Stuart Rojstaczer
Author of The Mathematician's Shiva: A Novel
About the Author
Stuart Rojstaczer is Associate Professor of Geology, Environment and Engineering, and Director, Center for Hydrologic Science at Duke University. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Works by Stuart Rojstaczer
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Wisconsin, USA
Members
Reviews
This book has received substantial critical acclaim, and the 2014 National Jewish Book Award for best debut novel. It's a shame that it is not more widely read. It's well written, funny, heart-wrenching, and intellectual. A wonderful book club choice. Rachela Karnokovitch is one of the greatest math geniuses in history. Born in the USSR, her life is shaped by the harsh life in a Soviet gulag in Siberia, where her mother dies and she and her father starve. Rachela is convinced that hardship show more and deprivation sharpen senses and open minds, and she is lucky to have teachers, who recognize her unique talents. As soon as she can, she defects at a Berlin conference, abandoning her husband and young son. She solves major problems in math, but is frustrated by the male-dominated academic community's refusal to provide her with the recognition she deserves. When she dies, rumors about that she has solved the famed/fictional “Navier-Stokes equation” – one of the great unanswered conundrums and hidden the solution, drawing a curious mix of friendly and opportunistic mathematicians to her funeral and shiva.
So what's so interesting here? The story of Rachela's larger than life personality, her disjointed family (estranged husband, biological and adopted children, including a talented Russian dancer defector, estranged daughter-in-law and her brilliant progeny) is awfully compelling. Narrated by her son, himself a professor of atmospheric science (hurricane chaser), the novel is basically an ode to his mother, but is very funny as it touches on various subjects from religious beliefs to cultural issues (especially Russian) to academia (recognition, competition) to love and friendship.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Speaking to President Clinton at an award ceremony where she is being honored,
Another:
In describing Russian emigrant men's attempts to help the beautiful adopted daughter/dancer Anna:
A last one:
So what's so interesting here? The story of Rachela's larger than life personality, her disjointed family (estranged husband, biological and adopted children, including a talented Russian dancer defector, estranged daughter-in-law and her brilliant progeny) is awfully compelling. Narrated by her son, himself a professor of atmospheric science (hurricane chaser), the novel is basically an ode to his mother, but is very funny as it touches on various subjects from religious beliefs to cultural issues (especially Russian) to academia (recognition, competition) to love and friendship.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Speaking to President Clinton at an award ceremony where she is being honored,
Clinton begins to tell my mother of a recurring dream. He is in an elevator of an impossibly tall building. He keeps rising higher and higher alone in the elevator, the numbers signifying what floor he is on getting bigger and bigger. "What do you think it means, Doctor K?"Hillary finally bursts out laughing, recognizing it as a joke.
"Well, I'm a mathematician, not a psychoanalyst," my mother says, "But, it would seem that your subconscious is telling you that you are in over your head in your present job."
Another:
Besides it is not a Russian thing to follow rules, unless of course not following them will likely mean prison or worse. Many rules are in fact inherently stupid.
In describing Russian emigrant men's attempts to help the beautiful adopted daughter/dancer Anna:
She swatted them away without any pretense of being polite. If they persisted, she'd roll out the insults. "Da poshel ty na kher so svoin utiugom [Get the hell out of here and don't forget to take your dick with you.]"
A last one:
If there is one hardship Russians can endure, even celebrate, it's cold and the deprivation associated with that cold. Every hundred years or so another country forgets about this special Russian talent, declares war and pays dearly for their naivete and hubris.show less
Most novels ostensibly about math feature math as a Dan Brown-ian McGuffin, approximately equivalent to magic: we take these numbers and then Do Math and then the secret to the universe pops out-style. That is not the Mathematician's Shiva. This is a book written by someone who clearly loves and understands math. The whole novel is basically a love poem to math, and cold Wisconsin winters, supported by knowing winks at academic culture and a heavy dose of Madison in its setting. Out of that show more comes a charming family story, staring all middle-aged+ protagonists (shout-out to Jon, who's into that sort of thing), as well as some thoughtful exploration of the meaning of religion, and specifically Judaism to a bunch of hard-nosed skeptics who don't literally believe but still gain value, the difference between intelligence and genius and the areas of the world where gender discrimination is alive and well.
