In this narrative, Richards (history of mathematics, Brown, U.) interweaves her experiences with her son, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age nine, and her concurrent intellectual involvement with the life and work of the 19th-century mathematician Augustus De Morgan. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Intelligent and moving story of a busy mother's experiences when her son suffers two major health problems in the course of one year. The mother/author is a professor of history of science--her son's injuries and the random helpfulness/lack of helpfulness of the health care system force her to confront her ideas of science, logic and career-driven reality. As a pediatric nurse and a mother myself, I felt her fears and frustrations very clearly.