Not quite as funny as "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman", but just as touching. A pleasure to read. This books makes us like not only the man, but it also inspires us to join his quest for scientific knowledge and rational thinking.

"The scientist has a lot of experience with ignorance and doubt and uncertainty, and this experience is of very great importance, I think. When a scientist doesn't know the answer to a problem, he is ignorant. When he has a hunch as to what the result is, he is uncertain. And when he is pretty darn sure of what the result is going to be, he is still in some doubt. We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt. Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of certainty--some most unsure, some nearly sure, but none absolutely certain.
Now, we scientists are used to this, and we take it for granted that it is perfectly consistent to be unsure, that it is possible to live and not know. But I don't know whether everyone realizes this is true." Feynman, The Value of Science

The book's title relates to Feynman's telling of his relationship and experiences with his first wife, Arlene, a victim of Hodgkin's disease. But the subtitle of this book would have made a better title than the one used. Feynman was indeed a curious sort, and he begins by telling how his father encouraged his curiosity.

Feynman achieved a measure of celebrity that few scientists do, and as a result, he sometimes found a forum for his thoughts outside of strict science. He was a fun and likeable man, and an innovative thinker as regards certain scientific difficulties; he wasn't much of a philosopher (evidenced by the fact that he thought Voltaire was a good philosopher), and in fact didn't like philosophy. While he was intelligent enough to admit that his views on art, culture, history, religion, and politics should not be taken too seriously, he was generally happy, and perhaps anxious, to offer such of his views anyway, and they are usually entertaining: "I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy--and when he talks about a nonscientific matter, he sounds as naive as anyone untrained in the matter. Since the question of the value of science is not a scientific subject, this talk is dedicated to proving my point-- by example." RF, The Value of Science

It hardly seems correct to call the short articles he wrote `essays', so I'll call them writings. This volume is a collection of Feynman's personal writings, with some contributions from physicist friends Freeman Dyson and Henry Bethe. Most of the book is Feynman's account of his work as a Commissioner investigating the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

This isn't a great science text, it isn't great literature; it's more like listening in on Feynman's thoughts and conversations. Apart from minimal aspects of Appendix F (Feynman's appendix to the Presidential Commission Report) his book isn't particularly technical. It's rather `light' and entertaining, and anyone interested in Feynman, in NASA and the US manned space program, or in bureaucratic `ethics' (or perversion thereof), will almost certainly enjoy it.

I have always liked reading about Dr.Feynman! Infact it all started with Surely..Mr.Feynman. This book goes out to show that any guy, can split his time between love and work(which is most often missing from these high profile Scientists/Physicist).
His desire to know the root cause of Challenger mishap, and how he goes on to demonstate what transpired the failure of Challenger mishap is very inspiring.
All in All a good buy if you are an ardent fan of him!

The book does not give as much pleasure and joy as 'Sure you're joking...", however the section on shuttle crash analysis is of highest interest and justifies alone the reading.

In this sequel to "surely you must be joking Mr. Feynman," Richard Feynman once again uses his cunningness and his scientific genius to entertain. This book starts off with a brief history of him and his scientific career. Then it goes on to his wife's death. This is a very sad excerpt of the story and in this part, he communicates with you the sorrow he goes through, showing he does truly love his wife. During this portion you realize that although he is a brilliant man and is nearly untouchable in the scientific realm, he is still down to earth and goes through every thing that we do. Also in this book is the main feature, the Challenger investigation. The Challenger exploded shortly after leaving the ground and NASA wanted to know why. They pull in a group of the top scientists, mathematicians and some other random people that don't have names. Their job is to see what went wrong with the Challenger in an effort to stop this mistake from being repeated. Feynman and the others work in Washington D.C. over six months. He finally figured out and proved, with simply a glass of ice water and a part off of the Challenger, what the problem was. He used his ingenious brain and his sense of humor to establish his point and to show NASA their miniscule piece that was causing such a major problem. This book is incredibly funny and is not such a book that has large vocabulary and crazy concepts never heard by normal human ears. It is an easy read and a fun read.

This is one of my favourite books.

Interesting life of one intelligent person with atypical sense of humour with interesting style of thinking.

Long part about physics may be boring for some kinds of people, but it still also contain a lot of interesting to read. Either way if you are absolutely out of physics you will maybe close this book on first sites of the second part.

As others have noted this is the perfect companion to Reflections...... which I listened to on a long road trip. However this book needs to be read and the content savored while Reflections is more entertainment.

The Challenger investigation shines light on all that is wrong with Washington and the good people who perform despite the system. The book is worth reading if for only these chapters. These chapters are also must reading for anyone who read the 9/11 report and either believes it or completely distrusts it. Sadly the Washington insiders are masters at controlling independent panels from the Kennedy investigation to the most recent policical investigations. The term independent panel simply does not exist in DC. Sadly too many on the Challenger panel were working hard to protect that which most needed to be fixed. I believe the same truth holds true with the 9-11 investigation where the "scope" was carefully crafted to avoid potholes.

What's refreshing is Feynman's refusal to go along and also the coaching he received from the USAF general along the way.

Non technical, the book is suitable for interested readers from 10-100. Great illustration of how much positive impact can come from one great mind.

As others have noted this is the perfect companion to Reflections...... which I listened to on a long road trip. However this book needs to be read and the content savored.

The Challenger investigation shines light on all that is wrong with Washington and the good people who perform despite the system. The book is worth reading if for only these chapters.