I'm not totally sure who this novel was actually for, but as an academic Eastern-European Jewish math-enthusiast, cross-country-skiing-enthusiast who was born and raised in Madison, I enjoyed it largely as a "hey, look at that, someone wrote a book just for me!" I'm not sure whether a broader audience would appreciate it. show less
I'm not totally sure who this novel was actually for, but as an academic Eastern-European Jewish math-enthusiast, cross-country-skiing-enthusiast who was born and raised in Madison, I enjoyed it largely as a "hey, look at that, someone wrote a book just for me!" I'm not sure whether a broader audience would appreciate it. show less
A complete delight start to finish -- full of humor, pathos, and universal human truths. Stuart Rojstaczer's narrative is both inventive and quirky.
At its center are Rachela Karnokovitch, a Polish emigre and world-renowned mathematician, and her grown son, Sasha, a professor of meteorological studies. At the beginning of the novel, Rachela is on her deathbed, refusing to reveal whether she has solved an illusive mathematic problem she has worked on all her life.
After her death, show more mathematicians from across the world descend on the small family home in Madison, Wisconsin -- ostensibly to pay respects but mostly to resolve the mystery of Rachela's mathematical proof. Sasha, his father, Rachela's brother, and others must deal with the onslaught while processing their own personal grief.
The result is an exploration of everything from familial love to professional envy, from the personality quirks of mathematicians to the differences between immigrants and home-grown Americans. The book is full of surprises, each one adding new dimensions to the story. Thoroughly enjoyable read. show less
At its center are Rachela Karnokovitch, a Polish emigre and world-renowned mathematician, and her grown son, Sasha, a professor of meteorological studies. At the beginning of the novel, Rachela is on her deathbed, refusing to reveal whether she has solved an illusive mathematic problem she has worked on all her life.
After her death, show more mathematicians from across the world descend on the small family home in Madison, Wisconsin -- ostensibly to pay respects but mostly to resolve the mystery of Rachela's mathematical proof. Sasha, his father, Rachela's brother, and others must deal with the onslaught while processing their own personal grief.
The result is an exploration of everything from familial love to professional envy, from the personality quirks of mathematicians to the differences between immigrants and home-grown Americans. The book is full of surprises, each one adding new dimensions to the story. Thoroughly enjoyable read. show less
A complete delight start to finish -- full of humor, pathos, and universal human truths. Stuart Rojstaczer's narrative is both inventive and quirky.
At its center are Rachela Karnokovitch, a Polish emigre and world-renowned mathematician, and her grown son, Sasha, a professor of meteorological studies. At the beginning of the novel, Rachela is on her deathbed, refusing to reveal whether she has solved an illusive mathematic problem she has worked on all her life.
After her death, show more mathematicians from across the world descend on the small family home in Madison, Wisconsin -- ostensibly to pay respects but mostly to resolve the mystery of Rachela's mathematical proof. Sasha, his father, Rachela's brother, and others must deal with the onslaught while processing their own personal grief.
The result is an exploration of everything from familial love to professional envy, from the personality quirks of mathematicians to the differences between immigrants and home-grown Americans. The book is full of surprises, each one adding new dimensions to the story. Thoroughly enjoyable read. show less
At its center are Rachela Karnokovitch, a Polish emigre and world-renowned mathematician, and her grown son, Sasha, a professor of meteorological studies. At the beginning of the novel, Rachela is on her deathbed, refusing to reveal whether she has solved an illusive mathematic problem she has worked on all her life.
After her death, show more mathematicians from across the world descend on the small family home in Madison, Wisconsin -- ostensibly to pay respects but mostly to resolve the mystery of Rachela's mathematical proof. Sasha, his father, Rachela's brother, and others must deal with the onslaught while processing their own personal grief.
The result is an exploration of everything from familial love to professional envy, from the personality quirks of mathematicians to the differences between immigrants and home-grown Americans. The book is full of surprises, each one adding new dimensions to the story. Thoroughly enjoyable read. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 2
- Members
- 361
- Popularity
- #66,479
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 27
- ISBNs
- 12