Rating: 
Summary: An Open Palm
Review: A late relative of mine, a world-renowned physicist, once said: "One has to be an open palm. As soon as it clenches into a fist, the person looses the ability to learn and to enjoy new things. And that is the onset of old age".Looking at our parents and grandparents, older colleagues, and now increasingly often at my own contemporaries and at myself, I am beginning to understand what a hard task it is - to remain an open palm. Almost no one avoids the nostalgic illusion - in our better days snow was whiter and girls prettier, and what we've been taught is the only correct doctrine. One only sees how ridiculous such claims are when confronted with a different, higher breed of people, who remain curious and young at heart at any age. Richard Feynman was one of such people. In case someone does not know, Richard Feynman was a physicist, a Nobel prize winner, a participant of the Manhattan project, the founder of quantum mechanics. I have no idea what it is; they say, though, that a new race of computers will shortly change our world and our perception of it; these computers will be supposedly built on principles foreseen by Feynman. Feynman's book, subtitled "Adventures of a Curious Character", is his memoir - not written down, but narrated in conversations with a close friend. It is very clear that nothing surpassed his ardent passion for physics. When Feynman spoke about his subject, he rejected all notions of etiquette and subordination; Nils Bohr and Einstein could discuss their new ideas only with him - other colleagues just gaped in awe at any dictum of theirs. Feynman writes about the very *process* of discovery - this is probably the only sincere and authentic description of scientific creativity of such scale in literature. In the closing chapter, Feynman speaks about the scientist's responsibility - not to society or colleagues, but rather to himself and his science; all his recollections, serious and jocular, clearly demonstrate how serious it was to him. They say a gifted person is gifted in anything. Feynman was unusually eager to prove this dubious statement. He came to Brazil to lecture on physics, and ended up playing frigideira and winning, with his fellow musicians, the annual competition at a street parade in Rio. He recorded a percussion-only soundtrack for a ballet, and the performance won a second place at a prestigious competition in Paris. He tackled pencils and brushes without any knowledge or experience in paining, and soon became a hot commodity on the art market. In "alien" domains Feynman always acted incognito or under an alias - he never wanted to be the proverbial Dr. Johnson's dog, whose ability to walk on its hind legs was judged by the fact that it was a dog, not because it walked well. Feynman's free-time undertakings were usually perfected to a degree which would be the crowning glory of many a professional career. He spent one of his summer holidays working under James Watson, the discoverer of the DNA, and soon was able to read a sound lecture about his own findings to Harvard professors of biology. All this seems improbable; but Feynman never admires himself too much, his boasting is good-natured, and he laughs at himself at least as much as at others. He was a master of that, of course. Almost half the book is devoted to his practical jokes. During his work in top-secret labs of Los Alamos, he developed a taste for cracking safes; the pinnacle of his burglar's career was the simultaneous cracking of three safes containing *all* US nuclear secrets. A womaniser without narcissism, a braggart without pomp, a jester without malice, a unique, but amiable character - Feynman is the most loveable memoir writer that could ever be. He never took anything for granted - having read an article about the bloodhounds' phenomenal olfactory abilities, he set to investigate humans and found out that ours are not much worse, just underused. He hated pompous fools; the description of an "interdisciplinary" conference, where the narrator's common sense and logic fail in a combat with "intellectuals", is a real tragic comedy. He was open to any new experience (unless it threatened to damage the thinking mechanism - which explains his abstinence from alcohol and drugs of any sort). Since his childhood, when he fixed radios by thought, to his old age, he remained an open palm. An excellent lesson for any of us.
Rating: 
Summary: A nuclear physicist who took the scientific approach to life
Review: "Surely You're Joking" frankly and unabashedly has the sole purpose of explaining what its like to be Feynman. It reads as if you've cornered him at a party, and asked him to explain just why he acted so weird, then transcribed what he said for five hours. For those who are unfamiliar with Feynman's particular brand of eccentricity, his unwillingness to accept anything he's told as gospel, this should be an eye-opener. For those who consider themselves the same, if not in intelligence but in approach to life, it's an egotistical trip wherein one has the guilty pleasure of saying "Yes, the Universe really is so stupid, isn't it?"
