A review by jodumagpi
Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor by Brian Keating

4.0

I feel like this book was conceived out of the author's bitterness but the outcome was an interesting memoir intertwined with a historical account of how science, at least one corner, was shaped by the hard work of brilliant minds and some happy coincidences. I like this so much because I can relate to how ambitious the author was and how painful it is to just "settle". Regarding his critiques towards the Nobel Prize, I think they were valid. Granting that this came from a person who is obviously still caught up in his feelings, it kind of loses its touch on me.

It's such a human thing to be so competitive. The invincibility we feel out of a winning streak can make us so disillusioned. What if the Nobel Prize was organized and decided this way, would that even change the result? Would he win? I also have my own "what ifs" and I've learned that being grateful for the current state of my life can be sometimes numbing.