
，
Despite some flash of negative thoughts on Prof。 Feynman's social life， I was tremendously inspired by his story on science and life enjoyment。 He is a great teacher from a scientific standpoint。 I am on proteome research that is totally a new and complicated field to me; his adventurous story really guides me throughout this long expedition。One excerpt:———During the conference I was staying with my sister in Syracuse。 I brought the paper home and said to her， “I can’t understand these things th Despite some flash of negative thoughts on Prof。 Feynman's social life， I was tremendously inspired by his story on science and life enjoyment。 He is a great teacher from a scientific standpoint。 I am on proteome research that is totally a new and complicated field to me; his adventurous story really guides me throughout this long expedition。One excerpt:———During the conference I was staying with my sister in Syracuse。 I brought the paper home and said to her， “I can’t understand these things that Lee and Yang are saying。 It’s all so complicated。”“No，” she said， “what you mean is not that you can’t understand it， but that you didn’t invent it。 You didn’t figure it out your own way， from hearing the clue。 What you should do is imagine you’re a student again， and take this paper upstairs， read every line of it， and check the equations。 Then you’ll understand it very easily。”I took her advice， and checked through the whole thing， and found it to be very obvious and simple。 I had been afraid to read it， thinking it was too difficult———I was reading this book while being bombarded by huge amount of proteome articles， which I cannot really understand a single one。 I tried some tricks on speed or comprehensive reading techniques and so-and-so。 However， it is not clear only until I started to sit down and read a tough review line-by-line， word-by-word; stuff then became "very obvious and simple"。 Thank you Prof。 Feynman。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
This was my second time reading this。 First read in mid 1990s and enjoyed。 Found it enjoyable but not great。
Sasha
，
I’ve heard so many good things about this book， about how wacky and curious and likable it makes him seem， and as a physics major I’d been wanting to read it for some time。 Because of the uncritical hype it was an extra disappointing read。 Yes， he is wacky and curious， but so are so many of the people I know。 But why does no one mention the thick vein of misogyny throughout？ And the way he smugly torments service workers and admin staff （total coincidence that they’re mostly women， I’m sure） to I’ve heard so many good things about this book， about how wacky and curious and likable it makes him seem， and as a physics major I’d been wanting to read it for some time。 Because of the uncritical hype it was an extra disappointing read。 Yes， he is wacky and curious， but so are so many of the people I know。 But why does no one mention the thick vein of misogyny throughout？ And the way he smugly torments service workers and admin staff （total coincidence that they’re mostly women， I’m sure） to prove his points that they should “lighten up” despite being “incredibly busy” and that bureaucracy should be have less red tape？ It’s particularly maddening given his smug last chapter about the scientific method and “not fooling yourself。” Did he not apply the same reasoning to the social systems around him？ Ok， maybe you say it’s unsurprising for his time， but I expect more from contemporary reviewers and from Bill Gates in his forward。 Ignoring this does a disservice to everyone reading it: to women who see that we don’t mind it， to men who think it’s acceptable and normal way to think。 This book made me think he is interesting and deeply socially challenged， and laid bare how different it is to be a man with those characteristics than a woman in our society。 I know so many women like that who are not adored—they are punished and held back and internalize it as their personal failing。 There were SO many points， especially in his early life， where I was floored by how people reacted to him—they did not react that way when I did similar things as a kid。 To be quite honest， it made me deeply jealous of the playing field he landed on。 Feynman is an unintentional example of what we lose through the misogyny he seemingly uncritically embraced: if he had been born a woman， we would *never* have gotten his physics nor his wacky exploits and great teaching。 You’d think a truly great thinker and scientist would be able to figure that out。 。。。more
ferhat
，
A must， I think especially for high school students。 In general， the earlier you read in life， the better it is。
Gromit Lisenham
