A review by mudder17
The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity by Steven Strogatz

4.0

I am a math and science tutor and I have always loved math. So I looked forward to this book with great anticipation. It was obvious to me that this author shares a similar love and I really enjoyed listening to him talk about different concepts from the various branches of mathematics. However, I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had been able to follow along with a written version because as much as I love and can do the math, I am very much a visual learner and I need to see the equations in order to follow them. Some of what he talked about were very familiar to me, so even though I didn't have the equations in front of me I was able to jot down notes and follow his reasoning very easily. In others, especially the chapters on calculus and series, I needed to pause and jot things down and go back and relisten to what he was saying to make sure I was following everything correctly. Despite these shortcomings, I don't regret purchasing this audiobook (it was one of the deals of the day) and I wouldn't mind listening to it again, this time following along with the written book. I am definitely part of the target audience, so I am a bit biased. Even if you're not a math expert, I still think you could get something out if this book, if only to see how mathematics can be part of every day life.