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This autobiography by Richard Feynman can be a great read whether you are interested in him as a famous physicist, or just looking for a fun book. Feynman is known world round as a Nobel Prize winning physicist. Many people will learn about him in reference to his lecture series. Others may know him from his work on the first atomic bomb. In this book you get to see Richard Feynman the bongo player, safe cracker, and all around eclectic person.
Unlike books you may read on other famous scientists of the time Feynman knows how to talk at any level. He starts with his childhood lab and how he made his own fuse so as to not blow the fuse in the house. You can just feel him remembering the joy of illuminating lights in various circuits.
Feynman brings great storytelling to this book. You can visualize what he is describing and feel his same emotions. He constantly surprises the reader. Stories of betting a man with an abacus that he can do cubes and cube roots in his head faster than the abacus.
Some of the more interesting stories come from his work on the Manhattan Project. Starting from his arrival he found a way to be noticed, and not always for the best. He gained a reputation for cracking safes that lead to some security concerns. He also went about pointing out security flaws at the site by exploiting them in hilarious ways after he was ignored using proper channels.
A review on the back of the book from the New York Times compares Feynman’s storytelling to that of Mark Twain. I would have to agree with them. Both men had interesting lives and knew how to tell a story to attract all audiences. I recommend this book even if you aren’t into science, and even more so if you are.