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This was advertised as a science book but it really is a book on self improvement。Mr Feynman shows humility despite working on the Manhattan project and receiving a Nobel Prize and it is this humility which allows him to be truly curious and to try new things， he isn't afraid of looking silly or being wrong。 It is inspiring how much he is able to cram into his life and the variety of things he is able to be interested in and excel。 Not only is this book insightful but also hilarious。 There are v This was advertised as a science book but it really is a book on self improvement。Mr Feynman shows humility despite working on the Manhattan project and receiving a Nobel Prize and it is this humility which allows him to be truly curious and to try new things， he isn't afraid of looking silly or being wrong。 It is inspiring how much he is able to cram into his life and the variety of things he is able to be interested in and excel。 Not only is this book insightful but also hilarious。 There are very few books which make me literally laugh aloud and this is one of them。The book itself is a collection of what come across as a series of diary entries written by one of his close friends。 They follow a reasonable chronology that but can be a bit confusing at time。 I would say that the last few entries were not very good and came to quite an unnatural and anti-climactic finish after an otherwise excellent and easy read！ 。。。more
Jamie Greene
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Enjoyed this informal autobiography！ Lots of amusing stories！
Akshay Sethia
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Never thought a Noble Laureate in Physics（expected to be a nerd） could have such a colorful life。
Arno Mosikyan
，
տաղանդավոր մարդկանց նարցիսիզմը պետք է ներել， որովհետև մարդկության համար նրանք ավելին են արել քան վնասել են իրենց նարցիսիզմով:） Ֆայնման գիտնականն ինձ միշտ դուր է եկել， և կմնա որպես որակյալ մարդ， ով իր կարևոր ներդրումն ունեցավ հոմոսապիենսների քաղաքակրթության առաջընթացի մեջ:
Shog Al Maskery
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I love love loved it！ Every part was either a lesson you learn from in life or something that makes you laugh
Jon Evan Moore
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Richard Feynman is arguably the best example for knowledge equaling power。 The most fascinating polymath that I've read about so far。 Truly envious of the life he got to live。 Richard Feynman is arguably the best example for knowledge equaling power。 The most fascinating polymath that I've read about so far。 Truly envious of the life he got to live。 。。。more
Nora
，
Richard Feynman is a remarkable man in many ways and this autobiographical book tells his life's story in full color。 It was a true joy to read， but also very inspiring。 Did you know he learned to paint， starting from zero （and being very skeptical）， and had several exhibitions？ Richard Feynman is a remarkable man in many ways and this autobiographical book tells his life's story in full color。 It was a true joy to read， but also very inspiring。 Did you know he learned to paint， starting from zero （and being very skeptical）， and had several exhibitions？ 。。。more
x4ar4v
，
Marvelous character！！ Brilliant Physicist
Sara
，
Apprezzo enormemente questo genere di autobiografie: spiritose， descrittive ed estremamente sincere。 Ammetto di conservare in memoria ben più di un aneddoto。 I concetti prettamente scientifici li ho trovati a tratti estremamente interessanti， a tratti esageratamente pesanti e complicati （per un comune mortale） da capire a pieno。 Tolto qualche capitolo più noiosetto， è una lettura piacevole。
Elena
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Un mix letale di narcisismo e sessismo， illeggibile。
Crystal
，
It's probably much funnier to scientists。 It's probably much funnier to scientists。 。。。more
Ta Nia
，
Історії з життя видатного фізика і нобелівського лауреата Річарда Фейнмана。 Цікаво побачити що коїться в голові у генія）） про що він думає， як він думає， як сприймає світ。。。 зазвичай науковців показують як серйозних дядічок， що тільки те і роблять， що сидять над своїми схемами і діаграмами。 Тут же Річард Фейнман - це ексцентричний трошки дивакуватий молодий чоловік， що любить пригоди， жінок， з радістю навідується в топлес бар， їздить у Вегас полюбуватись гарними танцівницями， вчить іспанську і я Історії з життя видатного фізика і нобелівського лауреата Річарда Фейнмана。 Цікаво побачити що коїться в голові у генія）） про що він думає， як він думає， як сприймає світ。。。 зазвичай науковців показують як серйозних дядічок， що тільки те і роблять， що сидять над своїми схемами і діаграмами。 Тут же Річард Фейнман - це ексцентричний трошки дивакуватий молодий чоловік， що любить пригоди， жінок， з радістю навідується в топлес бар， їздить у Вегас полюбуватись гарними танцівницями， вчить іспанську і японську， а між ділом бере участь у створенні ядерної зброї та жартує над своїми друзями-фізиками і не тільки。 Легка， цікава， весела книга。 Рекомендую 。。。more
Mr Justin V Pearce