Non technical, the book is suitable for interested readers from 10-100. Great illustration of how much positive impact can come from a few good minds.

Although this isn't quite the same as "Surely you Must be Joking, Mr Feynman", this is still a great read. There's a great account of his involvement in the investigation of the Challenger accident. If you liked the "Surely you Must be Joking" this one is well worth it. Feynman is such a compelling guy, that (along with Douglas Adams) when reading his books I actually get bummed out that they're not still around and contributing to society.

What Do You Care What Other People Think? is sort of a sequel to Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman. As a whole this book is not as good as Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman. Part 1 of What Do You Care What Other People Think? is excellent and is very similar in tone and content to the earlier book in that it contains anecdotes of Feynman's youth, travels, and work at Los Alamos, and a touching account of the untimely death of his first wife Arlene. I recommend it highly (with only one qualm, see below).

Part 2 is an account of Feynman's work investigating the space shuttle Challenger disaster. This part contains some interesting material but it seemed incomplete, technical in odd ways, and I found it hard to follow--actually impossible to understand fully.

Feynman's epilogue on the value of science is simple-minded, and IMO unworthy of publication.

Let me repeat: Part 1 is fascinating and is a valuable supplement to Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman, but one thing that bothered me is Feynman's hostile attitude to philosophy. Here is a particularly annoying example: Feynman is discussing how he helped Arlene with her philosophy homework. Feynman attacks Descartes' proof for the existence of God. Feynman has Descartes' argument summarized fairly accurately and gives one of the standard refutations (offered as his own brilliant idea). All of this is sophomoric, literally, in that it is standard fare in intro to philosophy courses, but Feynman presents it as though he is this daring iconoclast, uprooting the stuffy philosophers. I quote: "Arlene understood me. She understood, when she looked at it, that no matter how impressive and important this philosophy stuff was supposed to be, it could be taken lightly--you could just think about the words, instead of worrying about the fact that Descartes said it." (p. 29)

Of course this is just what philosophers teach in intro to philosophy. This is philosophy! Take nothing for granted, question everything, "The unexamined life is not worth living" (Socrates). Feynman is a brilliant physicist and wonderful story teller, and he's had a wild life, but his attitude to philosophy is uneducated and uninformed. Feynman especially should appreciate our philosophical heritage. One of Feynman's valuable contributions is that he has been something of a gadfly in the spirit of Socrates, the founder of philosophy in the Western tradition.

Finally I find the title annoying. Of course you care what other people think, and so do I and so did Feynman. Why else would he relate his anecdotes, tell us the story of the death of Arlene, and so on? Indeed, Feynman strikes me as quite sensitive and concerned about other people and their thoughts.

This was my first introduction to Richard Feynman, and it left an indelible impression. The book consists of a collection of essays, ranging from his upbringing, loss of his first wife, a few anecdotes, and even an in depth look at the Challenger disaster. Among other things, Feynman is a great writer, and makes each of these subjects a captivating read. He has a brilliant mind, and an intriguing vantage point for every subject. If you ever wondered what makes some men stand out from the rest, this is a perfect book to read.

This was my first introduction to Richard Feynman, and it left an indelible impression. The book consists of a collection of essays, ranging from his upbringing, loss of his first wife, a few anecdotes, and even an in depth look at the Challenger disaster. Among other things, Feynman is a great writer, and makes each of these subjects a captivating read. He has a brilliant mind, and an intriguing vantage point for every subject. If you ever wondered what makes some men stand out from the rest, this is a perfect book to read.

A thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, this book expands on what Feynman wrote in "Adventures of a Curious Character" (ACC), although this book stands alone (you need not have read the first). Feynman, in his characteristic, modest and endearing style engages the reader page after page. He expands details mentioned in ACC as well as introducing new, and just as engaging, material. His light-hearted approach to serious matters and his expression of insatiable lust for knowledge in an enjoyable style makes this book a pleasure to read. I find it hard to fault this book and page after page it kept me wanting to read more. Reading the book makes you want to go out and satisfy all those childhood curiosities that, unfortunately, some of us lose in adult life. I read the book at night and found myself constantly wanting to go outside and look for frogs, insects and other wonders of the natural world. If I did have to find fault in the book, it would only be that it kept me up later at night than usual--a great book, by a great man.

Even if you're not a physist you will love this book.

From the form of the title of Richard Feynman's second collection of lively personal anecdotes, "What Do You Care What Other People Think?", one might wonder if it is some kind of trick title. After all, Feynman is one of the twentieth century's relatively few "personalities" in the physics world and is known for his quirky mannerisms as much as for his Nobel Prize winning quantum theories. Yet the title is a direct quote from his first wife who, it seems, had to remind him periodically to be him.

Like his earlier "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman!", the present volume covers a variety of observations from Feynman's life. The breadth of topics, however, is not nearly as great as the earlier volume. Two things stand out. The first is a long story of his relationship with his first wife Arlene, from their first meeting to her death. The second is the topic of the entire second half of the book and covers Feynman's time on the Presidential Commission to investigate the Challenger disaster in 1986. Though he is best known for his on-camera low-tech demonstration of the loss of elasticity in O-ring material in cold conditions, his work covered so much more than that. In this section we are presented with the detail-oriented and no-nonsense manner in which his mind worked. Naturally he has as much to say on the subject of Washington bureaucracy as he does on technical investigation. Even now, twenty years later, there's stuff to be learned on the subject for anyone not an aficionado of the subject at that time.

