I Am a Mathematician

This is a well-written (Part 2 of the) autobiography of Norbert Wiener. It is always a pleasure to hear from one who thinks for himself and thinks well. As a reader with particular interest in Mathematics and Physics, I could have used greater technical detail, but for the general reader, Wiener has stuck a nice balance; no special expertise required. The first part is titled "ex-Prodigy". Both are free at archiv.org .

This or any other book which shows how the process of science works: making ever better guesses about how the world works (and not a mere collection of facts), is valuable for anyone who doesn't understand this. Wiener puts a compassionate human face on the effort.