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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was a lovely meditation on identity and the work that goes into creating the self and ALSO a scathing indictment of the mediocre men (usually) who rise instead of extraordinary women and POC.
And also I just think math ideas are really cool.
And also I just think math ideas are really cool.
“What terrible things we do in the name of love.”
Katherine grows up a very special girl. Her father introduces her to natural sciences and she is fascinated by numbers from her childhood. When her mother leaves them unexpectedly, the bond between father and daughter becomes even closer. Stubborn as she is, she wants to study mathematics knowing that the time hasn’t yet come for women to enter university and compete with men in the 1950s. But which other way could she possibly choose? She is obsessed with the Riemann hypothesis and determined to solved the greatest riddle of her time. Her stubbornness does not prevent her from being hurt, from learning the hard way that only because you are talented and eager, you do not necessarily get what you want.
Even though Catherine Chung’s novel is set in the 1950s, there is so much also today intelligent young women experience when it comes to the intellectual ivory tower. Men are still considered made in god’s image and thus by nature more capable, cleverer and more talented that any woman could ever be. Well, that’s their interpretation. I found it easy to bond with the striving protagonist and, unfortunately, only could commiserate too easily with what she feels when being deceived and her intellect ignored over and over again.
One should not shy away from the book because of the mathematics, the logical problems they are occupied with are well explained and remain quite on the surface so that the average reader can easily follow their thoughts. Apart from that, what I appreciated most is how Katherine sticks to her ideals and goals, even though this at times means that she hurts herself and gives up a lot for her professional integrity – without being rewarded for it. The second line of the plot about Katherine’s family is also quite intriguing since it is well embedded in the German history and the dangers even intellectuals ran when they had the wrong religion.
A beautifully written book about a strong woman that captivated me immediately.
Katherine grows up a very special girl. Her father introduces her to natural sciences and she is fascinated by numbers from her childhood. When her mother leaves them unexpectedly, the bond between father and daughter becomes even closer. Stubborn as she is, she wants to study mathematics knowing that the time hasn’t yet come for women to enter university and compete with men in the 1950s. But which other way could she possibly choose? She is obsessed with the Riemann hypothesis and determined to solved the greatest riddle of her time. Her stubbornness does not prevent her from being hurt, from learning the hard way that only because you are talented and eager, you do not necessarily get what you want.
Even though Catherine Chung’s novel is set in the 1950s, there is so much also today intelligent young women experience when it comes to the intellectual ivory tower. Men are still considered made in god’s image and thus by nature more capable, cleverer and more talented that any woman could ever be. Well, that’s their interpretation. I found it easy to bond with the striving protagonist and, unfortunately, only could commiserate too easily with what she feels when being deceived and her intellect ignored over and over again.
One should not shy away from the book because of the mathematics, the logical problems they are occupied with are well explained and remain quite on the surface so that the average reader can easily follow their thoughts. Apart from that, what I appreciated most is how Katherine sticks to her ideals and goals, even though this at times means that she hurts herself and gives up a lot for her professional integrity – without being rewarded for it. The second line of the plot about Katherine’s family is also quite intriguing since it is well embedded in the German history and the dangers even intellectuals ran when they had the wrong religion.
A beautifully written book about a strong woman that captivated me immediately.
Beautiful and surprising and heartbreaking and altogether wonderful.
An intelligent book that wrung my heart. Depicts the difficulties, double standards and hypocrisies that women in academia and STEM fields have to grapple with. While this is a fictional book, the widespread misogynistic attitudes and workplaces described must resonate for a lot of women. While reading this, I kept thinking of the real life example of Ellen Pao who sued a Silicon valley capital firm for discrimination against women and other minority groups. She lost the case but illuminated the toxic bro culture that women in tech face, 'death by a thousand cuts.'