While not quite the dazzling collection of quick stories of the Joking text, What Do You Care is certainly a pleasant addition to the body of Feynman lore and a must-read for fans everywhere.

This book starts off pretty interesting, but gets bogged down in criticism of NASA management. While I agree with Mr. Feynman on this, I kind of got tired of it after a while. Still, this is a worthwhile read, and if you're a Feynman fan I'd say get it. If you've never read Feynman before I'd strongly suggest Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman!

This book was great. It won't be the literary testament of the 20th century but the stories are thought-provoking, humourous and edifying. This book dwells a lot on the Challenger incident and the ensuing investigation. There is a fair amount of detail there which may not interest some readers but this reader found it to be a good mix of technical information into a very human story. I have actually not read Surely You're Joking yet so I cannot compare it. In short, recommended to anyone interested in the whole Feynman persona and more generally, the inner workings of a genius.

More stories of the great physicist. In this book he tells of his early family life and the story of his first marriage. He also explains in great detail his role on the Challenger Commission, and how the problem with the O rings came out. Great reading. Feynman was bigger than life.

What do you Care What Other People Think? By Richard P. Feynman is a retelling of important events in physicist Richard Feynman's life; mostly dealing with his investigation of the Challenger space shuttle, but also quite a bit about his personal life. Part I of the book deals with personal antidotes that give insights into why Feynman became the man he did. One of the most moving chapters in the book is when he is telling stories of how his first wife died in a hospital, and the dramatic effect she had on him. Part II is entirely about his experience dealing with the Challenger and the resistance he got from people in Washington because of his scientific inquiry. While the two sections may seem totally unrelated, Part I gives great insights into why Feynman approached things the way he did.
I think Feynman wrote this book in hopes to inspire people to start questioning things scientifically and trying to figure out why things are they way they are. I think people should read this because they will get an excellent understanding of how a brilliant scientist's mind worked. I also think it will inspire people to think outside the box and not just accept the facts that are given to them; it could even inspire the next great physicist!

This book alone is very enlightening. In the first half of the book, you get a sense of Feynman's early beginnings and how his fascination with science evolved. In his adolescent years, Feynman was influenced the most by his father. Although his father was not a professional scientist, he was stated as always having the right principle. In this autobiography Feynman recalls certain memories of his life, some not having anything to do with science whatsoever, but they all lead up to the investigation of the NASA shuttle the Challenger in the Part II. Feynman was appointed to the presidential commission that was in charge of figuring out why the dramatic and surprising crash of the shuttle occurred. There was no blatant evidence as to why the shuttle exploded, but Feynman had several ideas why it might have happened. He was presented with the idea that the solution to the problem lied in the O-rings in the rocket boosters. In this book he guides readers through his thought process and a first person description of his famous experiment with ice water and rubber clasps to prove his unbelievable theory. He proved that the O-rings do not work efficiently in cold temperature, specifically if it is 32 degrees or below. The temperature on the day of the launch was not in safe range. Feynman was right. His report was included in the appendix of the official document sent to the government stating the purpose of the crash. This report is also included in the book. Many professionals in the science field doubted Feynman and his ideas. He was usually "brushed" off and his opinions were never really taking into consideration during the public meetings of the commission. What readers will get out of this book is a true sense of how brilliant a man Richard Feynman was. He was truly an original and he wrote this book to show the public the way his mind works and how superficial people might be no matter how smart they are supposed to be.

I think that sometimes people overlook how hard it is to become well respected in the field of science research. For Richard Feynman, thinking scientifically came easily since he was a child. Throughout this book he shares his early scientific experiences up until he helps in discovering the reason why the Challenger space shuttle failed. With a detailed explanation of every step of his journey as part of the commission, which investigated causes of failure, Feynman expresses his frustrations, triumphs and discoveries along the way. He does not sugarcoat any of his experiences. In fact, it seems as if he wants to show people how difficult it can be to work with so many people all striving for the same thing. From reading this book, one can see that respect does not come without hardships and failure.
It is important to see the process of how someone comes to think of things and how even acclaimed and accomplished scientists run into obstacles when trying to figure new things out. Feynman's depiction of his investigation of the failure of the Challenger gives the reader a realistic view of how frustrating things must have been for Feynman. Even though it would have been nice to read about the country's views on the matters, it was also nice to get an "insider's" story and opinion.

Feynman Rules! (It is very annoying when 2 of the 5 CD's have skips the first time played) Space Shuttle Challenger section especially fascinating!

A good friend of mine turned me onto Feynman a couple of years ago with "Surely You Must Be Joking". I just finished this one over the New Year holiday. It's a great book!

I love Feynman and I love both of the two books I've read. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star book, in my opinion, is that I could swear some of the material in this book was also contained in "Surely You Must Be Joking". I could be wrong about that, though. They could simply be additional stories taken from the same time-frame in Feynman's life. The first half of this book, however, seemed to be either the same or very similar as the other book. With so many Feynman books on the shelves today, I wonder if this isn't a problem with many of the others as well.

The second half of this book is what really blew me away. For the most part, the second half of this book deals with Feynman's role researching the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Feynman's insights into beauracracy and the analogies to corporate America are spot on. And with the 20th anniversary of the disaster almost upon us, the material seemed somewhat timely as well.