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A curate's egg of autobiographical anecdotes。 Quite difficult to understand the point he's talking about at times。 And his treatment and experiences with women are Neanderthal。 However， some chapters are engaging。 Feynman certainly is an interesting character。 A curate's egg of autobiographical anecdotes。 Quite difficult to understand the point he's talking about at times。 And his treatment and experiences with women are Neanderthal。 However， some chapters are engaging。 Feynman certainly is an interesting character。 。。。more
Evan Micheals
，
This book was discussed on Books of Titans and it sounded interesting。 My strongest thought was that Richard Feynman was aspy。 He had no respect or regard for social convention。 He did only what made sense to him （and a lot didn’t）。 He could see the hypocrisies of conventional society。 He would be cancelled today for the strippers alone。I laughed at times at the ridiculousness of some of the stories。 Feynman describes being able to follow wherever his curiosity took him and honesty in talking ab This book was discussed on Books of Titans and it sounded interesting。 My strongest thought was that Richard Feynman was aspy。 He had no respect or regard for social convention。 He did only what made sense to him （and a lot didn’t）。 He could see the hypocrisies of conventional society。 He would be cancelled today for the strippers alone。I laughed at times at the ridiculousness of some of the stories。 Feynman describes being able to follow wherever his curiosity took him and honesty in talking about it。 Obviously most famous for Physics， and less well known for his Safe Cracking， Art， Dance， Percussion Instruments， and stupid things he did to attract women。 He was someone who could only be who he was when he was it。 The world is better for him being able to reach his potential in spite of the social faux pas。 His comments on the importance of the scientific method that conclude the book are on point。 He brings up psychology for being susceptible to ‘cargo cult science’。 I have to agree。 My anecdotal observation is that my field easily follows what is fashionable and the current trend or fad。 I am convinced that a lot of the experts in my field especially in academia are wrong about what is fashionable in psychological circles at present。 The sit in their own echo chamber， especially around self-esteemism and the need to avoid any form of trauma。I reflected on how hard the world has become for aspy people。 We have much less tolerance for those with neurolinguistic diversity。 People are not given charity for social errors made that they are blind to because of the social awkwardness synonymous with being on， or close to the spectrum。 Richard Feynman would not blossom today in our suffocating social context that has you one faux pas away from being cancelled。 We have a much narrower range of tolerated behaviour。I identify as being close to the spectrum， but not on it。 I get aspy people。 They are much easier for me to understand than neuronormatives。 I see being close to being aspy as a super power。 Once I find something interesting I have limitless ability to focus on it。 I do not have the intuitive sense of social grace， and have plenty of faux pas in my own history。 I either have a laser focus and can see certain things clearly， or miss them completely （such as social ques of others discomfort when I am discussing something I find interesting）。 I found this book both beautiful and tragic。 Beautiful in the honest in which Feynman tells the anecdotes that display how he sees the world。 Tragic that so many people who are aspy are increasingly marginalised in an increasingly intolerant society of neurolinguistic diversity （at a time when diagnosis is increasing）。 I loved this work and will revisit it in the future。 We need more Feynman’s （aspy people） with their ability to identify what is absurd and ridiculous。 。。。more
Markus Molina
，
I was realizing I hadn't read many biographies lately， or nonficiton， in general-- and this one had been on my list。 Surely You're Joking， is a light brisk read about a physicist， so in that way， it makes you feel like a smarty pants for just reading it， even if it isn't particularly challenging。 I think the biggest merits to this book， are that what Feynman writes about encourages curiosity and the scientific method。 He makes learning seem fun and like the reward we should all be striving towar I was realizing I hadn't read many biographies lately， or nonficiton， in general-- and this one had been on my list。 Surely You're Joking， is a light brisk read about a physicist， so in that way， it makes you feel like a smarty pants for just reading it， even if it isn't particularly challenging。 I think the biggest merits to this book， are that what Feynman writes about encourages curiosity and the scientific method。 He makes learning seem fun and like the reward we should all be striving towards。 I loved the section where he's trying out the sensory deprivation tub and meditations， taking embarrassingly minimal amounts of ketamine， and running into the guru Ram Das。 The part where he's talking crap about modern day teaching in america and textbooks lacking in effective teaching was also very poignant。 