Brainy puns aside, this book is a good one. It is a very detailed biography of Dr. John Nash, genius mathematician turned paranoid schizophrenic.

The book goes through Nash's life right from his uneventful childhood in Bluefield, Arizona to his current simple life as a member of the Princeton University mathematics faculty. Along the way, Nash goes through many troubles in his life, many of which may or may not have led up to his schizophrenia. From his almost complete lack of social acumen, and his incessant fear of being drafted, Nash was by no means ordinary but not too much unlike other geniuses. He was reclusive as a child and preferred science books to coloring books. He recognized his own intelligence and usually didn't hesitate in giving fellow children lectures on static electricity or the like whenever such a situation would arise. Especially as a graduate student, Nash never hesitated to put down others whom he felt to be of less intelligence than him. His victims thus usually included most other students. This, and his peculiar habits, kept people away from him and harmed his ability to interact with people. Apparently then, Nash's personality was not that of a typical hero. He has been described as childish, immature, and arrogant. But what more was he than another imperfect individual like the rest of us?

Nash started to become sick while he was working as a mathematician at MIT. The exact causes of his disease are all but impossible to finger out but the author analyzes them well enough in her book. The references used are extensive and include numerous interviews of Nash's friends and family as well as the written works of others. This is a strong point of the book in that the author doesn't simply lay out John Nash's life history but rather guides the reader through it.

Nash's family would commit Nash to many institutions on numerous occasions. One can only imagine the emotional difficulty such an action might have entailed and one can also understand that this would not have been helped by the opposition that some people close to Nash voiced. During the remission periods, when Nash was out of hospital, he would be traveling to France, Switzerland and other countries in Europe on the premise that he was attending mathematical seminars. Initially this was true. But his illness eventually caused him to go on these escapades as an enactment of his schizophrenic delusions, for example, at one time to become a "citizen of the world". Again this was an unimaginable emotional and financial strain on his family, especially on his wife on whom he was obviously dependent throughout this period.

Being the exception to the rule, Nash's schizophrenia eventually subsided and he entered into almost a complete recovery. This was thanks in no small part to his wife, Alicia, who could be argued was the hero of the book. She was the one who supported him throughout his illness. Even when they were divorced, she allowed Nash to stay with her in a supportive environment ultimately leading up to his recovery. Nash eventually won the Nobel prize in economics for a piece of work on game theory he wrote at an earlier, more healthy, time.

Throughout these periods, Nasar chronicles Nash's life superbly. She goes into great detail about the various aspects of Nash's life. From the family history of the Nashs, and the intellectual history of Princeton University, to the political climate at the time of Nash's appointment at MIT, whole eras are examined and analyzed in constant reference to the effects these might have had on Nash and the development of his illness. She even goes through the books Nash read as a child which might have influenced his decision to become a mathematician. Ultimately, she makes a complete picture of the man through numerous interviews and written works with those who knew him. The extensive "Notes" section bears testimony to this. The author even attempts to explain some of the Mathematics that Nash did either by herself or through the sayings of another expert. However, such explanations went straight over the head of this reviewer.

By now many of you may have noted that the real life of John Nash was quite dissimilar to the Hollywood representation. The movie does not show his homosexual inclinations, his illegitimate child, and the fact that his relationship with his wife, Alicia, was not as dandy as it is portrayed. Although John Nash now denies the allegations of homosexuality and anti-semitism, I feel that the book would not be suitable for younger readers. For them, I am sure one would be able to find many other books that would benefit them in many other ways.

It must be said, however, that the book contains hardly any sexually arousing content, and profanity is to a minimum (a couple of words I believe). Thus older readers would be able to learn about a debilitating disease and how drastically it can change the life of a person. One would be able to learn the importance of patience in such circumstances and how it would benefit the soul of not only the ill but also the ones close to the sufferer. Hope is also a strong moral which comes from the story and is a feeling which is very important for one to be able to live one's life to the full and in making the best of what little one has in this life. Another impressive point about the story was that when Nash was ill his friends and colleagues at Princeton and MIT left no stone unturned in their efforts to help him. It reminds me of the concept of one brotherhood in Islam and how if a part of the Ummah is in pain the whole Ummah is in pain with it. In a world full of cold shoulders, this was a pleasing notion.

There are many other strong points in the book. Schizophrenia is a disease that many would recognize but would find difficult to describe beyond the ambiguous "split-personality" disorder. This book sheds light on this most baffling of psychological disorders by giving an account of one of the patients of this debilitating disease and just how harmful it can be to the patient himself and his family. In addition, the book is appreciably detailed, however, and this may not be to everyone's taste. For example, there is an entire chapter devoted to the history of Princeton University and the "intellectual revolution" in the US after World War II.

Personally, I felt saddened while reading the book to see how small was the role of religion in Nash's life before his illness (of course a mentally ill person is not accountable for his actions). Nash has been an atheist through most of his life. However, it is not my position to judge a person, everybody develops in his or her own way, but I would like to stress the importance of how a belief in Allah (AWJ) can give hope and help one through adversities even as monumental as schizophrenia as was exemplified by the many occasions of complete despair experienced by Nash. The Qur'an and Hadith are full of references to the virtue and reward of patience. Knowledge of the fact that Allah (AWJ) does not put upon a soul a burden greater than that which he can bear (Surah Baqarah 2:286), or that with every difficulty there is an ease (Surah Ash-Sharh 94,5-6) has helped many people survive the turmoils that define this ephemeral world.

Ultimately, however, this a story of a person who really exists and actually went through everything described in the book. At a time Nash believed that he was among the most intelligent people in the world and that nothing could stop him from reaching the peak in the world of mathematics. But something did and he came out the better for it. His experience helped him to understand humanity better and how arrogance is never well founded. He realized the importance of family and the mutual system of support that they entail. All in all, this book was an enjoyable read.

Overall Score: 4/5

Read the book? What do you think?