At first glance, a biography of a mathematician would seem to make for a read dryer than the Sahara. However, John Nash is no ordinary mathematician and Sylvia Nasar is no ordinary biographer. In her capable hands, the life of John Nash comes to life…in all of its brilliant, dark, pessimistic, extraordinary, callous wonder.

John Forbes Nash, Jr. is a mathematical genius whose extraordinary mind developed the structure for what became known as Game Theory – revolutionizing both mathematics and ec More...

I read very few biographies, so I have trouble evaluating this within its field. That said, I found it fascinating, but a bit drier than I typically like my (recreational) nonfiction.

But it is a fascinating and disturbing story. Nash lived (still is living, I guess) a really complicated life, even aside from his illness. Like many geniuses, he was a "difficult" personality. (He apparently used to stand on the table in the middle of Princeton's math department grad student meetings and put down a More...

The book conveys a convincing portrayal of mental illness; but, it is unpleasant to read. I found that I didn't enjoy spending so much time with a person who, in addition to being a genius, and mentally ill, was basically a creep.

The movie was better - mainly because the screenplay converted Nash into a more likeable guy (helped to be played by Russell Crow). If you haven't read the book or seen the movie - I recommend the latter. But keep in mind it's not a terribly truthful portrayal.
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This is the story of John Forbes Nash, Jr. It is a story about the mystery of the human mind, in three acts:

1. GENIUS: Perhaps John Nash was the greatest mathematical genius ever born in his times. He grew up as a child who lacked social skills (which his parents feared the most), days he locked himself up in dark room with books alone, has no close friends etc., all he got was his mother, his sister and his mathematical books. Soon after he grew up into a young man who took up Secret-code break More...

I would have never gotten through this book if it wasn't an audiobook. Author Sylvia Nasar presented a comprehensive narrative of John Forbes Nash's life. Unfortunately, she was absent from school the days they taught about engaging your audience, limiting your topic, and just about every other skill related to literature. She is no doubt a wonderful researcher, but includes details so small as to call into question her own sanity, let alone the sanity of her subject.

This book was a lot like wat More...

In A beautiful mind it tells a story about Mr. Nash. He is like all of the other kids when he was younger. The book is a time line of his life. As the story proceeds, you will get pulled into his world. There are some of problems in his life that he will have to face or go through. He also, triumphs his old fears of his school and his friends.

Towards the middle of the story; Like everyone in the story, Mr.Nash goes through some changes. He also,meets some new people that shares his interest in More...

One of the best books on a Nobel laureate that I have ever read. John Nash is one of those men that managed to transcend a very difficult life and reach the apex of succeeding in the scientific world -- winning a Nobel prize. His Game Theory changed the twentieth century, both good and bad, and his struggle with schizophrenia is one that anyone who is coping with mental illness themselves, or in someone that they care for, is one that inspires and educates. I heartily recommend this one. Five st More...

"'How could you,' Mackey asked, 'how could you, a mathematician, a man devoted to reason and logical proof. . . how could you believe that extra terrestrials are sending you messages? How could you believe that you are being recruited by aliens from outer space to save the world? How could you . . .?' "Nash looked up at last and fixed Mackey with an unblinking stare as cool and dispassionate as that of any bird or snake. 'Because,' Nash said slowly in his soft, reasonable southern drawl, as if t More...

When it comes to geniuses, a few archetypes generally come to mind. They're often characterized as under appreciated geeks with hearts of gold (think the entire cast of Revenge of the Nerds) or as slightly spaced out but cuddly old men (think Einstein). Or they're quixotic coyotes forever trying to nab that pesky road runner. In any case, the word "noble" probably applies, at some level, to most conceptions of the intellectually gifted.

This is not true of John Nash, the subject of the biography More...

This biography was the basis for the popular film "A Beautiful Mind" a few years ago. It's the fascinating story of an arrogant young mathematician who began his career with genius-level work in mathetmatics, succumbed to paranoid schizophrenia in his thirties, and ultimately experienced a remission in the late 80s and was awarded the Nobel Prize for his early work in game theory.

Reading about Nash's early life and the beginning of his career, I couldn't help but notice that he was always rather More...

