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Alan Turing (1912-54) was a British mathematician who made history. His breaking of the German U-boat Enigma cipher in World War II ensured Allied-...
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Feb 25, 2009
Kathleen
rated it: 
Alan Turing has always been a fun historical figure. The Turing Test and Turing Machines are both tributes to his unending contribution to the world of science fiction. I mean science and mathematics. The real stuff, not books about robots at all.
But he was, apparently, a great deal more than that. He was instrumental in decoding Enigma messages during WWII. He was a grumpy puppy who didn't socialize well. He was a gay man alienated from society by early twentieth century mor More...
But he was, apparently, a great deal more than that. He was instrumental in decoding Enigma messages during WWII. He was a grumpy puppy who didn't socialize well. He was a gay man alienated from society by early twentieth century mor More...
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Dec 14, 2010
Nigel
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I managed to finish the book but it was more of a struggle than it should have been. Good stories can tell themselves so why does Hodges have to butt in all the time with his clumsy attempts to link everything in Alan's life to childhood stories and experiences? And Turing's homosexuality, his cruel treatment by the authorities and his eventual suicide speak for themselves; they don't need page after page of Gay Lib exegesis. Less would have been more.
Having got my irritation out of More...
Having got my irritation out of More...
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Mar 30, 2009
Karen
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I loved the first 2/3rds of this book. It was a detailed and interesting biography that also included information on the work that Turing was doing. It was quite technical at times and I had to re-read some bits to try to understand the math, but it was very enjoyable, educational, and exciting. Then for me the book fell apart after 1946. It was as if Hodges had reams of materials that he felt compelled to use even if they weren't very interesting or coherently related to each other. The actual
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Sep 08, 2010
Oldesq
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In this expansive and heavily noted book Hodges valiantly tries to give the reader an understanding of the enigma that was Alan Turing- a genius who gave the world computers and a vision of the future of artificial intelligence but could not interface with the human race. Born in the U.K in 1912 and a product of the English public school system Turing was a true genius who was unbelievably ill-informed about the most basic of social interactions.
For a time during WWII he spearhead More...
For a time during WWII he spearhead More...
Aug 03, 2011
Dan
rated it: 
Excellent book. It's many years since I read it but I do remember enjoying it greatly and liking the balance between the coverage of Turing's work and his personal life.
May 20, 2011
A dense and brick-like biography. Starts with his family in the medieval period, goes on to his childhood. I was hoping for something more streamlined.
Jan 25, 2009
yet another book that's been sitting on my shelf for years...
after reading singh's 'the code book' i cannot avoid reading this finally...
after reading singh's 'the code book' i cannot avoid reading this finally...
Feb 08, 2011
Serene
rated it:
Read it because Dustin did. Interesting but got too over my head in parts. Didn't quite finish as it started to drag.
Sep 16, 2011
Jani-Petri
rated it: 
Poorly written book and mainly of interest because of Alan Turing.
May 03, 2008
Mairi
rated it: 
This is an amazing, beautiful, gripping, detailed, and heartbreaking portrait of Alan Turing. It takes us from his early years, his schoolboy days through his WWII codebreaking to his work on the earliest of computers and finally to his suicide in 1954. It covers the science and mathematics as well as the social, personal and political. It's written with tenderness and respect from the author that would be difficult to match. I highly recommend it.
Oct 24, 2009
I now have a copy thanks to the used book mavens of the Internet!
Think this should be bumped up a place or so on the to-read list.
Think this should be bumped up a place or so on the to-read list.
Jun 06, 2007
D.
rated it:
i still don't know anything about computers...but Jesus, what a story, what a man! (and what a book!) Check out the copy in the Seattle main branch for exclamation points I put in it.
Apr 20, 2008
Peter D.
rated it:
A really good biography of the father of the computer. The man who cracked the German naval enigma codes at Bletchly Park and a fascinating individual.
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