Rating: 
Summary: In his own words
Review: Although I'd heard of Feynman for years now--people I know were excited by the Feynman Lectures volumes--I didn't really know who he was. Oh, I could probably have given you the fact that he was a physicist, and maybe that he had won the Nobel prize, and just recently Jill told me about a Feynman anecdote that she had read by Stephen Jay Gould. After Surely You're Joking, I know much more about Feynman, and why he interests people. As far from the stereotype of the scientist that you can get, yet still having some geeky characteristics that he wasn't afraid to admit to, Surely You're Joking is a portrait of the man in his own words. In fact, the best way to approach this book is as if you had stumbled on to it in a dimly-lit bar, sat down next to it, exchanging turns buying drinks and talking about each other. Just like a conversation, some things are funny, some things don't make sense, and--as a one-sided conversation--they all revolve around a singe subject.
Rating:
Summary: I give this book my highest possible rating
Review: This book is packed full of adages and life lessons of a very interesting... CHARACTER. Think Tuesday's With Maury and All I Needed to Know I learned in Kindergarden only well worth reading. This book is an easy read. I think I finished Surely You Must Be Joking in about a day and a half. It can be classified in the "very entertaining" section of the bookstore.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendously entertaining, insightful, and informative
Review: An outstanding anthology! This work will educate the reader about the genesis of the atomic bomb, physics, and the inimitable character that was Richard Feynman. Don't let the fact that he was a physicist scare you, Dr. Feynman presents articles that explain physics (in a common-sense, rather than intensely mathematical) way, as well as his observations on human behaviour, life, and a more human side to working on the nations most top-secret project during WWII. Feynman was a genius, not only in his approach to physics but his approach to communicating, and observation in general. A real gem!
Rating:
Summary: Remembered for the wrong reasons?
Review: This book is entertaining, no question about that. The anecdotes are very amusing, although Feynman sometimes comes across as a bit of a [jerk]. I think if Haulden Caulfield grew up to be a genius physicist he would be Richard Feynman. I am surprised though so many people seem to put him on a pedestal. I just hope that in the long run Feynman will not be remembered mostly for his smart-alecky pranks rather than for his outstanding contributions to theoretical physics.
Rating:
Summary: Like having a beer with a physicist
Review: I read this book fairly quickly. Go to britannica.com and look up Feynman. Then read this book! There is a sharp contrast between the both of them. This book gives you a picture of a mischievous man, and with good reason. He is playing pranks on military personnel at Los Alamos and then playing in a band in Brazil. It is just a collection of stories that I am sure he would have told you if you two had a beer together.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent anecdotes: fun, adventurous, incredible!
Review: This was a great read for me; I recommend it to anyone who wants to read about an interesting character who led an exciting and varied life, and especially those readers with an interest in math/science. My only complaint: I wanted more when it was done, well Mr. Feynman did write another collection of anecdotes so here I come!
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: The first time I read the book was when I borrowed it from the library. I read the whole book.
The second time I read the book was when I borrowed it from the library one years later. I read the whole book.
The third time I read the book was when I bought it from the bookstore two years later. I read the whole book.
The fourth, fifth, sixth.... time I read the book was when I was relaxing at home, wondering why such a genius life can be so colorful.
Need to say more?
Rating:
Summary: This is Mr. Feynman
Review: Usually auto biographies (altough this book is written by a friend, its contents are taken directly from the mouth of Dick Feynman) are apologetic and with the objective of gathering sympathy from the readers, right? wrong! Richard Feynman is a brave man, and is not afraid to show is weaknesses and failures alongside with is triumphs (sometimes those simple things that made him happy like learning how to play bongo or samba in brazil). It's very interesting to discover that genius worry with the same things as we common mortals. Like how to get a date from a pretty lady (altough I don't agree with is way, but it worked for him...). This is a very good book that makes interesting reading, buy it.
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