Text transcript (literal) of the video summary for Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!:
Hello and welcome to this new video from the “Books for a Change of Life” blog.
Lately I have reviewed a fair number of business books. So, let’s change the subject for a moment, even though it’s a good idea to read business books, or books about financial expenses, how to use your network, the 80/20 principle, etc.
But I think it’s also necessary, at times, to change that and to delve into different subjects as it refreshes your mind, broadens your perspective and gives you new ideas, which means you can see things in a different light.
There’s a great book that I’d like to talk to you about today, and that book is “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
So “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”, is an autobiography that was written by Richard P. Feynman, an extraordinary scientist who not only won the Nobel Prize in Physics, made major discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics, but who also possesses a wonderful and extraordinary personality.
So this book is not actually written by him, it’s a transcript of a talk that we recorded, an interview that we made with him. But it recounts some bits about his life and let me tell you, it’s pretty extraordinary because Richard P. Feynman, not only was he a terrific scientist, a true genius, but he was also a superb teacher who had an incredibly natural talent for it too.
Cryptography
He was also someone who was passionate about cryptography, and had a keen interest to learn how to crack a safe’s combination code. There were a lot of safes that he knew how to open. He was also a drummer. He was able to play to a very high standard. There are videos of him on the drums available to see on YouTube. He was also someone who liked to do the unusual and the unexpected. For instance, he used to go to strip clubs in Las Vegas to draw strippers. There you have it.
He had a wonderful personality and didn’t conform to many peoples’ perceived expectations. He was a very eclectic person, very open-minded to most things in life and was very aware of everything that he did.
In this book you are able to see that this genius of a man is not just some geek or some kind of nerd, he’s a little anti-social, a little unusual, etc… But quite simply a genius who was very charismatic, a great teacher, who had a passion to experience real adventures in life and who found himself surrounded by people who weren’t as intelligent or creative as he happened to be, simply put.
It’s an excellent autobiography, often quite funny, hence the title “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” and it portrays what it’s like to be a genius in a world where most people are less intelligent than you are, to be a genius who knows how to play the game, knows how to make things happen, who has the skill and knowledge to come up with incredibly useful and helpful new inventions.
The book covers all sorts of subjects: from science, to seduction.
In fact, there’s a whole chapter dedicated to the subject of seduction. Sadly, his wife died due to an illness, he met other women, and learnt the art of seduction and charm. He seemed to have a born talent for it. The book offers quite an insight into the unusual and sometimes eccentric nature of his life. For example, the time he found himself at the Rio Carnival and played the drums and other such random adventures. He was very critical of the Brazilian educational system in the 1950’s.
There’s a bit of everything. It’s very eclectic. It reflects his personality and it’s great entertainment to read, funny and very informative. Quite simply, it’s an autobiography that I would highly recommend to everyone. It’s an easy one to read.
Well, it’s not often that you get the chance to get into the mindset of a true genius who is not only brilliant in his field of expertise, but also in relation to his social and people skills, so it’s a highly recommended read: “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” by Richard Feynman.
Thanks to those of you who have watched this video. See you soon for some more new adventures.
Keywords: Richard Feynman, autobiography, Nobel Prize in Physics, quantum mechanics, engineering, cryptography, drumming, science, seduction, Brazil’s education system
Click here to get hold of the autobiography of Richard P. Feynman, a genius with an eclectic personality.