"What Do You Care What Other People Think?"

This book is written so wonderfully. You'd never expect such a brilliant mind to write in such an approachable manner. The last chapter on "The Value of Science" is my favourite in the book. Feynman lamented the fact that science really doesn't get it's day in the sun, at least when it comes to artistic endeavours.

This value of science remains unsung by singers; you are reduced to hearing not a song or poem, but an evening lecture about it. This is not yet a scientific age.

Feynman has a terrific existential poem in that last chapter as well and makes some important recommendations on what we as a species are obligated to do.

Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on. It is our responsibility to leave the people of the future a free hand.

I like Feynman’s extraordinary ability to synthesise searingly hard subjects to a level that anyone with basic skills can understand. This book is no exception. There are a lot of valuable lessons - everything from basic interactions to the value of science. And I picked it up for that reason. As it turns out half the book is about the challenger explosion and a very insider account of the investigation that followed. It’s well worth it if you’re even tensely interested in engineering or space.

A bit of an overlap with his second book, it adds colours to his story.
The Challenger research is extremely compelling.