Bayangkan bila kita tiba2 mengetahui: orang2, tempat dan waktu yang sangat berarti bagi kita. Bukan hanya hilang atau mati tapi sebenarnya tak pernah ada dalam kehidupan nyata.

A Beautiful Mind, dikutip dari kisah nyata yang menceritakan perjalanan hidup seorang ahli matematika di sebuah universitas Princeton, New Jersey. John Nash, seseorang yang selalu percaya pada angka dalam bentuk persamaan dan logika hingga membawa akal sehatnya kedalam halusinasi Schizophrenia. Suatu penyakit yang kadang t More...

gw siy seperti mungkin juga kebanyakan orang, nonton pelemnya dulu ya..keren banget emang russel crowe maennya, palagi scene nya juga bagus banget... gw juga baca bukunya yang covernya masih john nash nya....bener2 tebel bukunya, jadi rada mengerti kehidupan seorang genius yang memeng sering xtraordinary ya..mungkin itu kompensasi dari kelebihan yang mereka punya, ya....oia pas malem oscar gw ngejagoin russel crowe bakal dapet oscar lagi (setelah taon sebelonnya dapet oscar via gladiator), tapi More...

As most people have already commented, this is probably one of the few biographies that I will pick up and actually enjoy reading. I found that all of the mathematical and psychological jargon added depth to the story even when I didn't completely understand it.

That being said, I did come away from this biography with a less-than-rosy view of John Nash. Apart from his God-given genius, there doesn't seem much left to admire about this man - or at least to write a book and make a movie about. Ins More...

You feel that some people around is real but you haven't realize that they're never stand. You feel that all of your dreams have realized but it never happened.

John Forbes Nash Jr., an extraordinary mathematician who get Nobel Prize in Economics (1994), was an odd guy, got himself far away in social, but in the other side bright in mathematic formula, the only thing he obsessed of.

Hard to imagine John got himself trapped in an absolutely harsh circumstance, in a labyrinth of schizophrenia. His t More...

Well Well, if you want to see a nice film about a nice man conquering a nice mental illness then watch the film. If you want to find out about an awful guy getting an awful disease and ruining the lives of everybody that got close to him, then read the book. Sylvia Nasar paints a painful picture of loss. She describes the mystery world of schizophrenia as seen through the eyes of those people most hurt by it, the family and friends of John Nash. As a reader I couldn’t help but sympathise with Al More...

Having read the book, I don't think I can see the movie. From what I've heard the film is quite good and tells the story of a genius gone mad. I gather that's where the similarity ends.

John Nash is (for most of the book) an egotist who enjoys playing dangerous pranks on others, brags that he is one of three smartest men at Princeton, treats his lovers (male and female) as though they are only there for his amusement/pleasure. He is smart, cruel, and completely socially inept. Until his illness, More...

Published by Simon and Schuster Audio in 2001
Read by Edward Herrmann
Duration: 5 hours, 55 minutes
Abridged

I freely admit that I am one of the few people that did not see the movie A Beautiful Mind . So, I decided to give the audiobook a try. Turns out, I have discovered after a little research, the book and the movie have little in common. Fair enough.

The plot in short is that John Nash was identified as a mathematical genius in college and brought into several special programs to develop that ge More...

The story of John Nash has always been one of my favourites. I saw the film A Beautiful Mind when it first came out and became immediately interested in psychology. This was the starting point for me and it is really a surprise that I haven't actually read the book that inspired the movie, until know.

John Nash was one of the greatest mathematicians of the modern world. The fact that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia never mattered to him. Math was his life, his family was his life, and the sch More...

This book took me through the full range of emotions. I felt awe, disgust, pity, wonder, joy, confusion, resolution, etc... Most of all it made me introspective as to how I treat others, and how the entire field of Psychiatry treats patients.

First of all, I learned that the movie took MANY liberties with the facts. It is about 20% truth, and the rest is style and effects. For many years I have enjoyed the movie and recommended it to friends. So I felt disillusioned when I found out how false it More...

