tl;dr: This is the best book I have read this year. You should read it, too. Period.

“Books should burn inside the reader and make them restless. It should kindle wonder and curiosity in them, not pass any judgment.” - this statement in a podcast with the author Benjamin Labatut got my attention about his new book MANIAC. It is a narrative nonfiction that dives into the life of John von Neumann and ends with Deepmind’s AlphaGo beating the best Go master in the world.

Through characters like Feynman, Wigner, John’s wife and daughter, and a host of interesting characters, we peek into his genius, idiosyncrasies, and quirks. I was unaware of his contributions to math, computer science, biology, and many other fundamental areas of science. I think the word polymath must have been invented to describe him.

Blurring fiction and nonfiction genres with detailed research and masterful writing, the author paints a great picture of that era and explains why John is such an exciting person to know.

What a fantastic experience this book is! I loved it. I highly recommend it.