Francis Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and the past president of the Mathematical Association of America. In 2013, he received the Haimo Award, a nationwide teaching prize for college math faculty, and in 2018 he won the Halmos-Ford writing award for the highly-acclaimed speech on which this book is based. His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and the New York Times.
A celebration of mathematics and the human spirit. Learning mathematics enriches our lives, and Su wants everyone to have a seat at the banquet. -Edward Scheinerman, author of The Mathematics Lover's Companion Francis Su has written a lyrical meditation on the beauty of mathematics and how it connects to our common humanity. -John Urschel, author of Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football Francis Su believes that math can make us better humans-and he leads by example. Every page is a work of generosity and compassion. Plus, the puzzles will haunt you for weeks. -Ben Orlin, author of Math with Bad Drawings A delightful mixture of philosophy, mathematical illustrations, and compassion. I would recommend it both to a general audience and to mathematicians. -John Cook, Singular Value Consulting Mathematics is an experience of the mind and, most important, of the heart. And to this point, this is perhaps the most important mathematics book of our time. -James Tanton, Global Math Project