In addition to dealing with the glass ceiling, our protagonist Katherine also has to contend with the bamboo ceiling, being half-Asian. Growing up in a midwest America town, she has to deal with being abandoned by her vaguely depicted Chinese mother and later learns a shocking birth secret. Unlike Wenke Wang's Chemistry, our protagonist's emotional pain is so viscerally depicted albiet through mathematical formulae at times.
I really liked the mixed mythology - Greek The Tenth Muse and Chinese Buddhism Guan Yin. Katherine oscillates between following the philosophy behind the two and their personal meaning to her. The math theorems and proofs were explained painlessly in a non pedantic manner, I particularly enjoyed reading about the real life examples of the female mathematicians in history. The pressure to publish and receive grants, an all consuming task in academia, is well conveyed in the story. The power imbalance in a relationship with an older professor is also well depicted. The message that males can be outright malicious and jealous of their female partner's success, at best clueless enablers of the system that privileges white men is valuable and contemporary.
I'm not so enamoured with the twist that comes into Katherine's identity in the latter half of the story. She has enough stuff to deal with already without taking on a prosecuted race identity. The back story of how her real parents met and escaped sounds implausible given the tight rein that China had on the few citizens they let abroad during that time period. Also the chances of Katherine retrieving her mother's proofs after decades kept by her landlord that she happened upon is also improbable but required to move the discovery plot forward. It's similar to when reading 'The Weight of Ink,' the inspirational story of a female Jewish philosopher and scholar is sufficient, no need to add scintillating details of possibly being blood related to Shakespeare! For the record, I did give both these books five stars because they were captivating, well researched and intelligent.
In addition to dealing with the glass ceiling, our protagonist Katherine also has to contend with the bamboo ceiling, being half-Asian. Growing up in a midwest America town, she has to deal with being abandoned by her vaguely depicted Chinese mother and later learns a shocking birth secret. Unlike Wenke Wang's Chemistry, our protagonist's emotional pain is so viscerally depicted albiet through mathematical formulae at times.
I really liked the mixed mythology - Greek The Tenth Muse and Chinese Buddhism Guan Yin. Katherine oscillates between following the philosophy behind the two and their personal meaning to her. The math theorems and proofs were explained painlessly in a non pedantic manner, I particularly enjoyed reading about the real life examples of the female mathematicians in history. The pressure to publish and receive grants, an all consuming task in academia, is well conveyed in the story. The power imbalance in a relationship with an older professor is also well depicted. The message that males can be outright malicious and jealous of their female partner's success, at best clueless enablers of the system that privileges white men is valuable and contemporary.
I'm not so enamoured with the twist that comes into Katherine's identity in the latter half of the story. She has enough stuff to deal with already without taking on a prosecuted race identity. The back story of how her real parents met and escaped sounds implausible given the tight rein that China had on the few citizens they let abroad during that time period. Also the chances of Katherine retrieving her mother's proofs after decades kept by her landlord that she happened upon is also improbable but required to move the discovery plot forward. It's similar to when reading 'The Weight of Ink,' the inspirational story of a female Jewish philosopher and scholar is sufficient, no need to add scintillating details of possibly being blood related to Shakespeare! For the record, I did give both these books five stars because they were captivating, well researched and intelligent.
The beginning of this book was great. Learning about the character and her passion for math and learning about the implication of being Asian American in the USA. Hands down beautifully written. However, I felt like this character played the stereotyped Asian American women in a white man society. Unknowing submissive to the white man gaze. It could just be the time and place this book took place, but I feel like that part rob her from her strengths as an individual.
medium-paced
I thought this would be a fantasy novel based on the title. The first "chapter" looked like it was going to go that way but instead, it was a novel about math. Who knew how captivating a story about a brilliant woman solving math theorems would be so good? Catherine Chung did, that's who. I was amazed at how much insight there was to the historical figures in mathematics. I kept looking up the names and their impossible puzzles still left to be solved. Chung has a degree in mathematics who delivered a great voice to Katherine, the main character in this novel. It's a wonderful and bittersweet story of a woman fighting her way to be a great mathematician in a world dominated by men.