I love the theme of pushing yourself to do and learn things others don't expect from you， or maybe that you don't even expect from yourself。My biggest issues with the book are that Feynman does come off as definitely egotistical and for sure， a bit of a womanizer。 His three wives are rarely discussed except for when his first wife dies。 He sort of just gets back to work right away。 One chapter really disgusted me， where he is sort of training to become a pick up artist。 He goes around calling women bitches and treating them like they're worthless to him unless they put out。 And then he yells at one that she's worst than a whore， because she won't "give him anything" after he buys her stuff。 Really disappointing to have that type of discussion and behavior from a respected scientist。 Then he seems to get into drawing because he will be able to draw nude models。 He also seems narcissistic discussing his drumming， drawings， cracking safes， really just being a nuisance， and wanting to turn down the noble prize and shit like that， just made me roll my eyes。 Left an ugly taste in my mouth， however I do appreciate the candor， even if most times it seems like he is just patting himself on the butt。 Also， I was disappointed to find he didn't actually write the book， he had a ghost writer listen to him talk， but it really is meant to make you feel like he wrote it， because the ghost writer's name just pops up on one of the prefaces once， and I think that's it。 Overall， it's worth a read if you're interested in the subject matter and are curious as to what it looks like to be a physicist。 It is more fun than maybe my 2 star rating implies。 。。。more
Євгенія
，
Сколько раз себе говорила， что не стоит строить догадки о чём- или о ком-либо， прежде чем самостоятельно с этим познакомиться。 Вот и в этот раз сама себе， видимо， испортила впечатление， хоть и не предумышленно。 Не секрет， что Фейнман - фигура видная， и только не интересующийся литературой - даже не физикой！ - человек не слышал о нём хотя бы что-нибудь。 А я в некоторой степени интересуюсь этой наукой， поэтому об этой автобиографической， с искромётным юмором книге Нобелевского лауреата по физике н Сколько раз себе говорила， что не стоит строить догадки о чём- или о ком-либо， прежде чем самостоятельно с этим познакомиться。 Вот и в этот раз сама себе， видимо， испортила впечатление， хоть и не предумышленно。 Не секрет， что Фейнман - фигура видная， и только не интересующийся литературой - даже не физикой！ - человек не слышал о нём хотя бы что-нибудь。 А я в некоторой степени интересуюсь этой наукой， поэтому об этой автобиографической， с искромётным юмором книге Нобелевского лауреата по физике наслышана была очень， поэтому и ожидания были весьма высоки。Первой неудачей при знакомстве оказался перевод。 Эта книга "валялась" у меня в электронном ридере лет пять， так что я без всякой задней мысли просто открыла имевшийся вариант и стала читать。 Не выдержала я странице на 15-й， так как в наше время даже гугл-переводчик лучше бы справился с задачей， чем коллектив тех людей， которые， как заявлялось， работали над этой книгой。 Нашла другой вариант перевода， однако из-за того， что， к сожалению， возможности приобрести бумажную книгу у меня нет （как， впрочем， и желания - вряд ли я ещё когда-нибудь вернусь к этой книге， а если нет， то нет и смысла хранить бумажное издание）， не знаю， особенности ли это конкретно электронной книги， но， хотя перевод С。 Ильина не в пример лучше， там тоже нередко встречались спорные моменты， которые портили впечатление и разрушали юмор。Вторая неудача случилась， когда я， устав продираться сквозь печатный текст， решила найти аудиокнигу。 Не помню имени чтеца， но это была женщина， и читала она хотя и неплохо на первый взгляд， но как-то совершенно не атмосферно。 В какой-то момент прослушивания я потеряла нить повествования， и， чтобы наверстать её， открыла электронную книгу и нашла последнюю запомнившуюся главу。 И какие， оказывается， забавные ситуации там были， да как описывались！ Сверилась с аудиовариантом - вроде бы текст тот же， а эмоций не вызывает никаких совершенно。 Наверное， это просто не тот случай， когда можно заменить чтение прослушиванием。 Но тем не менее， этот эпизод тоже оставил не самый хороший отпечаток на впечатлении по итогу。Однако несмотря на всё это， личность Фейнмана стала мне ещё более интересна。 Я в восхищении от людей， которые， невзирая на свой профессионализм в серьёзных научных областях， остаются по-детски открытыми миру и всему новому; которые не боятся сказать， что им что-то непонятно или они чего-то не знают; которые не избегают глупых вопросов （как задавать， так и отвечать на них） и которые не останавливаются в своих увлечениях и не зарываются во "скучную взрослую жизнь"。 Бесконечное восхищение учёному-физику， музыканту， художнику， преподавателю и просто интересному человеку！ 。。。more
Nelson Faria
，
This book is like someone telling you stories at a bar。Some interesting， others fun but at half book， no more surprises。
Femke Munting
，