I think it was Gell-Mann who said that there are two kinds of geniuses (I paraphrase): those who are just a whole lot smarter than we are and those who are magicians of the sort that we can't even imagine how they arrive at what they think. Feynman was certainly in the later camp.

First - if you haven't read this book read it - it will become one of your favorites that you go to time and again.

Second - purchase "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman" and do the same thing.

Both books are the observations, stories, and pranks by one of this century's most brilliant scientist. Don't let the label `scientist' scare you if you don't like science. These essays are funny, witty, and extremely homey and readable. Feynman was certainly brilliant but he was also just the guy next door. The guy who used to do exotic physics on napkins down at the nudie bar.

There is a large section of the book devoted to his participation in the downed space shuttle investigation that is both funny and informative. It's hard to beat this book for plain fun.

Richard Feynman left his hand prints almost everywhere in physics, and here at Los Alamos where he cut his teeth working on atomic bomb physics, he is still a living legend: not just for his scientific brilliance, but for all the color and warmth of his personality. His signature characteristic, as you will read in this wonderful book, was simplicity. To wit:

His rule for getting a woman at bar to sleep with him: ask her.

How he freezing, bitterly cold weather destroyed the Challenger space shuttle: take a small o-ring made of the same material from the shuttle o-rings and dunk it in a cup of ice water before the other committee members to show that it becomes brittle.

How to crack a safe when the owner of the safe was away on business and the safe needed to be opened here at Los Alamos during WWII: go into the office with a tool box, close the door, look for the combination in several obvious places, open safe with found combination, make tool noises for an hour, open door and surprise the waiting crowd.

How to solve complex problems in quantum electrodynamics: think about the processes in simple pictorial represenations--the so-called Feynman diagrams. While others worried about the convergence of infinities of terms in perturbation for months or years at a time, he could derive the answer from the primary, first few terms with his diagrams in a matter of hours.

Everything held an interest to Feynman. He traded physics lectures to learn art, dunked himself in sensory deprivation chambers, learned to speak Portugeuse and play the bongo drums. He was also a great lecturer: his written lectures remain as popular and useful today as they were to physics undergrads and graduate students of yesteryear. And Feynman believed that there was plenty of room at the bottom. That is, he believed that we would soon master the world of the atom, allowing us to make factories at the molecular level through bio/nano technology, and he was right. In the lab we have, for example, fused the flagelum of bacteria to blood cells to form the first bio/nano bots that will soon carry smart, killer nano technology chemotherapies right to individual cancer cells. We are learning how to use DNA to lay down molecular wires for molecular computers. These are but two examples that Feynman foresaw in his famous lecture on nano technology. To be sure, there are a lot of ethical, religio and econo promises and perils to these technologies. Read Kurzweil's recent, top selling book: The Singularity is Near to get an idea of the tremendous progress that is being made. Read James Hughes' book Citizen Cyborg for the kinds of political systems we will need to deal with advanced bio/nano techonology. Read my own " Beyond Future Shock (I.S. B.N. 1419609440 )" for an awareness of the ethical, religio and econo promises and perils of advance bio/nano technology.

Enjoy Classic Feynman and all the adventures of a curious character. I recommend it.

Sincerely,

Alex Alaniz Ph.D.
Los Alamos, NM

"What Do You Care What Other People Think" is one of several books by and about this fascinating man.

In this book, Feynman describes his role in the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger explosion and he emphasizes the importance of engineers and decision-makers working together. To paraphrase Feynman, you can't fool physics. Feynman also sheds light into the political morass that is NASA, suggesting that there will be more disasters for the US space program in the future.

I watch or listen to nearly every shuttle launch, fully expecting that we'll lose another space shuttle soon.

In part, because of this book, I decided to make law and technology my career.

This book, a sequel - of sorts - to `Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!', continues the autobiographical journey of physicist Richard Feynman (d.1988), and expands on the some of the topics glossed over in the first book. For example, in his first autobiography, Feynman mentions his first wife, Arlene, and her death at a young age from tuberculosis; here, the story is expanded, "assembled over the past ten years out of pieces from six different stories", and although this episode was painful for the author, he ended up satisfied with the finished product, and Feynman was "happy to share it with others" (8). Other events covered in this book include Feynman's journeys to Switzerland and Japan, and the second part deals with his role in the space shuttle Challenger investigation, which occurred close to his death from cancer in 1988. The Challenger chapters are extremely interesting, and you believe his observations on how NASA and the government work in regards to tragedies that seem to threaten the status quo. In the last part of the book is Feynman's `Appendix F', his contribution to the Challenger investigation, almost left out of the report completely (was it by accident? Probably not). The final essay is `The Value of Science', an address originally delivered in 1955, where the author covers the role of science in a post-WWII nuclear capable world. This address resonates today as it did 50 years ago - my favorite paragraph deals with the founding fathers and Feynman's take on the creation of our government: "Even then it was clear to socially minded people that the openness of possibilities was an opportunity, and that doubt and discussion were essential to progress into the unknown." (247) Although not as entertaining as his first book, `What Do YOU Care What People Think?' is a wonderful companion piece to explore who Feynman was and what made him tick.

