Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character

I was taken in and swindled. Oh, I wasn’t ripped off that much, and it was my own fault, but I fell for it just the same.

This book represents a combination of two of Feynman’s most famous books – “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” and “What do YOU Care What Other People Think?” That’s where I got taken. My fault. I thought it was a new collection.

But, I’ll get over it. You see, it gave me an excuse to revisit these stories. Feynman is definitely an interesting character, and these stories (by combining them, now presented in chronological order) provide the full flavor. Whether it is the stories of Los Alamos during the war or Brazil while becoming part of a samba school or becoming a safecracker or playing the show more bongos or (fill in your other favorite part here), the picture is clear that this is something different – a creative, genius (oxymoronic far too many times) who was unafraid to take on anything that interested him.

And when was the last time you read a book by/about a physicist where you dog-eared pages to just remember what was said? (In my case “You know, what they think of you is so fantastic, it’s impossible to live up to it. You have no responsibility to live up to it” and a longer passage about education and the length of the Chinese emperor’s nose that I won’t go into here.)

Okay, maybe I wasn’t taken. Did I mention this edition also has a glorious CD with Feynman’s speech on what he did in Los Alamos? That is worth the price of admission all by itself. So, if you don’t have anything by Feynman – this is a perfect place to start. If you already have the other two volumes, maybe think twice, but it is a great excuse to revisit and to here the man speak himself. show less

Disappointing

Richard Feynman is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who, among other things, worked at Los Alamos on the development of the atomic bomb. Physics must have been at the core of his thoughts and his life. . .but you won't find much of it in this "as told to" autobiography.

It seems as though Professor Feynman would prefer that we all see him as a "regular guy." As a result, instead of giving us a sense of what exploring the subtle workings of the universe meant to him, he regales us with tales of the practical jokes he has played on his acquaintances and colleagues, love for spending time in strip clubs with small-time grifters, prowess at picking the locks of co-workers' cabinets, and progress in drawing female nude sketches show more and playing percussion instruments. At one point, Feynman entertains us with lessons he has learned in developing his skills as a pick-up artist, including advice about treating women poorly to pique their interest. Feynman dismisses the liberal arts as shallow, confused thinking and a waste of time.

Some, it appears, see these stories as charming. I didn't. I gave the book two stars instead of one because I suspect that it truthfully shows the reader what meeting Feynman briefly and casually would have been like. But I would have preferred to get a glimpse of the world of physics from one of its greatest minds. In addition to telling us how he managed to get a room to himself at Los Alamos by pretending to have a female roomate, it would have been interesting for Feynman to tell us how the scientists involved with that project thought about, and dealt with, their roles in unleashing nuclear warfare. show less

If you enjoy colourful characters, Feynman is your boy. He puts paid to the typical image of physicists as nerds, with his bongo playing-lock picking-girl watching irreverence combined with sheer genius.

I enjoyed parts of this memoir. Richard Feynman recorded several stories of his life and the author of the book put these recordings together as a book. The title comes from a meet and greet event at Princeton . Someone asked Mr Feynman if he would like lemon or cream with his tea. He was distracted and was half listening to her so he said he wanted both lemon and cream. The hostess proclaimed, "Mr Feynman surely you must be joking?" I thought this was a very cute story.
Mr Feynman was a genius. I guess anyone awarded a Noble prize probably has some brains. Several stories were rather scientific and I got lost, however, there were other stories that revealed how thought through problems. He got excited if he could visualize how physics show more could solve real world problems. He had no patience for snobbery or arrogrance or fools. He enjoyed trying new hobbies like learning music or different languages. He felt a scientist needed to be a part of the world and not stuck in a lab. He said, "how could you be great at science if you buried yourself academia?" show less

Classics from Feynman's earlier autobiographical works arranged in roughly chronological order. A bonus CD of some of the source material is included, and is well worth the price of admission. Feynman was hilarious to listen to, a born raconteur. Fun collection that's light on the science and heavy on the anecdotes. Recommended.

Feynman at his most bumptious and self-congratulatory. Some fun remarks about safe-cracking, though.

Excellent collection of anecdotes about Feynman's life and his observations. Highly recommended to glimpse the "human side" of one of the 20th Century's top physicists.