I only knew about John Nash from the movie, and it's because of the movie that I read this book. Let me just say that this is definitely not one of those cases where if you saw the film you don't need to read the book. Most notably, that's because the movie COMPLETELY CHANGED the psychological condition of John Nash. It's as if they had the following conversation:

Movie guy 1: "You know, making a movie about the true life story of a genius, nobel prize-winning, mathematician whose life is destroy More...

This biography is absolutely more real than the movie of the same name. The life of John Nash is filled with so many interesting stories, ranging from schizophrenia, homosexuality, a tragic son to Nobel laureate. It is beyond a novelist's imagination.

Nash's career started with success and glory. But he has an unsatisfied desire for recognition. But it conflicted with his arrogant personality. This eventually resulted in unfulfilled recognition of Nash's work by colleagues before Nash fell into More...

John Nash was a prominent mathematician in the prime of his career – best known for his work on game theory (and its applications in economics) – when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Already somewhat eccentric and socially awkward, his illness pushed him over into paranoid and delusional. He was unable to function in the real world and had to be institutionalized. He received treatments, some of which were more successful than others, and like other schizophrenics he relapsed many times. It More...

After seeing the film I very much wanted to know more of "A Beautiful Mind", particularly John's wife Alicia. After reading the prologue I wasn't sure I wanted to read so much detail of such a challenging life. The book appears to be well-documented and well-written. The chapter titles help to spot read. I read enough to realize that the movie made the story much more palatable than reality and that I really didn't want to read much more. No surprise there; it was a very hard life. The chapters More...

An interesting story about an amazing genius who developed mathematical game theory in his 20s that won him the Nobel prize forty years later. In those intervening years he suffered from regular bouts of paranoid schizophrenia and was institutionalized many times.

If you are NOT a mathematician, there is a lot of discussion of math theory, history, and intrigue that will go over your head--at least it went well over mine. I was tempted to pass by large sections of the book, but critical pieces of More...

About A Genius of a Man...in Search of 'Something More'

This is a story of a genius of a man who is so caught up in world views and in search of 'something more' until he spirals into a "glut". I give this book a solid "A" (five stars). It was quite enlightening and opened my mind to new things. It's ultimately a learning experience. The book offers a person room for one's own intellectual vision. If you think you're a genius or 'want to be' more of a genius then you should definitely read this b More...

I think A Beautiful Mind is a balancing act. It is both a page-turner and comprehensive. It manages to be consistently interesting while also feeling scrupulously detailed.

The citations are numerous in a reassuring way. I was never unsure if I was reading the author's conjecture or a direct quote or known fact. Even better, I was aware of this only at a subconscious level. It's anything but a dull history lesson.

There is another balancing act in the telling of Nash's life. The author could very More...

What if your mind was a spectacular gift but at the same time, a inescapable curse? The life of John Nash has proved to be just this. Since elementary school, John Nash had always exceeded the standards of his teachers, being interested by many things but predominately mathematics and engineering. Nash went on to get a scholarship from the prestigious university, Princeton. Known by many as a math whiz, Nash was also known as socially awkward, never having any real close friends and always invol More...

I just finished the book today, but it took me a while to read it. With personal issues and the like, it took me about a month to read this book. It is rather long, but still.

So I thought this book was quite good. Biographies are one of my favorite (probably second favorite) types of books, and usually I'll read about a famous dead person. I am in love with all fascinating people. But the first thing about this book that I liked is that the person is STILL ALIVE. That's right, I said it; in this More...

The story of the brilliant John Nash is an incredibly complicated one. Did his madness contribute to his difficult, arrogant personality or was he just one of those people who has a severe social disability? I came up with more questions than answers after reading this book. Did he have Asbergers syndrome? Was this why he was so inept at social relations, or was he so contemptuous of everyone around him because he recognized early that he was intellectually so far superior to everyone he knew? D More...

Well, I will not read this book again. Nor do I recommend it to anyone.

I admit it was interesting to learn more about John Nash, particularly just how good he was, and what his colleagues had to say about his brilliant, beautiful mind. It was eye opening to read about the time of his life when he actively began struggling with his illness, and his subsequent recovery. It was gratifying to read about his Nobel Prize experience.

All that said, it was not at all "good" enough to entice me to spend m More...