I enjoyed this book, but am surprised at how many people (including Feynman himself) seem have bought into the myth that Feynman was the one who worked out what went wrong with Challenger. NASA were well aware of the cause of the disaster long before Feynman came on the scene! If you do not believe this, then read the chapter entitled "Afterthoughts" at the end of the book - making appropriate allowances for Feynman's huge ego. From the point of view of protecting people's careers, it was much better to have the Great Feynman explain the problem with the O-rings to an astonished public after months of careful investigation than simply to name and shame those responsible for the faulty design and/or operation of the shuttle. The notion that the problem could only be solved by one of the greatest minds in theoretical physics was obviously good for NASA as it took away some of their own responsibility.

Richard Feynman (1918-1988) had a very full and adventurous life as can be gleaned from this great book. The first half is mostly autobiographical and anecdotal and in the typical Feynman way, he leaves nothing to the imagination. He spent the latter part of his life as a Professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, Ca.

For hobbies he loved bongos and drums and occasionally performed with a drumming group at Caltech, but was content to spend hours drumming with close friends such as Ralph Leighton at his home. Feynman also enjoyed drawing and painting and some of his artwork is depicted in this book. The artwork was exacting and professional. There are several photos covering Feynman's life and concluding with space shuttle photos and diagrams.

The second half of the book, and some would say the most potent part, is dedicated to Feynman's participation in the investigation of the 1986 space shuttle "Challenger" accident. Feynman demonstrated the ultimate in dogged pursuit of the cause and was not to be intimidated or put-off by NASA and military officials who would have been happy not disclose the damning facts that they were thoroughly warned about safety issues before the launch, yet chose to ignore these warnings in deference to then Pres. Reagan's desire for a political feather in his cap by launching the shuttle on his schedule.

Who knows what, if anything, was explained to Reagan that the weather was too cold to launch (the shuttle was not suppose to be launched in less than 53 degree weather and the temperature at launch time was 29 degrees!). What is known is that the NASA management chose to ignore the warnings and heeded the beck and call of the President to launch. Later, and like typical management weasels, they tried to hush-up the fact that they were warned and then tried to blame the "O"-ring failure on the manufacturer, Thiokol.

During the inquiry, Feyman took the opportunity to demonstrate a simple, common-sense experiment in front of his fellow investigative teammates and news cameras that when the "O"-rings are chilled (he dropped a piece of one held by pliers in a glass of ice-water) they shrink and cannot seal properly, and especially when the violent vibration of the launch process is added for an ultimately disastrous mix.

If not for Feynman's persistence, this simple, but profound demonstration could have been swept under the rug and fingers unfairly pointed at Thiokol. Management refused to take any responsibility for the disaster, yet when in fact, their incompetent dismissal of the freeze conditions were what led to the disaster. Thank God for Richard Feynman! This is not only a fascinating look into Feynman's life, it is a national treasure, for here is where we see the bungling, politically motivated decisions of a great country being jerked around by bureaucrats leading, ultimately, to disaster.

In my life I have only come across a few books which have been able to exert the same type of force on me as Richard P. Feynman's collection of essays, What Do You Care What Other People Think? has. To use an appropriate analogy: it is the feeling that a massive body exerts on all lesser bodies around it, pulling them down the bent slope of space towards them - it is not a conscious act but rather is just the natural result of the weight of the ideas involved. From nearly the first page on there are passages which you just feel compelled to tell a friend about, like there wonder is too much for you to handle on your own and you need someone else to share that since of awe with.

I like this book a little better than "SYJ"--I certainly do also like "SYJ". However, the best thing I like about Feynman is that he talked so honestly about himself. Hardly any other celebrity would want do that. In "SYJ", he is real, not afraid to talk about his adventures or even sex. But you still can tell that in that book he was like a naughty boy, sometimes deliberately created "troubles" and generated adventures. In this book, he became more genuine, he used a very sincere voice to focus on how he see and value things -- love (2nd chap.), life, science (last chap.)... It almost make me have a crush on him - although he is dead. What do I care what you think about my last remark? :)

Feynman's book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" is a lot of fun. But fun was not the only thing in Feynman's life. "What Do you Care What Other People Think" is a rather different book.

Don't get me wrong: there are various funny stories in this book, too. And the book also describes various controversies - for example the story in which the silly feminists called Feynman "a sexist pig". Feynman never hesitated to inform morons (especially the pompous fools) that they were morons, and this book is another proof of it. Nevertheless, the main focus of the book is different.

Feynman first talks about his childhood - especially his father who taught him to question the orthodox thinking, and who probably always wanted Richard to become a scientist. On the other hand, Feynman's father was not an intellectual. One of the special features of Feynman is that he was brought up in an ordinary family - not in a family of professors which is unfortunately the case of most professors today.

The second part of the book is very sad and very emotional. It's about his first wife, Arlene. I think that the book will show you how much they loved each other and how big influence Arlene had on Feynman. Well, a problem was that she suffered from tuberculosis. She was dying while Feynman was working on the atomic bomb in Los Alamos. This part of the book could compete with any good fiction - the difference is that this story is real and it happened to one of the most influential physicists of all time. I am sure that you will agree that Feynman's heart was at least as strong as his brain.

However, it's not just a sad love story: Feynman also describes their tricks that they used to send letters to each other (circumventing the censorship in Los Alamos) and other amusing details of this period.

The third portion (about 55%) of the book is dedicated to the commission that investigated the explosion of the Challenger, the space shuttle in 1986. Feynman was always eager to get to the very heart of the matter and he never cared whether he looked "nice" to others. Even Ronald Reagan knew about that, and therefore he personally asked Feynman to serve on the committee (with Neil Armstrong and others).

