num_pages: 459
description: The Barnes &amp; Noble ReviewJohn Nash was a prodigy. A star of the already prestigious Princeton and MIT mathematics departments in the 1950s, Nash was known for his ability to penetrate and solve "deep problems" -- those thought virtually unsolvable by his peers. His greatest contribution came with his advancement of game theory that revolutionized economics. A professor in his 20s, he was a leader in his field, a recognized genius. And then his life and career collapsed. In 1959, at the age of 30, Nash had a schizophrenic breakdown that saw him disappear from the world of mathematics. He lost his job, his wife, and, seemingly, his sanity. Sylvia Nasar's detailed biography of the man, his achievements, and his descent into mental illness is as affectionate towards its subject as it is probing into the often oddly parallel worlds of academia and mental hospitals, genius and madness. Nasar stays focused on the life of Nash but manages to bring to it insights into the fine line between ill and well. Notably, her behind-the-scenes look at the Nobel Prize committee's consideration of Nash's work and their trepidation at awarding their prestigious prize to a "madman" is an interesting discussion. Ultimately, the story has a bizarre and happy ending. At 66, Nash inexplicably recovered from his illness, returned to academia, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics. (Greg Sewell)
language: English
title: A Beautiful Mind : A Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr.
titlecomplete: A Beautiful Mind : A Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr.
genres: Biography, Media Tie In, History, Science, Mathematics, Mental Health, Psychology, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Memoir
ratings_count: 131912
awards: awardedAt: 915177600000
name: Royal Society Science Book Prize
category: General Prize, awardedAt: 915177600000
name: Pulitzer Prize
category: Biography or Autobiography, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Audie Award
category: Nonfiction, Abridged, awardedAt: 883641600000
name: National Book Critics Circle Award
category: Biography/Autobiography
publisher: Simon & Schuster