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ursulamonarch 's review for:
The MANIAC
by Benjamín Labatut
I loved this. Having only a passing familiarity with John von Neumann, so this ended up being a total thriller, especially given that it ended with Go (randomly my 6 year old read that chapter over my shoulder and seemed to enjoy the man vs computer theme). But along the way, it was fascinating to read the (fictional) perspectives from different geniuses who intersected with von Neumann and see their (imagined [?]) reactions to him, and the foreshadowing of the turn he would take (although I wonder how much this really was a turn vs natural development or evolution). I appreciated the concept of the development of uncertainty in the context of rising fascism, and while the author may have laid the parallels to present day on a bit thick, I didn't think it was inappropriate. Having grown up during the Cold War, I'm not familiar with a world that doesn't contain the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, but I appreciated how the author laid out the development. Additionally, having watched Oppenheimer last year, it was fun to see Strauss make appearances here, and to see Teller and understand the consequences of the push for the hydrogen bomb more fully here than was portrayed there.
I think this book had everything I loved about the author's previous work, [b:When We Cease to Understand the World|62069739|When We Cease to Understand the World|Benjamín Labatut|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1661332705l/62069739._SX50_.jpg|84341168], and none of the (fictional) parts I didn't. I can't wait to read his next work.
I also enjoyed reading this right after [b:Love, Theoretically|61326735|Love, Theoretically|Ali Hazelwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681476644l/61326735._SY75_.jpg|96703712]!
I think this book had everything I loved about the author's previous work, [b:When We Cease to Understand the World|62069739|When We Cease to Understand the World|Benjamín Labatut|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1661332705l/62069739._SX50_.jpg|84341168], and none of the (fictional) parts I didn't. I can't wait to read his next work.
I also enjoyed reading this right after [b:Love, Theoretically|61326735|Love, Theoretically|Ali Hazelwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681476644l/61326735._SY75_.jpg|96703712]!