Feynman did not disappoint and the book reveals the findings in depth - well sometimes the description is too detailed, I would say. It shows how some people in NASA - for example an executive called William Rogers - preferred the image (their personal image as well as the image of NASA) over the truth. You will also learn about many technical details that have led to the explosion. Feynman was thinking differently - unlike the chairman of the commission who thought that everyone should sit in a room and ask the experts, Feynman decided to talk to the engineers. Feynman's analysis is also a critique of the government bureaucracy.

Although NASA was probably a unified force when it sent the first men to the Moon, it became fragmented afterwards, Feynman argues. The engineers estimated the probability of the failure to be about 1:300, while the top bosses were painting an optimistic picture to the Congress that the probability of an explosion was about 1:100,000, and NASA can be both cheap as well as efficient.

Feynman's most visible conclusion is that the space shuttle program may have been a mistake because the public had to be fooled that the project was better than it actually was.

Feynman always believed that the public must be allowed to decide whether they want to fund you and your projects, after you honestly tell them what the project means. Unlike many unrealistic people in the academia who believe that an arbitrary amount of money paid for an arbitrary project in science is a good investment - and that it is always OK to fool the ordinary people to get some money - Feynman understood economics and the workings of the society very well. Moreover, honesty was his primary goal in debates with the laymen.

At the end of the book, Feynman advocates science and its principles. However, you don't need to be trained in physics to understand the book.

The follow-up to the successful, "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman" this book offers four pretty distinct parts.

First section describes how his father taught him to think about the world and his father's ambition to make young Richard a scientist. The end of the book is Feyman's case for the importance of science. In between we get the sad, but sweet story of his first wife and the utterly compelling story of his time on the committee investigating the challenger explosion. It was my favorite part of the book.

The description of how government committees decide facts and make recommendations was eye opening. It was the best description of how these things work that I've ever read. Feynman was constantly up against a committee chairman that wanted to keep everyone in a room asking questions of experts. Feynman didn't like that setup. He wanted to travel out to NASA and talk to engineers, so he did.

Going to Huston and Canaveral, Feynman learned something about the nature of NASA that probably goes for any big organization. He found that NASA was a unified force when their goal was putting a man of the moon. Information was shared freely and appreciated at every level. Once that goal was met NASA became compartmentalized.

Leaders at the top spent their time reassuring Congress that NASA would achieve their goals with low costs and high safety. Engineers at the bottom realized that this wasn't entirely possible. The middle managers didn't want to hear the challenges because they would be forced to report it to the top bosses who didn't want to hear it. It was much easier for top bosses to paint a rosy picture to Congress if they were unaware of the actual challenges of making it work. The end result was that top bosses said that the likelihood of a mission death was 1-100,000 while engineers on the ground felt that the likelihood was more like 1-300.

Feynman concludes that maybe the shuttle program was a bad idea. It could never live up to the ambitious projections of the leaders and the American public was being lied to. NASA should be honest with the American people, Feynman thought, then Congress and voters can decide if they are getting enough for their money. It was a surprisingly thing to hear from an advocate of science and discovery. But Feynam reckoned that the amount of science and discovery has been little compared to the cost. He complained years after the first shuttle launch he still hadn't read any significant experiments in scientific journals.

In all, I liked this book a little better than "Surely You're Joking." It was a little more thought provoking than those fun tales.

This book is the follow on to the book "Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman". In the first book there was a time line that progressed from youth to Professor at Caltech. This book is much different in that 45% of the book describes his pre- 1986 life and 55% describes his involvement in the Challenger shuttle accident investigation. This investigation was a mere 2 years of his life (and the final 2 years as well). The same brilliant character shines through in both parts of this book. There are many interesting vignettes of this iconoclast that are not in the first book. The most interesting part is the description of his relationship with his first wife Arlene who succumbed to TB while he was still a young man. He really had a great heart for those close to him. He didn't suffer fools willingly and often was abrupt to the point of rudeness. More interesting observations are available at feynmanonline^com. Detailed there is a more balanced view of the man and his foibles.

Yes, Feynman was brilliant. Yes, Feynman revolutionized the teaching of physics. Yes, he seems to have been a delightful, charming, handsome, womanizing, fun guy to hang out with. But the Feynman cottage industry ran dry a long time ago. I expect his grocery lists to be published any day now to feed the insatiable hunger for anything that he touched. The essays and articles in this book are bland and nearly worthless. One is introduced as "uproarious." Uproarious is defined as "provoking hilarity." If you think anecdotes about Feynman running up a stairway to bring his heart rate up are hilarious, you are easily amused. This book was a complete waste of time and money.

What do you care about what other people think? Well, after reading this book (and Surely You're Joking ...), I came to the suspicion that Feynman cared a hell lot about what other people thought of him. I found this book entertaining, but I believe one of the main goals really was to convince the readers how much smarter he was than the rest of us. I understand that it's in fashion for physicists and grad students of physics to rave about anything Feynman. But then, physicists aren't unlike teenage girls who worship rock stars. There are groupies. There are physicists. And then there are groupie physicists.

It'd have been nice if there were a book called "Surely You Are Joking, Mr. Schwinger", and the like.

This book offers a spectrum of insights into professor Feynman's life. From his personal struggles with his wife's illness early in his life, to his role in the Challenger disaster investigation, we get a more personal view into the man behind the legends. The anecdotes dealing with his time on the Roger's commission on the Challenger disaster are truly worth reading to get an outsider's inside view on how such inquiries work. We get particular insight into the work and ideas behind the famous eureka moment demonstrating the O-ring material weakness in cold temperatures. Feynman is humble in describing the contributions that others provided in formulating his ideas during this investigation.
Clearly a gem worth reading whether or not you're familiar with the eariler book, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"

Dr. Feynman spent a lifetime looking for truth about physics and particularly subatomic particle physics. Then the Challenger disaster happens and he's called on to find the truth in NASA and in politics. He of course handles it superbly and we all know why it blew up. This is that story and its another good read for those who read and liked "Surely You must be joking."

If you haven't read the first book, do it is slightly better and you could read them out of chronological order but you'll wish you hadn't.

I had heard of Richard Feynman a few years back and never had the time to read any of his writings. I picked this book up on a whim to read on a flight to New York and since reading "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" I have picked up many of his books. His writing style is direct and should be easy to understand for almost all readers. I would suggest to readers that they start with "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" but that is not necessary. If you are a lover of science, travel, or reading about one mans views on life this is the perfect book to read.

I just can't get enough of this guy !
Still in the spirit of the first book 'Surely you're joking', but a slightly more serious follow up with some repetitions. Here the reader sees Feynmann dealing with the love of his life- his first wife Arline, the Nobel prize and much later the investigation into the Challenger tragedy. This time the hero is better developed and we get to see a more human side of Mr Feynmann in addition to the curious character. Given that he is no longer with us, this book will be treasured as much as the first. Readers unfamilar with the first book will still be able to enjoy the adventures of this remarkable scientist.

This book is a continuation and addendum of sorts to Mr. Feynman's first biography, "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman". The two major stories of the book involve Mr. Feynman's enormously influential first wife, Arlene and the second story involves Mr. Feynman's work in the Challenger disaster investigation. Sprinkled around these two major bookends are other humorous adventures and observations about a trip to Japan, being labeled a sexist pig by feminists, and hotel hunting in Europe to name just a few.

The Challenger investigation takes up a sizable chunk of the book and is sometimes filled with drier material. But the compelling event and frustrating insight into government bureaucracy holds some interest to make up for the technical specifications.

The first part of the book where his wife Arlene is discussed is so touching and powerful that the reader will be hard pressed not to get teary-eyed.

As noted in the review about the first biography, Mr. Feynman was an extremely curious person who explored things out of simple curiosity. His life's quest was nothing simpler than a desire to understand Nature. All the while, he tried to have the best time he could. Hopefully this reader can take away at least a little bit of that.

Not as entertaining as its predecessor, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman", but still quite entertaining in its own way, more than half of this book is devoted to describing the experiences of Feynman as he took part in the committee investigating the Shuttle Challenger disaster. As anyone who's read the first book can imagine, setting Feynman loose on a governmental committee is not exactly a recipe for smooth interaction; what it IS a recipe for is getting far more straight answers uncovered than the bureaucrats want.

Not to say that this book isn't funny, but if you're looking for a chuckle, read the earlier book. If, on the other hand, you're in the mood for being reminded, in a fairly lighthearted way, just why it is that bureaucracies are not a good thing, this is the book for you. In addition to the section on the Challenger investigation, there are a few biographical anecdotes, as well as a closing lecture on "The Value of Science", all of which are good reading.

Dr. Feynman figured out what went wrong with the 1986 space shuttle crash...he seemed to be the only one on the investigatory commission who was an innovative and agressive investigator. It will be interesting to see if inquiries into the latest disaster with the Columbia shuttle reveal the same weaknesses in NASA communication between the head (money-raising, grandstanding) honchos and the engineers who had hands- on knowledge of the shuttle. The technological aspect is obviously pertinent but the group dynamics of the commission and the organization they were scrutinizing is the real story.
In addition to the Challenger portion of the book, there are delightful chapters on the author's childhood relationship to his father and to his first wife, both of them original and irreverent characters, as, apparently, was Feynman.

This is being written in the evening after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. While all the would-be experts go onto Larry King and Good Morning America and try out for the Olympic Conclusion High Jump Team (while the real experts -- and I just got off the phone with one -- have a pretty good idea what it was, and turn down same interviews), right now, this is a good time for those who are interested to read the background of the previous Shuttle disaster. All of Part II, about 2/3 of this book, is titled "Mr. Feynman goes to Washington: Investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster." Incredible, absolutely true, and only the tip of the iceberg, according to somebody who was there. There's a pattern to this sort of thing, a combination of hubris and unwillingness to face reality, and Feynman's book lays it bare like nothing else I can think of. The only other document that comes close in my mind (at least, as I recall the details) is the old "Far Side" cartoon, showing a rope-and-tire swing over a tiny little pond. There's a big chunk of the tire missing, and a shark fin cruising around below. Two kids on the bank, one says to the other "You go tell Billy's mom, and I'll go look for another tire." We've seen this before (Shuttle, Concorde), we'll see it again, but meanwhile Feynman's account is a must-read. You will not be disappointed.

If you've read Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman and found it enjoyable, I'd recommend picking up What do YOU care what other people think? If you haven't read SYMBJ, I would recommend reading it first.

This book has an easy flow and is made enjoyable by an approachable protagonist whose science mind and everyday eagerness is rewarding and inspiring.

This book is the follow-up to Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character and I recommend that it should be read only after reading that volume.

The book is organized as a series of loosely related chapters that illustrate Feynman's unique perspective and his ways of interacting with the world. It is less personal than the preceding book in that some of the chapters are more about science-related topics and less about Feynman. Some of the chapters fill in details that were introduced in "Surely You're Joking" while others cover new topics. His description of the government sponsored independent commission that investigated the space shuttle Challenger explosion is revelatory both for its insight into the process and workings of such commissions (and Feynman's frustrations with them) and for his description of his own style of investigatory technique which we all can apply.

The reader does not have to be a scientist, engineer, or a skeptic to appreciate this book and I recommend it as informative, amusing and well worth reading.

If you have read other written works by Feynman, you will enjoy this set of musings and stories. His premise is a great one, and well taken to heart. In this book, he also details his loving and somewhat unorthadox relationship with his wife during his years at Los Alamos. A quick, fun, worthwhile read.

Not a bad book, but not quite five star.
The first chapter "The Making of a Scientist" is from the
Horizon[BBC]/Nova[PBS] documentary The Pleasure of Finding Things
Out. I very much enjoyed watching Chris Sykes documentary, and
he went on to write the book No Ordinary Genius (also another
Sykes documentary about Feynman). I mention all this because
the book, and chapter is unable to convey Feynman's Brooklyn
accent (that really adds).

Feynman hated writing, and most of this text was transcribed and
edited, so it has that feel. Some people will like that, and
as Sykes notes: others won't (poor English). The best way to
understand Feynman is to read his three volumes, and that's not
easy (and they are written in this same style with hard hard).

The Challenger Chapter is very important and stands on its own
merits. Enough said about that.

"For a successful technology,
reality must take precedence over public relations,
for Nature cannot be fooled."
Appendix F, Personal Observations on the Reliability of the Shuttle
-- R. P. Feynman

Here is another book of wonderful biographical anecdotes of one of the most intriguing scientists who has ever lived. However, those who are looking for merely a continuing edition of the tremendously popular (not to mention hilarious!) SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN should take note: this present work does not qualify as that.

To be sure, there are a handful of chapters which would fit right into SYJMF. However, 2 major sections cover some exceptionally serious topics which are hardly material for Feynman's typical humor. One section details his love for his first wife as well as her untimely terminal illness. The other covers his work on the commission to disinter the technical problems that led to the explosion of the Space Shuttle CHALLENGER in 1986. These major sections encompass roughly 3/4 of the book.

The chapter on his wife's suffering is especially poignant and touched me very deeply. Feynman was a man whose love and compassion matched his intellect. I could not but feel empathy and admiration for the way he took care of his bride, knowing all along that she would not live long. His decision to be straight with her about her condition, instead of feeding her some fairy-tale story about how she had a good chance of recovery, was both painful and edifying to read.

The section on the CHALLENGER goes into great detail on everything that went wrong that fateful day in '86 as the nation watched the disaster on TV. To this day, I have not seen a television documentary cover this story as I think it should be covered.

I recently saw a special on the CHALLENGER on the DISCOVERY channel. It did an excellent job of focusing on how the engineers at THIOKOL were screaming at NASA not to launch, well into the wee hours of the morning of the catastrophe. However, what the special omitted was the cover-up and closing-of-ranks that NASA did AFTER the accident. To me, NASA's behavior after the fact was even more reprehensible than its carelessness before the launch.

It was for the reason of politics that then-president Ronald Reagan personally requested that Feynman be on-board the investigation committee [a committee that also included the astronauts Neil Armstrong and Sally Ride, among others]. Reagan knew that Feynman would get to the bottom of the matter (which he did) and that Feynman did not care for the politics of making NASA "look good" (which he didn't).

With this in mind, even people who are not interested in Richard Feynman, but are curious about what happened to the CHALLENGER would gain much by reading this book. Feynman explains his thorough, logical methodology and how it rubbed many people the wrong way. His straight-forward and honest disclosures of NASA's gerrymandering created much animosity between himself and NASA exec William Rogers (who, it seems, was more interested in NASA's image than getting to the heart of the matter). For those who are interested in further reading on the CHALLENGER topic, I would recommend NO ORDINARY GENIUS: THE ILLUSTRATED FEYNMAN ...

For Feynman enthusiasts, this book is vintage Feynman - a can't miss. As a bonus, the center of the book has photographs from his life, as well as some of his sketches. The book is equally recommended for people who wonder about what "really" happened to the CHALLENGER, and why it happened. NASA aficionados may be disappointed in the work as it exposes (truthfully) all of the fudge-factors, apathy for safety issues and faulty reasoning NASA used with the efficacy of launching CHALLENGER on time and preserving its positive image after the fact.

This book does complete justive to Feynman, and his life. That a genius such as Feynman, can be so simple, practical - should be an inspiration to all of us. This is the story of a person, who loved science and life - and more importantly, did not think of science as an esoteric skill that only a few could possess, but instead tried to apply it to things that we do in everyday life. What was special in this book though, was that it has presented a rare side of any scientist. People, usually, think of scientists, and especially, physicists, as people for whom their studies carry more importance than everything else, including their loved ones. Feynman proves that, being a genius does not require him to live upto that msleading expectation. He was always true to his philosophy of not caring for what others thought, which is reflected in him starting this book with stories about his life with his first wife, and giving it as much inportance as him being on the challenger commission.